An RPCV wrote an article for the Huffington Post explaining the misconceptions people have on the Peace Corps and actually what Volunteers are doing out in the field in this modern world (even in the poorest, most remote areas). Especially in Albania, a lot of the work we do as PCVs is building capacity by teaching computer skills, internet safety, building online presence or anything along those lines. The majority of my service has actually been just that: tourism websites, town branding, NGO branding, social media, Youtube videos, computer classes, etc. Although this might not be what people like to consider 'grassroots' it's what our world has come to in this meaning.Albanian's were under communism, shut off from the entire world until 1991. With the development of the computer and internet around this time they were bombarded with things they had never seen before and of course wanted them. This has created, in my opinion, a disconnect between having these things (working non-profits, infrastructure in cities, down to fashion and technology) and the steps it actually takes to getting these things. That's where I feel my service as a PCV has come into action. Coming from America most people think that I have lots of money and that America has zero problems, so that being said it should be easy for me to take what I see in America and make that happen in Albania, oh yeah, and like tomorrow.
A lot of my capacity building stems from my background in marketing and graphic design. It's been pure fortune that I was placed with people who wanted what I had to offer (or was it good placement by the PCV staff?). This week is National Peace Corps week so I'm sure there will be many other articles out like the one published in the Huffington Post.
"And while Peace Corps volunteers have always shared their experience with family, friends and the public, both during and after their service abroad, today they're employing modern technology and tools to continue their work in new ways." This is something that I'm obviously doing right now by writing this blog entry and have been doing through out my service with photos, videos and journaling. I think it's extremely important to share all that I can about my experience here but I hope I haven't done myself an injustice by creating a false idea of what my life is like here. Of course you only get what I show you but I tend to only take pictures of the fun or interesting things. Technology does take a lot away from things and since this is a public forum I try to stay as positive as possible; I would say the photos and videos I make only represent a good 20% of what life is truly like here.
However I do feel like this is one of the things I've been the most proud about is continuously sharing my experiences here, in real time, for everyone back home. Thank you for following my journey and I hope you stay tuned for the final three months of my service. People have already started saying "I can't believe it's been two years,"... well I can!
