Seven days…
Seven days until the flights begin. Seven days until I meet my fellow volunteers. Seven days before the start of a new chapter. Seven days until the start of my new job, centered half-way around the world.
Seven days. Honestly, that really hit me today… Like a full-on existential awareness of the inevitability of the choice – the commitment – I’ve made… So, naturally, it’s good to get some of that in writing.
As I’ve told many friends and family time and again: there’s an awful lot about this Peace Corps venture that I just don’t know. About ALL of this. I don’t know what sector of healthcare I’ll be working in. I don’t know which community will be the focus of the organization with whom I’m assigned. I don’t know which organization I’ll be assigned. I don’t know what language I’ll be learning. I don’t know what I’ll be eating, how I’ll be living, where I’ll be living. I don’t know if I’ll be living with a family for the duration of my service, or if I’ll be living by myself. I don’t know… I don’t know… I don’t know!
And for those who know me even slightly, they know that anything unknown makes my brain go lightspeed with every possible scenario. Good, bad, and banal. I’ve developed something of a talent: letting those thoughts and predictions run on their own in the back of my mind, freeing my focus for other tasks, but the restlessness grows. It has been growing, with every to-do box checked off from my list. This last upcoming week will have plenty of last-minute things to do – as is the case with every relocation someone makes – but I’m going to be anxious. A little bit more every day.
Which is not a bad thing. Not by a long shot. If anything, it’s all the more exciting. Anxiety and Excitement. They go hand in hand for me. Because once I’m on my way, once we’re in the game, learning what we need to learn, living how we’re going to live, I’ll be jumping into the work feet-first. I’ll be the one to set the bar for behavior and drive. I’ll be the one to challenge and expand. I’ll be me, essentially.
There’s still a lot to do. There’s a lot more that will be done. Selling the car, moving some finances around, having the absentee ballot application printed… making sure I can actually pack everything I intend to bring…
But there’s also fun to be had this week as well: a family day at the beach, drinks with friends, downloading some new music to take with me.
So, as this week closes, I’m grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. I fully intend to not only make you all proud, but I swear to make myself proud. As I’ve been told, the Peace Corps is “the hardest job that you’ll ever love.” I’m looking forward to sharing some of those trials and triumphs with you all.
Once more: next week, on Friday the 31st of May, will be the last post for a while. Once the opportunity for a more consistent upload is possible, sharing will resume, but I ask for your patience. And thank you so much for being here on this journey with me.
Peace, Love, and Uganda 