On March 1st this year Peace Corps will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary! As a part of the activities in our year- long celebration, currently serving volunteers have developed the “Live Like a Peace Crops Volunteer Challenge.”
As a participant in this challenge, individuals back in the U.S. are asked to give up some everyday conveniences for just one week, in part to help raise awareness of the Peace Corps mission and also to give the participant a small taste of what it is like to live life as a PCV.
PCV's all over are pushing to recruit new participants to take the challenge during the month of MARCH, and as the devoted followers to our Peace Corps journey that you are, we Challenge YOU, dear friend, family member and curious person who stumbled upon our humble website, to TAKE THE CHALLENGE.
Please take a moment to find out more about our “Live Like a PCV Challenge” by visiting http://www.livelikeapcv.org/ . Find a list of the different levels of challenge for our country, find the "Botswana" link under the February archives (for some reason the front pages still says that the Botswana rules are coming). Believe it or not, the lifestyle described in the rules is life in PC Botswana for many of us (and in far worse environmental conditions)!
For clarification purposes on some of the rules listed on the challenge-and if you want to live just like Todd and I do- here are some edits/additions:
1. Water: we do have water in our kitchen, bathroom and toilet room as well as a tap outside- WHEN its running. To live like us, you can only use water between the hours of 6am-9am and 8pm-9:00pm every day (or for a more mild version, roll the dice to see how many days). This includes flushing the toilet, bathing and dish washing [you can use the toilet at work]. You must use this time to fill up buckets and other containers for later use. In addition, you may not use hot water from your tap. Hot water must be made using an electric kettle (see below) or stove top kettle. This includes bathing water. (You will be surprised to see how much water you generally use in one day!)
2. Electricity: we have electricity connected in our home and village, but it frequently goes out. To live like us, you can only have electricity on any 3.5 days of the 7 day week. Your computer can only be used as long as the battery lasts during power outage days and your cell phone cannot be used at all (the network is down!). Be careful about how many times you open your fridge! (you will obviously use electricity at work, but no personal computer or cell phone use while there! honor system..). You may use your electric stove if that is all you have, as stoves here are all gas powered so they are not affected during power outages.
3.Internet: we have an internet dongle for use in our home, however it does not always work and is extremely slow. To live like us, you may use the internet for 3 days of the 7 day week (you can use it at work, for work purposes).
When you use it you may NOT 1.load more than one tab/page at a time 2. view any video or live stream (yes! including youtube, hulu, facebook, and any web/podcasts) 3.upload any images or 4. use Skype.
4. Meals: To live like us all meals AND snacks must be cooked from scratch (no convenience foods or ingredients). They must be composed only of LOCAL ingredients (yes this includes butchered meat and any produce) and be heavily starch based (ha!). Your choices at the supermarket are going to be severely limited and it will take you a long time to figure out what is local. Try a local Co-op, whole foods store, etc and really look at the labels and ask where the items are from.
ALL OTHER rules on the challenge website pertain to our life in Gumare, so if you are brave and want to live like us for a week, follow all rules stated on the challenge using the above to guide you on water, electric and internet use.
Once you have decided what level of challenge you will take (from the options listed on the website or from our version we will call "Gumare Challenge", please leave a comment on this post announcing your commitment to the level. In addition, there is a place on the livelikeapcv.org website where you can let them know your commitment.
Thank you all for considering participating! We believe you will learn a great deal, even in one week of participation. As an added incentive, anyone who does the challenge will be sent a special something from us, with love from Botswana.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts about how the week went for those of you taking a challenge!
For clarification purposes on some of the rules listed on the challenge-and if you want to live just like Todd and I do- here are some edits/additions:
1. Water: we do have water in our kitchen, bathroom and toilet room as well as a tap outside- WHEN its running. To live like us, you can only use water between the hours of 6am-9am and 8pm-9:00pm every day (or for a more mild version, roll the dice to see how many days). This includes flushing the toilet, bathing and dish washing [you can use the toilet at work]. You must use this time to fill up buckets and other containers for later use. In addition, you may not use hot water from your tap. Hot water must be made using an electric kettle (see below) or stove top kettle. This includes bathing water. (You will be surprised to see how much water you generally use in one day!)
2. Electricity: we have electricity connected in our home and village, but it frequently goes out. To live like us, you can only have electricity on any 3.5 days of the 7 day week. Your computer can only be used as long as the battery lasts during power outage days and your cell phone cannot be used at all (the network is down!). Be careful about how many times you open your fridge! (you will obviously use electricity at work, but no personal computer or cell phone use while there! honor system..). You may use your electric stove if that is all you have, as stoves here are all gas powered so they are not affected during power outages.
3.Internet: we have an internet dongle for use in our home, however it does not always work and is extremely slow. To live like us, you may use the internet for 3 days of the 7 day week (you can use it at work, for work purposes).
When you use it you may NOT 1.load more than one tab/page at a time 2. view any video or live stream (yes! including youtube, hulu, facebook, and any web/podcasts) 3.upload any images or 4. use Skype.
4. Meals: To live like us all meals AND snacks must be cooked from scratch (no convenience foods or ingredients). They must be composed only of LOCAL ingredients (yes this includes butchered meat and any produce) and be heavily starch based (ha!). Your choices at the supermarket are going to be severely limited and it will take you a long time to figure out what is local. Try a local Co-op, whole foods store, etc and really look at the labels and ask where the items are from.
ALL OTHER rules on the challenge website pertain to our life in Gumare, so if you are brave and want to live like us for a week, follow all rules stated on the challenge using the above to guide you on water, electric and internet use.
Once you have decided what level of challenge you will take (from the options listed on the website or from our version we will call "Gumare Challenge", please leave a comment on this post announcing your commitment to the level. In addition, there is a place on the livelikeapcv.org website where you can let them know your commitment.
Thank you all for considering participating! We believe you will learn a great deal, even in one week of participation. As an added incentive, anyone who does the challenge will be sent a special something from us, with love from Botswana.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts about how the week went for those of you taking a challenge!
*side note: as I was typing this, the electricity went out.
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