These past couple of months in America have proved rather challenging, but for different reasons altogether. Reasons which are familiar to any one of us, reasons which transcend culture. What I'm alluding to is uncertainty. Finding a new purpose, a new place to belong.
Sure, I've been overwhelmed with the relative ornate characteristics of American life. I've spent ten minutes staring at menu choices, unable to come to a decision as my friends wait. I've marveled at the wonder of a washing machine. I've bemoaned the omnipresence of the iPhone (then quickly caved myself), and the proverbial distance between one another, which African culture could never allow. But those are all trivialities. You wonder, you adjust, you move on.
I don't yet have a place to call home. Before leaving Kenya, I had resolved to live in a city. Preferably New York or DC. And, aside from visits with family, it is there where I've spent my time. Staying with friends, experiencing both places as I try to make some decisions. Both cities, I really enjoy. New York has taken a slim lead, but I've really enjoyed all the diversity, the possibilities, the people in both. For all the flack New York City gets for being impersonal, I've found that's just on the streets. When your at a bar, at any event, people here are less cliquey, more approachable and likely to mingle.
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| New York City. Doesn't get much different from my village than this, but so far I love it. |
I'm trying to chart the best course of action to allow me to further my career in the field I am most passionate about: international sustainable development. I have the motivation, I have relevant experience (particularly for WASH-Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene-related positions), I've had success in the office and on the ground. Problem is, I don't have a Master's degree.
It turns out that on the international stage both USAID and the UN require Master's degrees regardless of experience, not only for their own employees, but for anyone associated with their programs. Since these two organizations are ubiquitous throughout the sector, nearly all other organizations and contractors are confined to the same standard. Why would they hire an employee without a Master's if that employee will be barred from significant projects, hampering their proposals?
There are some organizations, such as smaller NGOs and faith-based organizations, whom, due to their smaller size or significant financial resources respectively, do not work with USAID, and can therefore afford greater flexibility in the hiring processes. These are the organizations I've had to target. Problem is, they are few and far between.
Therefore, my past three months can best be summed up as an attempt to find a needle in the proverbial haystack. I've been relatively successful in getting to the final stages of the interview process, but so far, no breakthrough.
Lacking the knowledge of where that breakthrough will come, I've found myself in a sort of purgatory, unable to ascertain where to put down roots. I haven't been looking for all that long, and the response has certainly been hopeful, but the job market is very competitive, and my specialty now quite narrow. Since I've been little, I've had a plan. I've moved from college to the work force to Peace Corps, no gaps. My only plan now is that I will pursue my passion, even if it happens to be in comparatively uncharted territory. This uncertainty is what 'shocks' me, not culture.
So for now, I am continuing to search for that elusive 'dream job', while looking into part-time graduate school to prepare myself for the future. After living only by the moment while in Mali and Kenya, I now find myself looking towards the future, aggressively pursuing the next phase of my life, wherever it may take me, fueled by the passion I was fortunate to discover.
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