Giving Life More of a Purpose (R.I.P. Sarge)

So, in light of recent frustrations with the "lack of resources", shall we say for the newly initiated health program for Peace Corps in Cambodia, many of the volunteers have collectively decided to put together a manual for future volunteers at the consent of Peace Corps/Cambodia and its staff. There are a few of us in charge of some main key aspects, but it is really all of us pooling together our knowledge of disease and complication in Cambodia along with the traditional beliefs of each of their causes. This is such a fantastic thing, I feel, for the future of this program. With shared insights and experiences, I know we can give the next group of health volunteers what we were not suitably prepared with. I have my opinions, and I will keep them to myself for the time being. I do, however, feel very supported by Peace Corps in their giving us partial-full control of this manual. Most of the success I have found here has come through trial and error and from the experiences of other volunteers which I have learned from. I feel, because of this, that I am intent on seeing the future success of this program follow through while I am still here and available to give whatever I have available to give. Let's be honest though: my undergraduate studies were closer to underwater basket-weaving than it was anything health-related. Even so, I am passionate about it as much as I am about art. With that, my position in this community-health-education manual revolves around formatting and finalizing. I receive submitted information about a given condition or disease and I will go into Word and format each submission to conform to the other. I will hopefully be putting together the cover, bibliography, appendix, and perhaps other information. I cannot express adequately how much more purpose this gives my being here. I love the work that I am doing in my community and the projects that I have planned out thus far, completed or not. But this gives me more to do on a different scale and in a different capacity. As well, it gives me something to do when I'm so utterly with nothing to do in the many hours I possess of my own time. It is soothing and cathartic. I look forward to the next submission.

Hope all is well.

Talk to you soon,
Garrett

p.s. my love, gratitude, and condolences go out to the Shriver family for their loss. For those of you who do not know, Robert Sargeant Shriver, Jr., a public statesman and part of the Kennedy family (married to Eunice Kennedy Shriver), was the driving force behind and the first director of the Peace Corps. He died due to complications of Alzheimer's at the fine age of 95 on January 18th, 2011. R.I.P.