I am still waiting to hear back from the State Department about our proposed trip to the DRC in July. There have been a few hiccups, but I think things could still work out if we get the green light. I am not excited, nor am I pessimistic - I am simply waiting for the news and then a mad rush of activity. Of course I would love to go back; I was honored and privileged to participate in a great few months of programming that was innovative and almost revolutionary. Never before had someone like me been sent into a refugee camp by the State Department to stay on the ground and build programs. I am very proud of this.
I am often naive though, and I thought the new model was logical and that there would be throngs of qualified folks willing to compete for the opportunity. I was wrong. Even now, when I talk about going back, I am bombarded with the old "I could never do that." To which I reply, "yes you could, you just don't think you want to." Regardless, I would spend the rest of my life working in camps if it were to become feasible. I do have a few talents and some energy that I have leveraged over and over again across the world. What I have noticed is that the product produced is more related to the quality of people I am working with than my native abilities. This is the way it should be - I have worked for more than 30 years developing my craft and it has paid off. It is all for naught, however, if it is practiced in a vacuum (I have been in a few of those too). There is a warm comfort in knowing that if our proposal is accepted, we will achieve great things together. The way it should be.
I am often naive though, and I thought the new model was logical and that there would be throngs of qualified folks willing to compete for the opportunity. I was wrong. Even now, when I talk about going back, I am bombarded with the old "I could never do that." To which I reply, "yes you could, you just don't think you want to." Regardless, I would spend the rest of my life working in camps if it were to become feasible. I do have a few talents and some energy that I have leveraged over and over again across the world. What I have noticed is that the product produced is more related to the quality of people I am working with than my native abilities. This is the way it should be - I have worked for more than 30 years developing my craft and it has paid off. It is all for naught, however, if it is practiced in a vacuum (I have been in a few of those too). There is a warm comfort in knowing that if our proposal is accepted, we will achieve great things together. The way it should be.
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