Placement Interviews!

September 26, 2012

This has definitely been one of our more exciting weeks of training. We all had our second placement interview this week (I had mine today). We all got the descriptions of all the sites and get to pick our top 4! Most of the sites are on the islands of Vava’u and Tongatapu (which is the main island and the one we are all on now), then there are 2 on Eua. Most of us think we want to go to Vava’u, which is supposed to be beautiful. It is crazy to think we are all going to be separated soon, I feel like Peace Corps is one long strand of goodbyes: first school, than school friends, then home friends and family, then home, then parents and now my fellow trainees… I am happy because a few of my closer friends in training are also looking to be on Vava’u but 3 of my better friends are aiming for different islands so I wont see them for months at a time. It is nice though to get a look at where we will all potential be for our actual assignment and get a glimpse at life for the next 2 years. I think I am leaning toward an outer village of Vava’u because I know I don’t want to be near a lot of internet or anything with too many luxuries, mostly because I feel like if they are there I will use them and I want to get away from all of that. I want to go where the need is and where I will be most present. I definitely don’t want to be to remote however, because I want to have access to other volunteers in case I need help with lesson planning or general support. As a younger volunteer I don’t know if I have enough experience to head an extremely rural location…When it comes down to it though, I am really up for anything as long as I can be of some use to the community. I also asked about coffee plantations anywhere because I figured if a thing like Kona coffee exist there most be real coffee here (not just instant, which is everywhere). Turns out there is one for sure and maybe even one in Vava’u and they said they would put it down that I am interested in coffee farming so they can look for a site if it matches and tell my site! It would be super cool to work with coffee growers as a side project so I really hope that works out!

Along with our site location interviews, we are also lesson planning for our practice teaching that is next week! I am a little nervous but we actually have some good lesson ideas and it is really nice to actually start working. My language group will be going to our village government primary school and teach classes all next week! We will get a real since of what the classroom will be like and we get critiqued so we will have an idea of our strengths and weaknesses, which is a little scary but I guess ultimately nice to know.

We also get to go to the Close of Service retreat for group 76 tomorrow! We only get to go for the day but they will have breakfast and lunch and free beach time at one of the resorts at the tip of the island. It is going to be nice to have a break from training and get to meet the old volunteers and what not. Plus, I think they might have a bar and I would be down to play up the palangi thing and get some sort of beach drink perhaps even a bahama mama?