So my blog post is not just to write about how great my friends are here, but to comment on how strange it is when one of your closest friends finishes their service and leaves the country. I no longer have that one person who I can text when I have had a really frustrating day at school (or even better, a GREAT day). I also no longer have that close friend who I cook with on the weekends, and enjoy a cold Manica with at 4 PM on a Saturday. These are also the people who you turn to for advice with teaching, secondary projects, or just to talk to when your lonely and alone in your village. In Peace Corps, you become friends with your fellow volunteers almost immediately, and those who live closest to you become your family. It’s kind of a weird social experiment because throughout your service these friends change (as you move from training, to a new site, and then as volunteers finish service and are replaced with new ones) and almost immediately you become friends with the new people that replace your old closest friends, it really is quite strange.
This post doesn’t really mean much, but while passearing (walking aimlessly around town) the other day in town, thinking how weird it will be when I go in town to visit another volunteer but my old friend will be missing, and basically feeling sad about all of this, I realized that I can sit in my house all day reading, cooking or doing whatever passes the time or I can get out and be active in my community. Sure I don’t have a lot of work right now (its actually the semester break and I won’t teach again for 3 more weeks) but every time I walk outside my front yard I am reminded that people are happy to see me, and grateful that I have become a part of their community.
On Sunday, I stopped to visit a friend, and she, and her neighbor were so happy to see me that after talking for a good twenty minutes they each gave me some produce from their farms. Then today, while walking back from the market I was followed by 3 criancas (small children) who just wanted to skip next to me and repeat everything I said to them because they didn’t understand Portuguese, and I guess I’m just their daily entertainment because I am different. I’m not really sure where this post is going but I think it’s a reminder to myself (and other volunteers who read this) that although we do depend on one-another, the worst thing to do is be a hermit in your community, because the people here really do appreciate us, and if you are having a bad day my advice to you is to take a walk and see how many smiles you get from strangers who are just happy to be greeted, or see how many children just want to walk with you because they’re bored and you’re exciting and fun.
Although I’m pretty bummed that one of my site-mates, and closest friends has finished service and will be returning to the states soon, I know that I will be okay because I have a wonderful support system in the rest of my fellow volunteers, along with an incredibly grateful (and warm) community who will continue to look after me until the day comes in a year and a half when I have to say my goodbyes.
As previously noted, I’m about to be on break for the semester, and I won’t start classes again until August 6. A lot of volunteers travel over this long break but I haven’t decided yet if I want to leave site. For one thing, my dog will be terribly depressed if I leave but on a more serious note, I’m lucky to be going on a 3-week long hiatus to Europe mid-August. So I can’t decide if it is a good idea to leave my community for a week now, when I’ll be leaving for so long next month. I have a conference next week with some other fellow PCVs so I’ll have to see how good they are at convincing me to travel. Staying at site during the break might be exactly what I need to be reminded why I am here and why I am truly happy in my community.
We shall see, until the next post, be well!
Tchao and Boa Sorte Shane, you will be missed in COESAO but I am so excited to see what great things you do in law school....and also just excited to laugh over your adjustment to nyc life. Ate America!
