I feel like I am off my game. Since my
computer broke 2 months ago, I've not done any writing. I'm forcing
myself here to sit down and share my thoughts, but my words have
escaped me. The other day I read a sample of my writing that was from
my last month in America (May 2012). I couldn't believe how well I
use to write! Being here, my use of the English vocabulary is about
the standard of my overall cleanliness... which isn't much; it comes
with the territory. I'm so glad I forgone grad school for the time
being. It'd be a quick dose of reality when I see my first paper
dosed with red markings. My first task upon arrival, besides eating a
foot long from Subway, will be to get re-acclimated into the English
language (which doesn't mean learning such phrases as “turnt up”
or “I can't”). It'll be nice to speak in a manner that isn't slow
and not take any pauses.
Speaking of coming home, you're
probably wondering when that is. If you've been a faithful reader or
have noticed that my heading says “two years in Swaziland”, then
you know that two years is now now. However, my work is far from
over, and I still have a ways to go. Peace Corps lets us COS (close
of service) within in a three month period. It is the month before
our swear-in date in July, then officially 2 years in August, or a
month after our swear-in date in September. Most PCVs are jumping on
the first plane in July, I'm waiting a little longer. I initially was
planning on extending my service for a third year, so I had been
living and making plans like I was going to be around for some time.
For personal reasons that include missing hot showers, I decided last
minute to come home as scheduled this year. This decision threw a
wrench in my plans. I have several projects that now I need to close
and then pass over. I also didn't plan on being home so early. So
rather than take the GRE and apply to grad schools now, I am going to
take the remaining months of the year when I am home to get sorted.
I will share more of those plans in a later blog when it comes closer
to check out of here, but I am content with my decision.
This past week we had a COS conference
at this beautiful lodge in Swaziland. It was our final workshop and
the best one yet! This conference gave us the logistics of how we
leave the country; there are a bunch of checklists and signatures to
be had if I ever want to leave. We also spent the bulk majority of
the time preparing for when we are back home. We learned about our
options as a RPCV (returned peace corps volunteer), and how to market
all our skills that we have obtained over the two years. The biggest
skill I think all of us could say we have mastered, is patience. We
joke, but going back to America, to a fast pace- stressed induced
culture, we will be rather zen-like compared to the rest. That is a
skill that can only be acquired through waiting countless hours for
transportation, meetings to start, and people to show up. It is
tested by taking days to have clothes finally cleaned and more
importantly dry, by taking years for people to finally pronounce your
name correctly, let alone remember it. It is well-tried though our
cooking skills and learning how to make something out of nothing, and
from being interrupted every five minutes by a pack of little hands
knocking on your door as you try to sleep in on your day off.
At the conference, someone said that
as a PCV, we got a Ph.D in Life. At this point, we are all, whether
we admit it or not, a glass case of emotions-- and we should be.
We've seen and been through more than most ever will, and now it is
coming to an end. Our standard of living varies between each PCV, and
so do our experiences, but as we came together last week, we all
shared the same frustration, the same concern, and the same sense of
pride for our community. It's so cliché, but these two years have
taught me to enjoy life and make the most of every opportunity.
