Alumnus Lyndia McMullen has been working in the Peace Corps since June. She wrote this note to share her experience:
Dear Grand Valley,
I have been invited to go into the Peace Corps! My assignment is Burkina Faso, to teach Information Technology. I will be in Philadelphia on June 6th and in Burkina Faso on June 9th. I will be gone for 27 months at least (three months training, two years working).
Burkina Faso is a country slightly bigger than Colorado. It is located in West Africa, above Ghana, Togo and Benin. So take a map of Africa, go to Algeria, go south to Mali, and south again. If you reach Ghana, you’ve gone too far. Its capital is called Ouagadougou! Isn’t that amazing? I will spend my 11 weeks of training in a city a few hours north of the capital. Its annual temperature ranges from 50 degrees to 104 degrees on average. Northern Burkina Faso touches the Sahara; while the south has a greener environment. There are a few mountains, but mostly it is flat.
Burkina is a Francophone country; so I will be speaking French for the most part and an African language. My toolkit online contains lessons for Moore, which is very different and amazing so far. I will be teaching in French and if some students don’t understand, I will have to translate in the native language.
I am nervous about being a teacher, especially Information Technology. However, the Peace Corps will train me well, both in language and in technological stuff. Don’t worry. I won’t be screaming at my computer screen in frustration! I don’t know if I will have access to many computers or what grades I will be teaching other than Secondary Education. I will be trained in how to make lesson plans and tests. During the school year, I will be teaching and during vacations, I will be working with various community programs and camps.
As to safety, the country has to request Peace Corps Volunteers. They want the volunteers to be there. Then the PC evaluates the need to determine if the country, region, and village are safe for an American. They aren’t going to put me in a position where the people don’t need or want me. Added to that, I won’t be going into dangerous parts of towns. I know not to travel by myself at night and they provide a list of trustworthy cabs if I need to get somewhere at night. The Peace Corps also provides self defense lessons during Training. There will be several other Volunteers within an hour’s journey and the Head Quarters is in a day’s journey. I won’t behave in a way that makes me a target for thieves and worst. Just like in Michigan, I have to know where I can go and how to remain safe. My neighbors will help me to adjust to the village, languages, and culture.
The Peace Corps provides Trainees and Volunteers with Health Services in case I become ill. I will take Malaria pills, purify my water, and make sure my rice/millet/grain doesn’t have bugs in it before I eat it.
I am going to miss a lot of things when I leave, like cold water for drinking, hot water for baths, chocolate, cars, fast food and going to the movies. I have no intention of missing snow or the Arctic wind that blows in your face no matter if you turn in another direction. I am excited, scared, happy, nervous, and several other emotions at the thought of going to Africa. But I know I want to go. It will be challenging and far different from anything I have experienced in the United States, which is a big draw. I also get to help people that need me. Graduate school is still on the plan. It was always there, and the Peace Corps will help me in grad school. I still want to go to George Washington University. Only now, I will have more experience and have traveled before I earn a Masters.
Some sites if you want to know more about Burkina Faso:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uv.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1032616.stm
http://www.monburkina.com/ (It is in French, but it is a Burkina Faso website with pretty pictures.)
Love,
Lyndia McMullen
Class of 2010
