And so, the months, weeks and
days, they must have passed quickly after all…
As of my Close of Service
conference earlier this month, at which I was assigned my departure date (August 28), today marks the start of my
final 100 days in Benin!
Day counting has become somewhat
of a ritual here. Bold diagonal lines ceremoniously end another day come and
gone in all its glory and ennui, filling up two years of calendar space, and
it’s clear that I have somehow taken to living this life in mile markers –
typically three-month periods leading to a big event to look forward to, or
sometimes simply the idea of “gotta get through this one and onto the next…”
And I think this is the first time in two years that I have such little fear of
the next stint. For the first time – just in time for the end – I feel bigger
than the vastness of time I obsess over here. Maybe it’s because this is the
end. Home is around the corner. I’ve almost
made it. And it surely doesn’t hurt that I will be plenty busy with school
events, long distance runs, rainy season gardens, summer camps, and a good
amount of Peace Corps paperwork!
At this point in my service, the
anxiety builds in a new way. Is three months enough to finish strong with my
projects, leave my work partners and my community on good terms, and feel ready
for my return home? Stay tuned to find
out, I suppose...
Happy summertime, friends. See
you next season :)
No comments:
Post a Comment