Trying Times

We began by joining hands as one scholar helped us center-down into our common values that had brought us all into this program to begin with. Friday night—9 scholars, 5 of us who are finishing up our first semester, and 4 from the class that will be moving into their last semester, convened in a special meeting on the roof of the building where we have our classes. The topic: the earthquake. The earthquake of this rotary program, that is; a series of happenings that is cracking the foundation of our lives here.

The basic synopsis goes like this: since this program began, each class has had several US scholars that have made small steps in investigating the process of gaining accreditation of this program in the United States. This year the investigations uncovered a glaring fact that this master’s program does not even have accreditation in Argentina. The master’s is recognized by the ministry of education, but not accredited. Accrediting bodies in the US will rarely be willing to consider accrediting a program if it is not initially accredited in its own country. For me, with less definite goals of employment, this fact is not too critical, but for those of my colleagues that have specific life plans that include a government job or a doctorate program, this realization could mean that two years of work at this university would not terminate in a true master’s degree off which to plant a foot and further advance a career. Beyond this issue are ongoing frustrations with a program that, especially through US eyes, leaves much to be desired… Rotary International has offered my class the option of transferring to another Rotary Center and requested a decision by June 7th. Perhaps a vote? Australia, Tokyo, England, or stay in Argentina on the sinking ship? While you contemplate, I’ll continue…

So there we were—nine individuals brought together by different world forces and facing an unexpected roadblock. The most inspiring was our interactions that night. With all the intensity of emotion that was running throughout each of our beings, you could see how each was putting the other before his or herself. The tears shed, the emotions shared, the stories told by each of us were deeply listened to by all ears and hearts present.

We expressed this issue at many levels. First and most obvious is the personal level. Many people sold houses, left jobs, turned down other offers to be here. Several have partners whose lives are also affected by the situation. How do we begin to decide what will be our next step? Beyond this is the complexity of the matter thinking at a macro level. We believe wholeheartedly that it is crucial that one of Rotary’s world peace programs be in the “developing world.” Many of the struggles that we experience here are important lessons of the reality of what is a university experience for countries that, due to an endless number of exasperating global factors, does not have the infrastructure or resources to provide all that students in developed nations enjoy. There is a fine line between sacrificing personally to appreciate and experience this reality, and the long term view of the impact that we could have with a higher quality and accredited degree.

I pain for the thousands that continue to needlessly die each day as a group of truly passionate, intelligent, creative, giving peacemakers are forced to grapple with this hang-up. All we long for is a training that will equip us to better serve the world; for me, prolonging that reinsertion back into grassroots work is trying… But thinking outside the box, perhaps these last few days and what will be the next several weeks wading through this conflict will be the best training we could ever ask for.