"The Field" and other cleverness

So, if you haven't already, and if you're curious, you should happen over to the site http://stuffexpataidworkerslike.com/ because it's hilarious and very often, understands my life in a way I can't even yet. Particularly amusing is # 122 "Letter from an Unemployed Overachiever."

I'm sure you can imagine why that one resonates with a 20-something in the midst of a Masters degree with blind hope a job/career will be at the other end of it. HOPEFULLY a job that doesn't involve any sort of apron, order pad, or cash register. Though I am loathe to let all those years of good coffee drink-making go to waste!

Somehow in the midst of my work this time around in Rwanda, I feel more akin to the EAW than I did as a Peace Corps volunteer. I go to my office in the capital city, retreat to the Expat Coffee Shop when our internet's down; I enjoy my hot showers and electricity and occasionally even get driven around in the classic white NGO SUV...but there are still some things that remain elusive, among them, working in "the field."

It's a magical place where your research gets done, where you have purpose and a job to do! You're talking to your focus groups, conducting your interviews and in general, being EAW awesome. You travel out to remote villages and sit under a tree and discuss development! You solve poverty and public health issues and  you educate all the youths! I have done a bit of research assisting here and been in on some focus groups, but most of my work will remain here in Kigali. I'll be talking with some ministries, with the partner organizations and maybe conducting some focus groups with the members of the members of my member organization. (There was no way to put member in there anymore, trust me, I tried) So in short, the "field," will remain elusive to me. Which is why I've decided just to open a bar here in Kigali, called "The Field" where everyone can go and be awesome.
 I can be talking to my organization, "What are you doing today, Rachel?" "Oh, just going out to the field" They'll never suspect a thing!

It might be some time before I can get together the capital to make this dream a reality. Really, it's all part of my development learning. It's a lesson in the access to credit difficulties for women....But, I will someday  open my awesome bar and I can go to "the field" anytime I want!