Dear Christopher Columbus,
I wanted to say congratulations! I see you joined the Peace Corps! I am sure one of the reasons you joined was to go off on another adventure. No doubt, your Peace Corps experience will be full of adventures and life changing experiences.
I just wanted to let you know, in the nicest way possible, that based on personal observation you might need to wiggle around a bit, get a good hold of your shoulders, and pull your head out of your ass. Perhaps doing some yoga, or getting kicked in the kidneys a few times, will help loosen you up a bit. It turns out your head is pretty far up your ass and you are going to need to learn about the real world before you pull it out, or you will make a huge mess of it.
Now, I really hope I haven't offended you, but there have just been some things you have been saying and doing recently that have me concerned. Being a Peace Corps Volunteer myself, I understand that the organization is only as professional and effective as the people in it. Therefore I thought I would start by asking about all those pictures you have on your Facebook page smiling with, how you lovingly call them, "the native children." All those pictures really make me think that you have integrated into your community, I mean look at all those smiles! And obviously you are doing great work because without you, those children would not be smiling. But, I suppose what I want to ask is, do those children or the parents of those children know you are hawking their picture on your Facebook page to make YOU feel better about YOURSELF? Or perhaps even to show off a bit?
When I see your Facebook page with the constant updates about your amazing classes, or listen to you talk at trainings or other Peace Corps events about how integrated you are and the amazing projects you are doing, I can't help but be reminded of a story my good friend once told me. In order to be a counselor at a particular camp, she was required to do a Child Sexual Abuse Training. What I found most interesting about her story was the discussion about hugs. The training emphasized that hugs are good, but only if you are giving out hugs for the good of the child, and not for your personal benefit. Now, now, ok, I can see I made you angry. I am not calling you a child abuser. I just simply want to point out that your behavior seems to be more for your benefit than the greater good. You are doing quite a bit of strutting, and I am finding it distasteful.
I find it distasteful because of your attempt to fool me into thinking you are exceptional. I am in the same Peace Corps Morocco as you, and let me tell you, we are all ultimately replaceable, some people will never fully understand why we are here, and most likely the most sustainable thing you do here will be introducing UNO to your students. I am not bitter or writing this with regret. There is nowhere I would rather be than exactly where I am. But lets be honest shall we?
It is obvious you came here because you were under the impression you could "save" people, or perhaps because you thought you could show "the natives" the "right way to do things" and help them from their poverty and despair. I have met quite a few people in Morocco, people who in addition to being human are also Moroccan citizens. I can tell you that none of them have been fools, idiots, or lack the sense to get shit done or figure out how to. I have not met one person who needs my help. If you have been following my blog, you will see that if anything I am the one who needs help.
Positive change is happening in Morocco, and it will happen with or without you or I, dear Christopher Columbus. Competent Moroccan citizens are leading that change, but, as the great President Bartlet once said in West Wing Season 4 Episode 18, "change comes in excruciating increments for those who want it. You're trying to move mountains. It takes lifetimes." Ultimately you are here for 27 months, so please get over yourself. Oh, and your snide comments about how horrible the "Moroccan way of doing things" is makes you look like a huge a**hole, just an FYI. I think it would be wise for your to remember that you are here on a cultural exchange promoting public diplomacy. Nothing you see is wrong, nothing you see is right, it is just different. Learn from it, grow from it, and share. Hopefully along the way a few people will even start to like you.
It would be hypocritical of me not to admit that one of the reasons I am writing you this letter is that I sometimes fear that I too have a little of you in me. Did I join the Peace Corps for myself or for others? When I do projects, am I thinking about how good they are for the community or how good they will look on my resume? I don't know. But I guess what is important is that I am constantly asking these questions of myself. I try at all times to be painfully honest about what I am doing here and the realities of Peace Corps. Perhaps that is where your true benefit lies, as a warning to other Peace Corps Volunteers of how not to look like a complete a**hole.
I know that deep down inside your have good intentions. But intention is not enough, you need to remain honest and realistic. I believe you are a good person, and if your head wasn't so far up your ass I might even like you a little more. So please take my letter as constructive criticism, in the hopes that your head will one day be out of your ass, and you will in your own small way, do something truly good.
All the Best,
Lucia
I wanted to say congratulations! I see you joined the Peace Corps! I am sure one of the reasons you joined was to go off on another adventure. No doubt, your Peace Corps experience will be full of adventures and life changing experiences.
I just wanted to let you know, in the nicest way possible, that based on personal observation you might need to wiggle around a bit, get a good hold of your shoulders, and pull your head out of your ass. Perhaps doing some yoga, or getting kicked in the kidneys a few times, will help loosen you up a bit. It turns out your head is pretty far up your ass and you are going to need to learn about the real world before you pull it out, or you will make a huge mess of it.
Now, I really hope I haven't offended you, but there have just been some things you have been saying and doing recently that have me concerned. Being a Peace Corps Volunteer myself, I understand that the organization is only as professional and effective as the people in it. Therefore I thought I would start by asking about all those pictures you have on your Facebook page smiling with, how you lovingly call them, "the native children." All those pictures really make me think that you have integrated into your community, I mean look at all those smiles! And obviously you are doing great work because without you, those children would not be smiling. But, I suppose what I want to ask is, do those children or the parents of those children know you are hawking their picture on your Facebook page to make YOU feel better about YOURSELF? Or perhaps even to show off a bit?
When I see your Facebook page with the constant updates about your amazing classes, or listen to you talk at trainings or other Peace Corps events about how integrated you are and the amazing projects you are doing, I can't help but be reminded of a story my good friend once told me. In order to be a counselor at a particular camp, she was required to do a Child Sexual Abuse Training. What I found most interesting about her story was the discussion about hugs. The training emphasized that hugs are good, but only if you are giving out hugs for the good of the child, and not for your personal benefit. Now, now, ok, I can see I made you angry. I am not calling you a child abuser. I just simply want to point out that your behavior seems to be more for your benefit than the greater good. You are doing quite a bit of strutting, and I am finding it distasteful.
I find it distasteful because of your attempt to fool me into thinking you are exceptional. I am in the same Peace Corps Morocco as you, and let me tell you, we are all ultimately replaceable, some people will never fully understand why we are here, and most likely the most sustainable thing you do here will be introducing UNO to your students. I am not bitter or writing this with regret. There is nowhere I would rather be than exactly where I am. But lets be honest shall we?
It is obvious you came here because you were under the impression you could "save" people, or perhaps because you thought you could show "the natives" the "right way to do things" and help them from their poverty and despair. I have met quite a few people in Morocco, people who in addition to being human are also Moroccan citizens. I can tell you that none of them have been fools, idiots, or lack the sense to get shit done or figure out how to. I have not met one person who needs my help. If you have been following my blog, you will see that if anything I am the one who needs help.
Positive change is happening in Morocco, and it will happen with or without you or I, dear Christopher Columbus. Competent Moroccan citizens are leading that change, but, as the great President Bartlet once said in West Wing Season 4 Episode 18, "change comes in excruciating increments for those who want it. You're trying to move mountains. It takes lifetimes." Ultimately you are here for 27 months, so please get over yourself. Oh, and your snide comments about how horrible the "Moroccan way of doing things" is makes you look like a huge a**hole, just an FYI. I think it would be wise for your to remember that you are here on a cultural exchange promoting public diplomacy. Nothing you see is wrong, nothing you see is right, it is just different. Learn from it, grow from it, and share. Hopefully along the way a few people will even start to like you.
It would be hypocritical of me not to admit that one of the reasons I am writing you this letter is that I sometimes fear that I too have a little of you in me. Did I join the Peace Corps for myself or for others? When I do projects, am I thinking about how good they are for the community or how good they will look on my resume? I don't know. But I guess what is important is that I am constantly asking these questions of myself. I try at all times to be painfully honest about what I am doing here and the realities of Peace Corps. Perhaps that is where your true benefit lies, as a warning to other Peace Corps Volunteers of how not to look like a complete a**hole.
I know that deep down inside your have good intentions. But intention is not enough, you need to remain honest and realistic. I believe you are a good person, and if your head wasn't so far up your ass I might even like you a little more. So please take my letter as constructive criticism, in the hopes that your head will one day be out of your ass, and you will in your own small way, do something truly good.
All the Best,
Lucia
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