I am now, officially, a Peace Corps volunteer.
Let me repeat that.
I am now, officially, a Peace Corps volunteer.
That's a damned good feeling, for a number of reasons, the first of which being that it means that PST is finally over. I have so, so much more freedom now than I did as a trainee; freedom to set my own schedule; freedom to learn the language as I want to learn it; freedom to create my own work.
It's also a damned good feeling because taking the oath to serve my country by spreading American goodwill and development assistance gives me a great sense of pride; pride in my country, for creating a program that seeks to lift others out of poverty in a sustainable way; pride in myself for slogging through some very hard and stressful work so far. It sounds cliche to talk about pride in country, certainly, but I don't think there's a better expression for how I feel about it.
Lastly, it feels so good to know that I will now have access to a shower again, instead of a bucket bath. Something minor, perhaps, but good nonetheless.
So, now I'm at my permanent site and I've settled in with a new host family. The only downside to completing PST is a sense that I'm right back where I started at. I have to get to know my new host family, continue learning the language, start an entirely new job, make new acquaintances in a new place...I've somehow come full circle and it's only been a little over two months.
But oh well. I'm free to do my thing and make good things happen. Here's to the next two years!
5 comments:
Congrats man, way to push through that rough spot and overcome. Proud of you.
Congratulations! Now go make some magic!
Oh my bubble! I'm excited for you! Everytime I read your blogs, I get so excited and caught up in what you can and will be doing. :) you're such an role model these days!
Congratulations! I'm glad you posted a notice on RvB, because my RSS feed hadn't picked this up yet.
That really is some great news. I'm very happy for you on so many levels. Being abroad is wonderful and the opportunity to help people is ever better. May the remainder of your tour be nothing short of awesome.
Congradulations You sound very happy Im assuming the effort was worth the pay off Im glad you decided to stay with it You know if you follow your heart more than your head you have fewer regrets and in life we dont always get a second chance Im very happy you stayed now you can make your mark and have something to cherish Tim in Tn.
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