My contempt for my fellow PCVs is reaching critical levels

In Country Service

This is something I have struggled with since the beginning of my service. It comes and goes. Sometimes I feel it very strongly and other times not at all. I recognize that what other people do has no effect on me at site, or the things I do there. In spite of that knowledge I constantly find myself feeling overwhelming annoyance, shame, anger, frustration, and disappointment with my fellow PCVs.

I can't speak for other posts, but here the problems are so apparent. PCVs nipping off to the city to get drunk every weekend, missing sessions because they stayed up all night drinking, openly spurning their communities, travelling whenever the mood suits them, breaking rules in open defiance, shirking responsibilities, complaining, complaining, complaining, blaming counterparts and HCNs for all of their problems, sucking at the PC teat while they give back very little, stubbornly refusing to learn the language and then complaining that they have no friends at site, displaying a shocking lack of self-awareness and privilege at every turn. I could go on.

I know all of these things are normal problems. Humans are selfish beings, and younger humans tend to be even more so. But why the fuck did they choose to steal this opportunity to play out their sick little fantasy of being a world-traveler, or a special snowflake, or to have a story to tell? If you hate it so much, why don't you go home? No one is forcing you to be here. You can leave literally whenever you choose. But instead you stay here even though you hate it and have nothing but contempt for the people here.

I have to listen to privileged little shits talk about how terrible it is here in this place that I love, and I'm expected to be supportive, or at the very least not interrupt their shitty little pity parties. I have to hear stories about how they left site without notifying anyone and got drunk in the city all weekend. Even people who don't openly defy the experience are still so unbelievably clueless about the opportunities they have been given by being able to serve as a PCV. What an insanely wonderful privilege to shit all over.

Suffice to say, this weighs on me. It shouldn't but it does. I can't help it. I guess I just wanted to vent. It would also be nice to know that I'm not alone in feeling this way. And if anyone has any useful advice on how to ignore and/or begin to accept the fact that a large percentage of PCVs are just shitty little privileged brats, I am all ears.

Posted Oct 28, 2017, 8:34 AM UTC

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