Second Day, Eleventh Month 3, 2011
Anytime a group of people are put together for 24/7 under a bit of stress, cliques and poor personality clashes are bound to occur. I was tired of the petty and flirty games that certain trainees were playing, many people were extremely immature despite being over 30, sometimes I felt like I was chaperoning a youth group trip – I will give all the benefit of the doubt and believe that stress sometimes does not bring out the best in people.
Anytime a group of people are put together for 24/7 under a bit of stress, cliques and poor personality clashes are bound to occur. I was tired of the petty and flirty games that certain trainees were playing, many people were extremely immature despite being over 30, sometimes I felt like I was chaperoning a youth group trip – I will give all the benefit of the doubt and believe that stress sometimes does not bring out the best in people.
The above underlined portion of a blog post written by another volunteer has disturbed me deeply for many days now. It disturbs me for many reasons, the primary reason (in the spirit of full disclosure) being that the trainee who the blogger is referring to is a friend of mine, the first true friend I have made here in Peace Corps Philippines. Just for the record, the trainee in question is NOT petty, immature, or flirty. Another reason that I had a reaction to this post is because of the identifying information given and the lack of constructive criticism. If you are going to be critical, then please be constructive. Finally, this portion of the post disturbs me because the rest of the blogger's post is insightful and accurate; removing the negative portion of the post would not have altered the message.
In an effort to move past my negative feelings and to take my own advice and be constructive, since I am being critical, I am posting an open letter for my friend and using this experience as a reminder to be more careful with my own words.
Dear Young Woman,
Years ago, when I was the spiritual adviser for the young adult group at my meeting for worship, we selected a scripture that would guide us in how we conducted ourselves in our daily lives. The scripture we chose was 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don’t let anyone
look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the
believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
My dear friend, you have indeed set an example for me during training. I was truly impressed with the way you spoke, behaved, and treated everyone during our time together. Thank you for looking past my serious and often off-putting demeanor. Thank you for your kindness, your manners, and your loving spirit. May God continue to guide you and may this verse encourage you if ever you become discouraged.
Blessings and Peace,
Regina Renee
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