One PC Urban Legend has it that there is (or has been) a
man serving in Africa who has extended 12 times. Don’t
ask me where I heard this; I honestly don’t remember.
What I do recall then is thinking,
See, no one knows what the heck I’m talking
about!
“12 times? Is that even possible? And
why!!??”
But now, looking back, I think, “How sad.”
Sad because of the constant changes the man
must’ve went through. Perhaps not so much within his
village, but just changes in PC staff, structure, protocol,
you name it. Peace Corps seems so stable from the outside, but once you’re in, it’s a different story. People
come and go, both staff and PCVs alike. Why, even during MAK 8’s training, 6 PCTs quit. And 3 PCVs didn’t
even make it to the 6 month mark, bringing our small
group down to 24. The entire PC Macedonia staff, save
for a couple people, has changed hands. It’s impossible
not to miss the old people, and it’s hard when there’s no
one around who remembers them, or knows who they
were.
There are a couple of scrapbooks in the lounge,
mostly of MAK 1-6. I don’t know if anyone else has
looked at them, but I’ve paged through them a couple of
times. There are mentions of weddings, several welcoming events and swearings-in, along with random ISTs,
and a baby shower, if I remember correctly. But who
remembers them? The people in the pictures have
moved on from Peace Corps, and the memories grow
dim.
Thanksgiving 2003 at Hotel Gratce in Kocani.
I don’t regret extending; not by a longshot.
Even though things haven’t gone as smoothly as I expected, I’m still where I want to be – in Macedonia,
with people that I can still relate to. However, I am
getting a bit antsy to break free of Peace Corps, and
that’s where the senioritis comes in. But once I finish, it
won’t be like “Thank GOD that’s over,” (like college
was…), but more like, “Wow, it’s…over.”
And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
The Vinica training group at MAK 8's Swearing-In.
It’s very hard being the only member of your
group left in-country with PC. I never thought it would
feel like this, but sometimes I feel abandoned. I know
that I chose to stay on an extra year, but it’s hard when
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