Things I don't Miss

If you asked most people, I think they’d agree that middle school is a tough time for the majority of kids. Everyone feels self-conscious, wants to fit in, and for the most part experiences a little bit of how cruel children and adolescents can be to one another. I thought that I was leaving all that behind when I graduated from high school but was in for a rude awakening when I started working at the middle schools here. For the entirety of my service, I’ve worked at the middle schools doing the scholarship, organizing the girls’ leadership conference, starting a girls’ group, mentoring, and facilitating pen pal correspondence with girls from my high school; and as fulfilling as this work is, up until a few months ago I’ve always dreaded actually going to the schools.

In order to talk to teachers or students, I must go during the recesses and at the end of the day when upwards of 1,000 rowdy teenagers are out in front of the school taunting me, calling me toubob, and being the obnoxious teenagers that we all know and never loved. Too many times, I’ve just gotten upset and left before finishing my work or talking to the people I need to talk with—effectively doubling the number of school visits I have to make for each project. On top of being upset about the treatment I’ve received when trying to do a nice thing for the students, I’ve beaten myself up about letting the kids intimidate and upset me—which is partly a product of the incessant harassment and ingratitude I experience on a daily basis from the general public.

Well, one day I woke up in a great mood. I couldn’t stop smiling and thinking about how great this experience has been for me and how—despite the stress and getting upset from time to time—I am truly happy to have decided to come and do this good work. I got on my bike and started the day’s work with a stop at the nearby middle school. I had been trying to start a pen pal program with my girls’ group, and after four visits the girls still hadn’t gotten their act together. This visit would be my final attempt to start the correspondence that they had so frequently asked me to arrange.

Entering the school grounds, I felt the imminent defeat but was pleasantly surprised when the principal presented me with all the letters, finished and ready to be sent. Success! I was on a natural high and could hardly contain my excitement. Now all I needed to do was find the girls to let them know when I would return with their correspondents’ responses. Up until this moment, the idea of looking for my twelve girls (none of whom are friends) in the crowd of obnoxious teenagers was dreadful; but today nothing would get me down. Without any hesitation, I went up to groups of laughing girls and perverted teenage boys to ask of their whereabouts and found all twelve without giving a second thought to the kids standing around watching and making fun of me.

Something happened that day. I don’t know what changed but I haven’t let the kids bother me since. Now I go to the school often, talk to kids I don’t even know, and have even volunteered to speak for a class of 80+ laughing teenagers. Maybe this is why they say Peace Corps is the hardest job I’ll ever love. We volunteers are faced with adversity and at the end of our service see how strong we are and how far we have gone and will go to do the work we care so much about. If I can do this, I can do anything.