March, 2013
Africa. Peace Corps. Swaziland. End of June.
Invitation received January 14 – it’s now 2 months
later and the To Do list just keeps growing. Personal and PC preparation. Peace
Corps assignments, medical requirements and self-imposed tasks. Call up the
language website and begin listening to the sounds that will define my days.
Soon. Be consciously present here, since my here
will be so different. Store up experiences. Wrap up unfinished business so it
can be left behind.
And under it all, a bone-deep excitement about leaving
behind all my givens, and entering a brand new reality.
Peace Corps says leave my expectations at home. Easier said
than done. I’m gathering resources for a “tool box”. Highest HIV/AIDS rate in
the world. Find resources for grieving, for nutrition, for how the disease
works, so I can be aware. Girls are at highest risk. Research domestic violence
prevention techniques, and put together self-esteem building exercises.
Decision making, creative thinking, interviewing, resume writing and career
assessment. Review 18 years’ worth of materials. Girls’ education and empowerment. Oh yes! School is not free, so
teaching might be helpful – especially teaching English, the language used in
government. What materials do I have for that? Oh, and maybe some creative
writing. Mind is spinning.
The process takes me wandering through papers collected over
a lifetime. Cull, clear and save. That was me?
I wrote/thought/believed/knew those
things then? How come I’ve had to relearn them again. and again. and yet again?
Humbling. Affirming.
Attend a Return Peace Corps Volunteer potluck. The energy
unreal – a room full of people who have served, who carry those values into
their every-day lives, who enjoy the opportunity to be with others who
understand, without explanation, the experience that changed their lives.
Elite, though not exclusive. I will join their ranks.
Learn to blog. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
