“During your first month at a new post, say yes to
everything.”
I don’t remember where I first heard this, but it is the
best advice I’ve been given for life in the Foreign Service. It means that even though you are jet lagged
or might be a bit shy you should try new experiences right off the bat when you
move somewhere new. There are lots of
good reasons for this. Firstly, it is worthwhile
to let potential friends know that you like to get out and do things. Secondly, keeping busy really seems to help
culture shock and homesickness. Thirdly,
each post offers so many different opportunities it is good to figure out what
you want to do during your time there.
I embraced this method for our move to Lusaka and am so glad
I did. For example, during my first week
in Lusaka someone asked me if I would volunteer as a Brownie troop leader. Sure!
It was a great decision. The
girls are funny, smart, and compassionate and the weekly meetings give me a
chance to practice some of my teaching skills.
We sing songs, read stories, play games, and do activities to earn those
ever-important badges!
Just this last week Matt and I said yes to giving a little
boy a ride from the front gate of the lodge a mile down the road to the main
building. We were visiting an elephant
orphanage and lodge on a game reserve just outside of Lusaka. When we were heading up to the lodge for
lunch after an hour watching adorable baby elephants play in the mud, the guard
at the gate explained that there was a little boy who went to school on the
reserve needed a lift. Now, usually we
are very strict about not giving anyone a ride who we do not know, but we saw
the timid little boy and said “climb in”.
We introduced ourselves and I asked the boy to help me look for animals
as we drove along. I am so glad I
did! Having grown up in the area he had
a great eye! He pointed out warthogs,
eland, and giraffes. I must admit that I
had a much harder time seeing them even when he showed me exactly where they
were. In my defense, the giraffes looked
just like the trees they were munching on until they moved. He seemed surprised that I had such
difficulty finding something he saw so clearly.
If we hadn’t agreed to give the eight year old a lift, we would not have
spotted the animals on our own.
My final example of saying yes that I will share hasn’t
actually happened yet. I have been
substitute teaching at the American school and was originally hired as a middle
and high school sub. So far, so good. I am getting to know the students
and am pleased about how many of them I already recognize. However, yesterday I received a phone call
from the primary school. They need
someone to sub for the preschool class full of four year olds. Would I do it? Yes! I
first made sure there would be a teaching assistant, but I immediately said
that I would do the job. Have I ever
spent an entire morning with a group of four year olds? No. I
decided that I might as well give it a shot!
Sure, I am trained as a secondary school teacher, but a few days with
little ones sounds like fun.
While I am past the first month in Lusaka, I am going to
keep saying yes. It’s a winning strategy
so far!
