It’s the Final Countdown. Neenooneenoo. Neenooneenoonoo.

09 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment

by Becca in Normal Blog Entries Tags: family, friends, life and life only, peace corps

A lot of people have been asking me lately whether I’m thinking about the Peace Corps every five seconds. The answer is yes and no. Jess’s wedding is on Sunday, and I’ve put off a lot of things I need to do for “after the wedding.”

When I do think about Paraguay, I try not to build up great expectations in my mind. I know everything is going to be different than what I might dream up when I get there anyway. That said:

-I know that, while in training, I won’t have very much time to get on the internet, email my relatives, make phone calls, etc. It sounds like a few times a week I’ll be able to set time aside. I’m hoping I can just keep a few pieces of paper with me that I add to whenever I get a spare second. When I can get online, I think I’ll just photograph them to save time. This way, I can also write a lot more than I might be able to just via email. We’ll see how this works. Training lasts the first couple of months.

-I know that I’m going to get into a system during the first couple of months. While the very start will be hard, I’ll get into a rhythm by the end, only to have it be broken when I get to my permanent site (where I’ll spend the next two years). Then it’ll be lonely and rough for a while again.

-Most volunteers really hit their stride after a year in country. That seems like a long time but I know it’ll fly by most of the time (and drag by part of the time).

-I have no idea what I want to do when I get back to the U.S. People ask me, and it always makes me laugh. That’s a long time from now. I won’t have an idea for a long time.

-I have no idea when I’ll want to come home or find a convenient time to visit, though certainly I will.

I will probably (but not definitely) have electricity. I will probably be within two hours’ bus ride of an internet connection. I will have a cell phone that can get free incoming calls from the United States, but perhaps not regular access to service. I’m someone who is very excellent at keeping in touch, but the resources provided to me by my life in the States make it incredibly easy. Right now, I’m starting to realize that most of my (perhaps few) phone calls will go to my mother, rather than my friends and extended family. I’m going to have to come up with other ways to maintain relationships.

Anyway, it’s after the wedding. I’ll upload some of the photos and do an entry on that when I get a chance. Right now, I’m doing my first round of packing to figure out how much space I have, what clothes I need to sew or buy still, and how much weight I’m going to be lugging. I’m flying out of Kalamazoo Airport on September 28th (a mere 19 days). Oh goodness.