My last day of Peace Corps was almost exactly one year ago. I feels like the time flew by, but I have vivid memories of laying in bed while staring at the ceiling and swearing to myself I would never say it was anything but gruelingly slow. But I also have many memories of walking down dirt roads and while thinking about how I was living more in just two years than most people will live during an entire lifetime
I don't recommend Peace Corps to anyone. Two years is a long time, it can be dangerous, and it wont help you get a job. BUT if you still choose to make the leap it will be one of the best decisions of your life.
When my father passed away my life was rocked. I still miss him every single day. I was shown sympathy by many people and it was all appreciated but other than my immediate family nothing compared to the support of my Jamaican community. Many, if not all of them know the pain of unexpectedly losing someone they love. There is an awkwardness when someone in America gives their condolence but in Jamaica it was sincere and overflowing.
Peace Corps staff did a fantastic job of helping get home. During my two years I knew Peace Corps monitored everything I said and I was terrified I would be kicked out if I said anything negative so I didn't report anything I didn't like on my blog. But over all they gave me all the medical and mental support I needed. The program wasn't well organized but that wasn't very important. The lack of organization was very frustrating because I expected to have my hand held by them and it took me a while to realize I was on my own when it came to projects.
The best memories I have of Peace Corps definitely happened during the last few months. I would take the guys down to the beach, cook dinner with them, studying with them, and play soccer. It was a blast.
Now I'm at Texas A&M for graduate school. It's a two year program. I have finished one year and have another left.
-A taste of the secret life of a Peace Corps Volunteer-
I kept a separate blog of some of the crazy stuff that happened during Peace Corps that I thought would get me kicked out of I posted it. Maybe one day I will post it.
What I can say is that Peace Corps probably viewed me as immature and a wild one. This was far from the truth. When I would travel into the Peace Corps office in Kingston I used my humor to vent stress. I realize this probably wasn't the best for my reputation but at times I just needed to relax. Staying on the front desk waiving the Jamaican flag in front of an Obama portrait as my friends took pictures probably could have gotten me in trouble but oh well.
Speaking about relaxing... I never lit up. EVER. This always surprises people. At the end of my exit medical review I asked the nurse if she was going to ask me if I hooked up with any prostitutes or did any drugs. They said they weren't planning on asking me anything like that. So I was kinda perturbed. So at the end of the interview as I was walking out I said I never smoke anything. I took a few steps out the door before running back and say "Also, no prostitutes!"
Instead of smoking, I drank. Not a lot, and even if I wanted to I wouldn't have been able to afford it. But when I traveled around the island I would stop a the small rum bars that dot the island. This was always a rave with the Jamaicans. I would order a few shots worth of white rum and water and share it. Made a lot of friends doing this. I wouldn't ever get drunk.
I miss Jamaica more than I ever missed America.
I hated this song when it was played as the sun was coming up and loved in when everyone would sing it in a packed bus. It's like Peace Corps, you hate it and love it all at the same time. Luckily when you get back you almost immediately forget about the hard parts.
Can't post an embedded link for this video but here is the URL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm1g8FFRArc
This song was popular also popular. The music video really makes it.
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