site assignment reflection (written July 8, 2009)

Site assignment day was today…and I now know that I will be living in Jinotega, Jinotega, a department capital in the north of nicaragua. I never would have imagined in joining the Peace Corps that I’d be living in a city…with a supermarket... and a bank... and a post office... and a coffee shop... and internet cafes. Is this what I signed up for? Is this what I wanted when I applied? And I think…it is. I will be working with one secondary school to implement the entrepreneurship course La Empresa Creativa (the creative business) and with an adult education technical school to teach an intro to microenterprise class. I don’t think I’ve described exactly how the Small Business Development program for Peace Corps Nicaragua works (or at least our main project): Peace Corps has been working with the Ministry of Education in Nicaragua to development this entrepreneurship course, La Empresa Creativa. It is divided into Pre-LEC, LEC, and Economics for 3rd year, 4th year, and 5th year secondary school students respectively. The Nicaraguan school system is under a system of “transformation” right now, and after all schools have completed the transformation process, they should have a required 4th year course of productivity in which the LEC will be taught. SBD volunteers have the responsibility of helping to implement this new course into the schools and train the teachers in how to teach it. So the program has promise and longevity. I also have opportunities to work with multiple NGOs and microfinance organizations. But…But? But this is what needs to be done. It’s just certainly not what I expected. I expected a hut in Africa…I’ll get an apartment in Central America. But I know that Nicaragua’s population is booming and job creation…isn’t. And I went to Babson. And I know that an entrepreneurial spirit is essential. And supporting the development of a middle class is critical. I just haven’t quite wrapped my mind around this new vision of the Peace Corps experience. I will be living with less (my yearly earnings will be about 3000 USD), but comfortably. And we (well, maybe me and Robin) know how awful it is to just be comfortable. How unchallenging. How uninspiring. How am I to develop the tortured soul needed to write beautiful prose and poetry? BaHa! O yes, now I remember. Nicaragua is beautiful. And buzzing. And who wants to write poetry anyway.