As a reminder, my roommate and I both gave up use of air conditioning, microwaves, refrigerators and television for one week (August 1-7). We also committed to a 'reduced living space' (accessing only our family room, kitchen and bathroom) to support my boyfriend Pete, serving in the Nicaragua Peace Corps and our good friend Stephanie, currently in the Peace Corps in Mongolia. In addition to Caroline and I, nine other friends gave up first-world luxuries this past week in order to better understand the PCV experience, and to bring attention to the Peace Corps itself.
So, here is the break-down:
1). Air conditioning: By far, I expected this to be the biggest sacrifice. Chicago has experienced heat wave after heat wave this summer, and the start of the PCV Challenge was no exception. For instance, on Tuesday, August 2 the temperature climbed to 93 degrees, and although the heat did abate somewhat later in the week, it never dropped below the mid-80s.
To stay cool, we used fans and slept in the minimum layers possible. Unfortunately, however, on the days it finally did cool off, our apartment still felt like an oven. Living on the first-floor (sans screens) we did not feel sufficiently safe from mosquitoes or hobos to open our windows, thus trapping the hot air inside with us.
This one was survivable, but I prefer using the AC, plain and simple.
2). Reduced living space: This was my biggest challenge. Without access to our bedrooms, my roommate and I both slept on one Ikea couch for the length of a week. Our sleeping arrangements were the worst part - I am too tall for my section of the couch, and my feet hung off the edge by at least a a foot and a half. Also, in such close quarters, if my roommate was awake tossing and turning, I was soon awake with her.
Powering through a work-week without a solid night's sleep was miserable. I know during training Pete did not have a mattress and was often woken up at 5:00am by chickens, thunderstorms or neighbors chopping wood. I can't imagine doing this for more than a week - kudos, Pedro.
The remaining aspects to 'reduced living space' proved inconvenient, but definitely tolerable. For instance, we have nothing resembling a closet or dresser in our family room- so a week's worth of clothes, shoes, accessories and laundry have slowly exploded in this small space. Check it out:
I also have more of an appreciation for privacy as a precious commodity. For instance - if I wanted to Skype Pete, and Caroline was reading in our family room, my option was a). force her to listen to my hour-long conversation or b). retreat to the floor of the kitchen.
3). Television: This did not end up being much of an inconvenience. Yes, Caroline and I are hopelessly addicted to The Glee Project, True Blood and pretty much any reality show produced by TLC/E!. However, for one week, it was easy to switch to books, the internet and yes - even a night of Mad Libs. We also watched several movies, but viewed them on our laptops as opposed to our TV.
4). Refrigerator & Microwave: I think giving up use of microwaves or refrigerators would have been quite a bit easier. Combined, though, our dining options for the week shrank considerably.
The obvious solution was to eat out for every meal. First, however, my bank account does not allow for this, especially since I am putting money towards both Google Voice calls to Pete and my October Nicaragua trip. And second, this probably would have defeated the point of the PCV Challenge. So Caroline and I pushed through a week of mundane, repetitive food choices - peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, fruit snacks, pasta sans sauce. While I think this was excellent perspective on the misery that is Pete's repeating menu of rice-beans-rice-beans - or Stephanie's diet of constant mutton - I cannot wait to open my refrigerator tomorrow.
Unexpected speed bumps: Caroline and I both (unluckily) got sick this week. She started off the week with a bout of the stomach flu, and I ended it with a Saturday morning migraine. These experiences in particular showed us how miserable it can be to get sick without the luxuries of the first-world. Doing without air conditioning, a bedroom or (god forbid) indoor plumbing are difficult enough when you're at the top of your game...powering through without these amenities while under-the-weather takes a whole different level of willpower. Definite props to the PCVs of the world!
I have stayed in close contact with Pete and Stephanie since their departures, so initially, I wanted to do the PCV Challenge to raise awareness among our other friends - and even people that have never met them - for what they are doing. However, I ended up getting a lot of perspective myself (as you have seen).
Looking forward to getting even more insight to the PCV life when I visit Pete in October!
No comments:
Post a Comment