New Again

It feels so strange to be starting all over again. Would one person with a bit of sanity request a transfer to a site that they have never seen to finish out the last 6 months of their already chaotic Peace Corps Service? The answer is a resounding, echoing, reverberating NO but yours truly is about to embark on this adventure. I assure you this is not a ploy to make my mark in PC history for most sites lived in during a 2 year PC service. Before my vacation to the states, the transition seemed almost sensible, a way to get back to my ideal peace corps experience by living in a smaller village, living a simpler life less complicated by the inventions of modern man (or not so modern anymore) such as electricity and running water.

As of tomorrow, I may feel the curse of my unsettled spirit that has again uprooted me from my perfectly stable life and mansion in the city. What will it take to quell this? Maybe trying to squeeze my double bed (a single did not seem like it would do at the time of purchase) into my new 3.5x4.0meter house in the cocoa fields. Maybe trying to coordinate the movement of all my worldly items from the office to my house myself (while I was in the states and it was determined that I would move, my house was packed up and all items were relocated to my office) because PC does not have resources to help me at this point. Maybe carrying around a small notebook for months at a time to write down people’s names and tearing your mind apart to remember who they are, where they live and exactly who they are related to when asked point blank, don’t you remember me? Maybe working diligently to quelling the suspicions among the villagers that a PCV is NOT in fact a US spy, not there to steal their business (for those business development volunteers) and most importantly not an ATM machine.

Maybe I am a transition freak! The unknown, the challenges, the possibilities, maybe this is my “runner’s high”. Stay posted for the adventures of my new village.

As an important side note, all mail should still be sent to my Ambanja address. Also, reports are that I will have limited cell service in my new village. Looking forward to hearing from you.