About two months ago, a member of my Peace Corps Romania Group 28 created a Facebook page. This has been an invaluable resource as we prepare for service. The page connects new volunteer trainees with existing two, three and even four year volunteers, while also building the sense of community among our fellow newbies. Early on in the page’s infancy someone posted an icebreaker which encouraged us to introduce ourselves by addressing a few simple questions, among which was this: What are you most and least looking forward to as you embark on Peace Corps service? The posts correlating to the first part of this question “most” were, perhaps, what you might expect; excitement, adventure and the opportunity to help those less fortunate while also learning a new language. In reading the responses of my peers I found the latter topic focusing on “least” to be most interesting. The typical response sounded something like this: “I least look forward to leaving my friends and family behind.” This of course makes sense, we are after all a social people, but admittedly these sentiments caught me somewhat off guard. I had been so focused on preparation, packing, and the upcoming adventure that I had given the subject little thought.
Today, I am on the last leg of a multi-city trip to say “Goodbye for now.” Richmond, Boston, Durham, Fayetteville, Boulder, San Jose, San Diego, Cabo San Lucas (unexpectedly), and Baltimore. This itinerary is a testament to how lucky I have been to meet and know so many fine people. Each of which will make leaving for service both difficult and easy. Difficult, because it will be hard migrating from a network of people who care for one another, to a tour largely defined by the solitude of the unfamiliar. Easy, because I am able to draw on their support and the strengths I have developed as a result of such positive exposure with this eclectic group of people. So rather than focus on the downside of leaving behind (temporarily) these fine folks, I choose to focus on the upside: Who is coming to visit in Romania!
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