Tuesday, 23 June 2020 11:37

Journey Forward, a note from Larry Kahn

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with all life's curves and twists

Nearly a decade of serving in the Peace Corps has come to a close. This newsletter will attempt to tie those experiences together on how they have impacted my life. I'll conclude with an update on my current life. If there's one takeaway I got from all my experiences, it's that attitude, my attitude, was what left the deepest impression on people. As a life-experienced volunteer (LEV), I was not bright-eyed in thinking I was going to change the world. All I could do was to make a sincere effort in the spirit of volunteerism to pursue the Peace Corps mission of helping those I worked with improve their lives and skills, share American culture with my hosts, and share my host culture with Americans. I tried to keep a positive attitude when interacting with my hosts, and to my surprise, toward the end of my service in host countries found that this attitude had been noticed more than anything else I had shared or done. Did I have bad days? You better believe it. But it was my responsibility to pull myself back up. I've also come to the decision that I will no longer waste time interacting with people who have negative attitudes. This is different than having problems and difficulties in life. Most of us do have difficulties; however, I will limit the time I spend with those who consistently view the world through a lens of their lives, problems and misfortunes being the result of external factors. Note the word consistently. No, my lens is not rose-colored. However, I will continue to search for the positives in life -- that decision was made long before the pandemic came to dominate our lives.

Philippines(2010-2013):
A Sense of Community and Positiveness

I've periodically stayed in touch with acquaintances, teachers and colleagues in the Philippines. At the end of March, I received a video Skype video call from 2 teachers I knew and worked with in the Philippines. They had called to see how I was doing during the COVID-19 chaos. Two weeks later, I received an online phone call from my main counterpart/co-teacher at site. It brought back memories of service when the entire choir was waiting outside the gate to my apartment building, ready for a Christmas party I was hosting. Early morning masses in the days leading up to Christmas had caught up with me.  I had fallen asleep and hadn't woken up until a half hour of their trying to phone me.  During that time, they had called my counterpart on the other side of town, and she had called Peace Corps in Manila. All were worried. The latest online video and call showed that the sense of community still is there and the bonds remain.

Another takeaway is the positiveness of Filipinos. Located in the Ring of Fire and being prone to volcanoes, earthquakes, and typhoons the people know that they can lose their homes, lives, and possessions in an instant. Yet, life goes on.

 

China (2014-2017):
Breaking down stereotypes

There is respect for the aged in China. I coined the term Life Experienced Volunteers (LEVs) to describe those of us who fit into this category, and the acronym stuck. Although there is respect for those who are life experienced, I found myself breaking down stereotypes that existed on the part of Chinese people about the aged. Acquaintances asked, "Why aren't you retired?" It was expected that I should just be playing mahjong and relaxing. Initially, students would grab my arm to help me down stairs, or assist me while a group of us hiked in the mountains. I kept quiet and eventually they learned that the American volunteer wasn't so frail. My counterpart who became my best friend, trained me to play ping pong to the point where we both were invited to practice once a week with the university ping pong team. He couldn't figure out how I could play a few hours of competitive ping pong and not feel tired. At a teacher's farewell meeting, one teacher commented, "You're almost the same age as my parents," and paused. She continued, "They've stopped learning. You haven't."

What are the Chinese like?  I don't know. I can only speak about the Chinese I met in western China. The people I met and got to know were curious about American culture as I was about Chinese culture, and they were also gracious in sharing Chinese culture with me. There is much diversity in China. Traditional medicine is popular, yet for a "quick fix," Western medicine is sought. Traditional and Western are heading toward each other. Ping pong is the national sport, as is badminton, but among younger people, basketball also seems popular.

The one common denominator or impression I had, was the importance of family in Chinese society. It's ironic that while I consider diversity in the U.S. to be a strength,  the foundations of family are not consistent because of the diversity.

It's such a shame that in 2019 and after 25 years, Peace Corps is no longer in China. The grass roots people-to-people cultural exchanges which created good will with both Chinese and Americans was stopped by the U.S. government.

Ukraine (2017-2019):
Resilience, Perseverance and Patriotism

Life is hard in Ukraine -- it's due to history and location. There have been wars in the past and there is still a war taking place with Ukrainian men dying.  It takes time to get to know people here, and perhaps it's due to some of those factors. Yet, the people are friendly when one gets to know them. Young people I met tended to have a lighter mood than the previous generations. They have aspirations. I worked with and observed passionate teachers devoted to their profession. There is creativity. I saw the arts thriving in Ukraine and at the university where I taught. Just go onto the internet and look at some of the Ukrainian performers during the past few years who have shined on America's Got Talent. Despite difficult lives, the people I met try to be optimistic. They adapt to scarcity of resources and make do with what they have. Some people speak Ukrainian, some speak Russian, and some speak a mixture (Surzhyk). Some like Russia, some like Ukraine. However, I found that many Ukrainians like borscht and verenyky (a form of dumpling with different possible fillings). And many Ukrainians do love their country -- they are patriotic.

The Road Ahead

 

After my Peace Corps assignment in Ukraine finished late last year, I landed in Singapore. While I was doing some teaching part-time, and could have done more online when COVID-19 restrictions were implemented, I decided as a life-long learner to step things up to another level.  Starting in mid-July, I'll be studying for a MA TESOL (Masters of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), which will take 1-1.5 years to complete. The program, which will be conducted here, is administered jointly by the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional English Language Centre (SEAMEO RELC) and Victoria University in New Zealand. Because COVID-19 restrictions are just starting to be lifted, the initial trimester will take place online, before lecturers from New Zealand are able to make it here. Journey forward continues. 

    

Disclaimer: The opinions, views and comments expressed in this email do not reflect those of the US Government, Philippines Government, Chinese Government, Ukrainian government, Peace Corps or any persons who have been or are affiliated with Peace Corps.
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