All Volunteer Conference

November 23 – November 29

            This week, we had All Volunteer Conference (AVC) at a resort near Puerto Colombia. The place we stayed was gorgeous and we appreciated the opportunity to be together for a few days. We heard about the state of Peace Corps Colombia and met or re-met some of our new staff members. We participated in professional development stations on teaching, community service, and what comes after PC service; and learned about the different volunteer committees we may be able to join. We also heard a presentation from Vicky Colbert about her Escuela Nueva, which seems like an amazing program for rural schools – it allows students to work at their own pace, which is important for students who can only sometimes come to school or who frequently change schools.

            Aside from work, VAC had their silent auction and I enjoyed walking around the resort and on paths through the woods. I heard and saw birds I did not recognize and tried to photograph a few of them. On Thanksgiving, I woke up early and went with another volunteer to watch the sun rise, which was so beautiful… Later, we all gathered for Thanksgiving lunch. A volunteer read a story from another volunteer in Guatemala about being thankful for everything we have and everything we’re doing and experiencing. Then, we ate delicious food (including butternut squash soup, maracuyá juice, and pumpkin flan, among other things) with our Peace Corps family, which oddly enough, made today actually feel like Thanksgiving – I’m really glad they brought us all together today.

            After lunch, I finished my affirmation notes for all the CII-6 volunteers and, thanks to another volunteer who lent me her phone, talked with my family and wished them a Happy Thanksgiving, which made today even better. In the evening, I went swimming with a bunch of other volunteers before heading back to Santa Marta the next day. This week has been informative and amazing! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

- Dessert recipe: Sliced fresh peaches topped with fresh strawberries and strawberry sauce (strawberry jam, sugar, water, and chopped hierbabuena). Serve chilled.

- VAC stands for Volunteer Advisory Committee. They are your volunteer government and the liaisons between volunteers and the Peace Corps office for issues that affect all volunteers. Know who your representatives are, so you can go to them with questions throughout your service.

- Take advantage of the VAC silent auction! Volunteers donate things they no longer need (or cannot fit in their bags to go home) to help raise money for our volunteer government, which then uses the money to help finance small projects. I got a duffle bag of gently used clothing and a few other things for less than 50 mil. Clothing is expensive here, so go crazy!

- In case anyone was wondering, it’s extremely difficult to photograph birds, even with a fairly decent digital camera. They tend to run or fly or hop away and not enjoy when you get close to them.

- At AVC, each volunteer wrote affirmation notes to other volunteers. Affirmation notes are just nice notes on little pieces of paper that volunteers can pull out of their bag any time they need a pick-me-up. I wrote notes for all of CII-6, since I know them best, but some volunteers wrote them for everyone. Each volunteer had a plastic bag taped to the wall and we collected our bags at the end of AVC. That activity was an excellent idea and I’ll definitely look forward to reading notes from everyone throughout my service.