MSC

May 11 through 15^th of this past month marked the mid-service conference (MSC) of my group in Ethiopia.  This conference essentially marked the one-year mark (or half way point) of our two-year service.  It was exciting, yet overwhelming to see so many people because it had been about nine months since the last time my whole group was together.  It was exciting because I was able to see so many friends whom I had not seen in a very long time yet overwhelming because I was not used to seeing and being apart of such a huge group of “ferenji,” or foreigners (or white people, however you want to describe it), in such a long time.

The conference was four days filled with sessions.  Some sessions were technical, some experience sharing, and others focusing more on logistical information.  Technical trainings focused on giving us information that would be helpful when creating and implementing programs, activities, etc.  During our experience sharing sessions, we talked a lot about current projects that we are all working on and talked about other things such as what and what does not work when it comes to the creation and implementation of projects.

The logistical info sessions touched on a bunch of things including review of how we as volunteers report all of our work.  I think one session that was at the top of everyone’s favorite sessions list was the session on close of service.  There was a lot of information about what we all will be doing a year from now, including how to go about researching for jobs and graduate schools as well as other Peace Corps related options.  For anyone not familiar with these options, here is a quick summary of the different options:

1)   Extension of Service by one year

a.     Extend one more year at your site

b.     Extend as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader (PCVL)

                                               i.     PCVL for Health Program

                                              ii.     PCVL for Ag/Environment Program

                                            iii.     PCVL for Education Program

                                            iv.     PCVL for Training

                                              v.     PCVL at Regional Offices (Jimma, Bahir Dar, Mekele, Hawassa)

c.      Extend through a Non-governmental Organization

2)   Another option is a short term response program

a.     As a returned Peace Corps volunteer, you can serve in different countries for usually 6-9 months

b.     These assignments generally are very specific

So that’s a quick look at some options for volunteers after their 27 months in country.  If you want more information about close of service specifics, feel free to send your questions my way.

Overall, MSC went really well.  It was great to see people and have a break from site.  Work can be a bit stressful at times, so it was nice to get away for a little while.  MSC was a really good way to motivate us (at least me to some degree) to continue to do work in site, think of new ideas, and get creative.  Not to mention that I got to eat lots of great food and was able to stock up on some supplies to take back with me to site.  Also, thinking about how I have less than a year of service now is also a good motivator.  Honestly, it is a strange thought that I have been in Ethiopia for over a year now and that I have less than one year left to go.  At times, this thought is a little bittersweet.  Other times, I’m just become more and more excited as the date draws closer and closer.  But I am realizing that when it comes down to it, all I can and need to do is make the most of every moment that I have left in this country.

G10 crossing over to our second year of service

Had to include this one... one of a few surprise photos I found on my phone that was taken during MSC.  One of my favorite surprise photos!