Chinois? Non, Americaine!

I was planning on writing a funny post regarding my ethnicity and how it has affected my service (actually, it's partially written), but recent issues have arisen within the Peace Corps Senegal community that compel me to write a more serious post. I may post the original idea at a later date, but this is a pressing issue.

Recently, a new PC Senegal trainee ET-ed (Early termination of service) after a month of being in country and brought up feelings of alienation and intolerance based on race. She begins the entry by saying that ET-ing is a taboo subject, which is changing among PC Senegal. People that I talk to agree that you have to do what's best for yourself and if that includes terminating your service, we will support you in that decision. Reading her blog and the subsequent comments, I felt that a lot of valid points were made on both sides of the debate. She doesn't say that PC Senegal is racist at any point, but she does write, "Peace Corps Senegal was completely inhospitable to Americans of color," in addition to various other blanket statements. The words she chose and the tone that emerged was one that was slightly accusatory and to me, implied that PC Senegal is racist.

I don't discount her experiences and her feelings because we are all entitled to our own opinions, but I would like to share my experience as a non-white (aka Chinese -American) Peace Corps volunteer. The first topic I would like to address is the use of "white person" while referring to ourselves. I understand that in training sessions, especially the volunteer led cross cultural sessions where they share their experiences, that the term "white person" may come up fairly often. In this culture, foreigners and wealthy and/or well educated Senegalese individuals are referred to as "Toubab". Our translation of that in our community is "white person", even though it encompasses all skin colors. In sharing our stories, we refer to ourselves as white or asian or black just as we refer to ourselves as female or male. Yes, we can be more careful in our language and refer to ourselves as Americans, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Many volunteers, especially those involved in trainings have been living in a village for one or two years, surrounded by little kids and adults alike calling them toubab- not exactly the most politically correct atmosphere. As a coping mechanism, many volunteers, myself included, joke about that fact and begin calling each other Toubab. It helps to laugh about it and to make fun of that fact in lieu of getting upset. If I were to get upset every time someone called me "toubab", "chinois", or "ching- chang- chong", I would have to be a masochist to stay here this long. To get back to my point, we share our own experience and ours alone. I can't relate to what a white or black volunteer feels, just like a male volunteer can't relate to my experiences. I do want to address the use of the N word in a joking manner. This trainee had an experience where this occurred and she writes "...justifying the use of the N word in a joking context because we are all 'liberal.'" I am shocked that this occurred because I have never heard the N word uttered in Senegal by a fellow volunteer.

The second topic I would like to discuss is the involvement of PC Staff. She writes that after having meetings with our country director and training director about various incidents that "response has been that although it is not technically excused, it is understandable and okay in this context, because my white peers are racial minorities for the first time." This makes it sound that our administration condones racism and dismissed her feelings and concerns. She mentions that she had contacted other PCVs of color and found that others also felt ostracized. Then she writes that she "found it appalling that the Peace Corps Senegal country director said he had no idea how pervasive these issues were." I honestly think that he didn't know. Unless multiple PCVs inform him that they feel alienated, how is he to know how they feel? He knows a lot, but he can't read minds. Personally, our country director has asked me if I had any specific issues within Senegal due to my ethnicity. This was back in May, and I told him that I get called Chinois and Ching- Chang- Chong in addition to Toubab, but I can usually laugh it off. I don't think I am any more vulnerable in Senegal because I am Chinese, than if I were white. He brought up the topic and I answered him honestly. She writes that she has heard of no changes being made. Change is a slow process and this is a fact that all volunteers are faced with. A large part of our work is to implement behavior change (for example, washing hands with soap and water). Look at our history, change is difficult and not instantaneous. I can say that change is beginning to occur. The country director and training director had a discussion with the third year volunteers addressing the issue of language. They then had a talk with volunteers interacting with the trainees, myself included, about being aware of our language and being considerate of other volunteers. Change is occurring. Slowly.

I think that she raised an important point and it needs to be addressed. However, it sounds like an attack on our character and although she doesn't say it, it seems as though she is calling our program racist. My initial reaction is defensiveness and I want to yell that my fellow volunteers aren't racists. With a little bit of reflection, our language is not the most politically correct and can be construed as non professional. However, this is the culture of peace corps- we have no separation of work and personal life. Our life is our work and our work is our life. I'm positive that when we are among friends that we aren't always politically correct, even in the states. Here, our friends are whom we work with and we lapse into that mode, specifically when we are out of village. I'm not trying to justify that behavior because we should be more conscience of what we say, but there is a reason behind it.

She has started a dialogue among PCVs and staff alike regarding issues of diversity. It is important and because of it, we are all more aware of our own behavior and language. It also forces us to examine why we may come off as insensitive to race. In my opinion it is the experiences we have in this country that forms our language and our approach to life. We joke and make fun because it is a way of preserving our mental health. I respect her decision, but I truly believe that she has not spent enough time in country to adequately understand volunteer culture.

Peace & Understanding