Tic, tac, tic, tac…

20 days!

Excited? Nervous? Zen?

Hum… maybe a bit of the three?

Nervous?

Oh yes! Not a lot of days left before pre-departure training and so much to do until then! Catching up with readings, more research about Zambia, development in Africa, getting the last vaccine required, trying anti-malaria pills, packing and realizing that shopping is not over…

I am also nervous about the expectations for the placement. What will be my role overseas? What kind of impact will I have in my host community? How will the partner organization and host community perceive me? To be honest, I have the fear of not being able to meet up with the expectations from EWB, my chapter and myself. There is always the fear of doing more harm than good while overseas. I don’t want my actions to create a negative impact in the community, but I am aware that my knowledge about international development and the history and culture of Zambia is limited and that will affect my perception of current situations and my decisions. I also don’t want to reinforce existing stereotypes about Westerners that have money to give away and knowledge to spread around. To avoid references to neo-colonialism and hopefully break the image of Westerners coming to save the world, I think that the attitude that I will have is key. Going with an open mind and a desire to learn and understand will put me at the same level than Dorothy.

(Who is Dorothy? I will tell you more in future posts but in short: Dorothy is the name that we give to the person that we are working for in EWB. She is the community that I will be living with. She is the people that I will be working with. She is there to remind us that our actions and decisions can have an impact even miles away from us.)

I also have the fear of getting sick in a remote area but hopefully the vaccines will help me and the insect repellent as well. (I am a real candy bar for mosquitoes!)

Feeling isolated is another fear, but my journal will be my best friend and I can’t wait to discover the surprise package especially put together by the GEWBies (The Guelph EWB Chapter) for those loneliness moments. Thanks GEWBies!

One would think that having gone already in a developing country would immune you from cultural shock, but no one is ever prepared enough to resist it. I hope that it won’t be worst than the first time I had it and that I will be able to jump in right back in university life as I only have a few days between my arrival and the start of the classes.

Excited?

BIG YES! I am very excited about meeting my partner organization and see how EWB can collaborate with them! I am excited about finding out more about my role within the organization to contribute to positive change! I am excited about living in a totally different culture, learning the Bemba language, learning about their livelihoods, meeting new friends, meeting Dorothy… I am excited about gaining a better understanding of development and come back to Canada to share my experiences!

Zen?

Not often these days, but I do experience some moments of calmness… in my sleep!