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.
I'm packing my enthusiasm to virtually join your adventure! Fortunately there's no additional fee for excess baggage of past experience and aspirations ...
ReplyDeleteSo excited to learn what you learn, Michele. Adventure of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThis armchair adventurer is confident the Peace Corps made an excellent choice. Thanks you for taking me along on your journey. Much love.
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE the blog! I am so happy you started this and will be waiting for each new post.
ReplyDeleteBeing present in the moment is the most important thing to pack in your Peace Corps kit. Their admonishment to "leave your expectations at home" I think is not to say that you come without a past. Instead it is that you come open to a present that is more complex, human, and miraculous than you can imagine.
I know you already know some of this from your previous travels in South America. Swaziland will require that same openness and presence that is already ingrained in your being. You are an amazing person to take this on at this time in your life. When many people your age are "settling in," you have chosen to "strike out" and explore and share yourself with others. I, for one, feel truly blessed to be a small part of sharing that journey through subscribing to your blog.