Simulation day

"Don't forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else."

-Paulo Coelho, "The Alchemist"

Today was simulation day, also known as a somewhat stressful day for us trainees. Peace corps brings in professionals for these exercises: immigration officers to interrogate us, police officers to write up the "crimes" we are reporting, and "youth out of school", or young adults who we give mini-lessons to about life skills or other fun topics. 

It was a little stressful waiting for my turn and trying to keep all the Swahili I would need in the front lines in my head. But all went fairly well, and although we were scored on our performance, we couldn't have really failed as it doesn't really count for anything. 

This is the final stretch of training, where the assignments are piled on, the activities are more intense, and you're trying to find time and energy to do everything that needs to get done. When you look at the whole picture, it seems nigh on impossible that in three weeks we'll be sworn in (God willing) and departing for our sites. 

It's too much when you look at it all together, so you have to remember that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else. And then it starts to look a little more feasible.