Reflections on everything and 2012 Resolutions
Trip Start
Jun 10, 2010
1
21
24
Trip End
Aug 10, 2012
Olmos, Lambayeque, Peru
Saturday, January 7, 2012
I think the same is true for life in the US after Peace Corps. I had trouble picking a starting point to talk about what life is like here with almost everyone I talked with. The usual starting point is the characteristic American work reference “what do you do?” which I have no trouble answering because I do take pride in the development work I strive to accomplish here, but there is so much more to Peace Corps than that. There are the relationships you build with people here, the craziness that is transportation, the difficulties of communicating in a different language for EVERYTHING one does, how it is living with nine people and all the complexities of two families, the bucket showers and lack of water, the desert, the crushing poverty, getting to know the country through traveling…the list is almost endless. I cannot fully appreciate it. I don’t know if I ever really will. However, all of this current reality disappears when you get back to the USA. I know I will leave changed and I know all of that will undoubtedly leave a big impression on me, but it is still difficult to wrap my brain around it. It´ll be years, if ever, before I really appreciate all the subtleties of this experience.
I can’t believe I’ll have to say goodbye to this life in just six months. Even more powerful is the thought that I won’t be returning here for at least five years. I think going back to the US was a good decision. Not only to see everyone again (people are what create “home”) but also to keep me focused on what I’m trying to do with that one opportunity we have at life. These last 6 months represent a goodbye and a transition into a new stage of the journey. From the very moment I get back, I’ll be hopelessly busy studying for the LSAT and with any luck working full time (or if I can’t interview while in Peru then at least be busy searching for full time employment). One of the great things about Peace Corps is the time it allows to really focus and create plans for one wants to do. After this visit, I’m more convinced than ever that the path I’m on is the right one. The plan is set, all it requires is the will to follow through.
Oh yeah, here are the ten 2012 resolutions. They´re made a bit more difficult since I’ll be in Peru half the year and the USA the other half:
168+ on the LSAT
7+ Spanish articles per week/7+ new Spanish words per week
Get a job I enjoy doing when I get back to the USA
Pay off another $6,000 in student loans
Read 1+ books a month
Drink 500mL every morning when I wake up and before I go to bed
Write consistent journal entries 1+ per week
Make 3+ professional contacts
Stretch consistently twice a week
Avoid girl drama (good luck me)
¡Hasta la prómixa!
Comments
couldn't have said it better myself
Nice entry Speare, can certainly relate to the duality you describe from my experience in the service and our experiences in Nicaragua...it does sound like your brief trip home should make that transition a little easier, giving you a brief taste of what to expect without being suddenyl and indefinitely immersed. And good luck on the avoid gril drama resolution! hahaha
such a fantastic, well-written, and insightful blog, speare! I hope you are singing to your students -- no reason to let a great talent go unused! you are one of the few college students I respected because of your maturity and genuine thoughtfulness about who you are, who you want to be, and why you want to be that. I am very, very impressed with you and hope you will keep up the blog when you're back in the states! a fascinating life you lead, sir. your blog is surely a pleasure to read.