Thoughts on Responsibility, among other things

So, a friend that I met here in Massachusetts and who is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer sent me this article.

You can read the article or not.. basically, it speaks to the efficacy of the modern Peace Corps. Since host countries are home to larger populations of college grads than they were in the early 60s when the Peace Corps was established, the article argues that recent college grads from the US have little more to offer host countries than grads sourced locally. The author, a former volunteer, recruiter, and country director, argues that Peace Corps should focus on recruiting more older and experienced volunteers, instead of armies of inexperienced young ones - and I can't help but agree.

To some, this may seem like sour grapes. I wasn't able to go abroad, so now I'm sitting on the sidelines second guessing the whole operation. But that's not necessarily the case.

Heifer Project International, the organization for which I am now volunteering, seems to do things the right way. It's frustrating as someone who spent four years on a major in international studies and who has a strong desire to go abroad, to do good, to contribute, to work for an organization that absolutely will not hire an American for a position abroad. Sure, if you work your way up towards the top and have something significant to contribute, they may send you abroad to evaluate various projects, but your nameplate always hangs on your office door stateside. HPI sources all of their people locally - employing and training locals to be a part of the Heifer system. Teach a man to fish.

It seems to me that, as hard as it is to admit, this is the best model. Were I able to leave and go abroad last November, I would be somewhere in Namibia putting my 2 years of experience to work consulting some NGO. Doesn't it make much more sense to find the right person IN NAMIBIA to do this job? This person wouldn't have to overcome cultural adjustments and the language barrier, and would be able to invest more than the 2 years allowed by the Peace Corps. Plus, the government would be providing white-collar jobs in areas suffering from brain-drain.

That being said, I would love the chance, should I someday have enough of the right experience, to go abroad and contribute. But until I have something to contribute, the responsible thing is to stay here and take part in all of the good things going on here while gaining the experience that will allow me to grow and contribute in new and different ways.

On another note....I turn 26 today, and, as one tends to do on one's birthday, I've been thinking about my path - how I'm growing and contributing (or not). I have only a few weeks left in my stint here at Overlook Farm. After a visit to NYC, Texas is where I'm going to be. I have a bit of a hodgepodge resume, which I suppose accurately reflects my hodgepodge of interests. It's now time, I fear, to...settle isn't the right word.... to pick which way I want to go. Now, as my Dad says, I'm really not THAT old, so I don't feel as though I'm on the verge of heading down some irreversible course for my life, heading towards some point of no return.

While not old, I'm not 22 anymore. It's time that I start really committing (I cough, awkwardly) to something. And that's pretty much as far as I've gotten. A month from today I'll be entering my last week at Overlook Farm, and from there I'll find some other job that allows me to be comfortable in my own skin, challenges me, teaches me something, and affords me the opportunity to meet new and wonderful people. I don't expect to be that friend that drops hints about the size of my portfolio, but I hope to be that friend that continues to try new things and push myself while working to contribute to something that positively affects others.  That, I feel, is the responsible way to go.