Congratulations to all the new PCVs!!!
PST-1 2005 has come to a close. We all came together in Philadelphia not knowing what to expect. With mixed emotions and exhilaration we boarded the plane to Ghana. When we arrived we were pushed, pulled, and prodded; moved from place to place; introduced and reintroduced. We eventually landed in Techiman. In Techiman we endured stress, illness, and injury; good times, bad times, happy times, and sad times. We grew together and apart. In the end everybody in our group has had the courage to move forward. Training has prepared us for things to come.
Having grown together, we now go off in different directions to meet new people and have new experiences.
Now is a time for us to reflect on those reasons why we came to Ghana. To become reinvigorated with the spirit of volunteerism and the courage to take on new challenges. As we were sworn in as volunteers our country director Madeleine Mader gave us a small piece of paper with a quote on it that is quintessential:
Great ideas come into the world as gently as doves. Perhaps, then, if we listen attentively, we shall hear, amid the uproar of empires and nations, a faint flutter of wings... the gentle stirring of life and hope. Some will say that this hope lies in a nation; other in a man. I believe, rather, that it is awakened and revived, nourished by millions of solitary individuals whose deeds and works every day negate borders and the crudest implications of history. Each and every man, [and woman] in the foundation of his own sufferings and joys, builds for all.
Albert Camus
Cited by George Ayi-Bonte
30 years of Peace Corps in Ghana
As we enter our classrooms and face our students with their own unique challenges, the heavy lifting will begin. It was the spirit of volunteerism that brought us here but it is hard work that will make a difference it the lives of those we will touch. As we move forwand putting our goals into action let us remember what Kapila Wewegama our staging director told us as we left:
Whether erecting a building, constructing a dam, paving a road, or helping one to achieve higher status or capacity in life; true individual empowerment is not only in the results themselves, but also in the process of achieving them.