August 10, 2010
Note: The original uses the name of the Organization directly, and some Organization-specific acronyms. I have elided these for the sake of generality.
You will note that the behavioral reactions listed below all tend to be negative. This is NOT meant to imply that your [Organization] experience produces only difficult, unhappy emotions. It’s just that when you’re feeling "on top of the world," you don’t look for changes. Given, however, that [Volunteers] spend their two (or more) years in a foreign culture, the likelihood of ups and downs is more common, and normal. This diagram was put together by a group of [finished] volunteers in Senegal in the mid-1980’s; it is applicable wherever you are. Take care of yourself!
| Month |
Issues |
Behavior/Reaction |
Interventions |
| 1 |
- Depart from home
- Arrive in country
- Disorientation
- Health
- Self-concsiousness
|
- Anxiety
- Loneliness
- Feeling incompetent
- Nervous about personal changes over two years
|
- Team-building encounters
- Social events
- Establish routine
- Maintain link with home
- Develop interests, positive habits
|
| 2 |
- Too much structure
- Too much routine
- Group constancy
- Fatigue
- Impending assignment
|
- Withdrawal
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Easy irritation
- Low tolerance for frustration
|
- Explore independence
- Visit other [Volunteer]s
- Make plans for first three months
- Visit new site
- Establish relationships with [Volunteers] and staff
- Gather skills for immediate use
|
| 3-6 |
- Assignment
- Separation/solitude
- Uncertainty of role
|
- Fright
- Frustration with self
- Loneliness
- Weight/health changes
- Homesickness
- Uselessness
|
- Develop in-country correspondence
- Host visitors
- Visit peers, other [Volunteer]s
- Establish links: NGO’s, services
- Technical research for future use
- Language study
- Establish routine, sense of "I"
- Hobbies to do "in public"
- Simple projects: garden, trees
|
| 7-10 |
- Slow work progress
- Language plateaus
- Cross-cultural frustration
- "Culture shock"
|
- Comparison with others
- Overzealousness
- Homesickness
- Uncertainties about adaptation/abilities
|
- Reunions
- Cards and letters home. Resume forgotten relationships
- Talk with 2nd year [Volunteer]s about experiences
- Simple projects: crafts, meetings, classes
- Consolidate friendships, language, etc.
- Review this sheet on changes
|
| 11-15 |
- Mid-service crisis
- Doubt about program, role, self, government
- Various failures over time
- Reflection: disillusionment, confusion in resolving frustrations vs. victories
- New trainees arrive
- Holiday/vacation break
|
- Impatience with self, program, system
- Blame on the program
- Constant complaining
- Lethargy
- Haughtiness with new trainees
|
- Holiday planning/mini-vacation
- Review work plan — set new goals
- Plan vacation
- Celebrate one-year anniversary
- Develop new recreation options
- Write long-lost acquaintances
- Explore better in-country relationships
- Return to language study and practice
|
| 16-20 |
- Increased/more defined work pace
- Project work
- Awareness of time constraints
- Realization of own limitations
- Post-[Organization] considerations
|
- Hyperactivity or apathy
- Procrastination
- Self-recrimination
- Resignation
- Disappointment
- Downgrade achievements
- Over-identification in behavior
|
- Visit new volunteers
- Physical activity: "Get in shape"
- Focus on relationships at site
- Re-examine goals and time frame
- Apply for GRE, write grad schools
- Explore work possibilities locally or in-country
|
| 21-23 |
- Prepare for [finishing]/post [Organization]
- Depression about perceived government
- Anticipated separation
- Demanding work pace
- Consideration of extension, post-[Organization] options
- Acknowledgement of unmet goals
|
- Monument building
- Withdrawal into work details
- Panic
- Procrastination
- Frustration with self
- Moodiness
|
- Vacation/travel
- Review work plans/assess feasibility
- Plan "closing out" and follow-up
- Work with counterparts on same
- Collaboration with 1st year [Volunteers]
- Consider post-[Organization]: resume, calendar
- Give quality time to relationships/friendships
|
| 23-27 |
- Trauma of departure
- Concerns about social re-entry
- Bridging new and former identity
- Redefinition of career
- Redefinition of host-country based on relationships
|
- Fright
- Confusion
- Alienation
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Giddiness
- Impatience
- Obsession with planning and scheduling
|
- Check on trends, US popular culture with new trainees
- Do self-analysis: identify factors of self and work gratification
- Work on self-image
- Shop for arts, crafts, souvenirs
- Write friends, make social plans
- Post-[Organization] travel plans
- Transfer skills and knowledge to trainees
- Arrange for gifts for host family
|
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