The year of change

Hello from AMERICA and hello from 24-year-old me!! I can’t believe I began this whole experience right after my 22^nd birthday and now I’m 24; it’s crazy how time passes! It’s also crazy how much changes in such a short period of time. The incredible three weeks spent with my family feels like a year ago, even though it was my last blog post. I’m currently writing this post from my house in Maryland! So, a lot has changed already in my 24^th year of life.

The year 2017 marked 50 years of Peace Corps in Samoa and in July we had a big celebration for it! This 50-year reunion brought back volunteers from all different time periods. We had volunteers from Group One come back to visit and celebrate! I can’t imagine coming back to Samoa in 50 years; it must’ve been surreal for them. This reunion began with a parade through Apia, the capital of Samoa. We followed the Samoan band and stopped traffic throughout the capital. It was such a fun experience! I ended up carrying our banner and leading the parade, landing myself on the front page of the national newspaper! This was big news for my village when one villager found a copy of the newspaper – famous Sala!  

Marching through Apia with the Peace Corps parade.

Among the 40 or so returned volunteers who came for the reunion, was a former volunteer from Sili! I believe I’m the fourth ever Sili volunteer and it was really neat to meet another Silian. She served in Sili in 2010 and I loved getting to discuss the changes and our different projects within the village. She actually stayed in Sili for a week and came to school with me! She applied for (and received) a grant for us to do a cultural exchange project this Fall! My seventh grade students put together a Samoa box full of letters, questions, handcrafted books, and Samoan artifacts. A sixth grade class in Maine will open this box and send an American equivalent back to Samoa once the American school year starts. It’s really neat to be able to connect these students with one another and learn about a different culture.

Preparing our Samoa box to send to Maine!

So, the 50^th anniversary was a wonderful get together. I hope to return to Samoa one day for another reunion! July was filled with preparations for the reunion as well as preparations for the cultural exchange grant, which made for a very exciting month. August then began with my first ever race! I’m sure those of you who know me had to re-read that sentence because I am not a runner. I can barely run! However, running has been a wonderful pastime here in Samoa and when presented with the opportunity of running a 10k, for some reason I agreed. It was definitely a rough decision and I believe I came in second to last place, but I completed it! I ran the race in my normal running attire, shoulders completely covered and knees double covered with leggings and a lavalava (skirt). So, somehow, my life progressed to the point of running my first ever 6-mile race in a skirt. Now that’s a weird sentence.

A classic example of male vs. female attire.

The 50-year reunion, grant, race, wait, how did I possibly end up in America??? Well, August took a crazy turn of events. I was medically evacuated home for a skin condition I’ve developed while in Samoa. It’s not major, but it was undiagnosable and Samoa doesn’t have dermatologists. The skin condition progressed really rapidly in the last six months and was certainly affecting my life, but I never imagined being sent home. Zika, lice, scabies, you name it, I’ve probably had it! However, this skin infection got me sent home!! So, I got a call one morning while teaching that I needed to leave my village in the next hour to catch my flight home. It was a whirlwind of events as I rushed to pack and explain everything to my village. I hardly got to say any goodbyes, but luckily I did get to say goodbye to my host parents. They both ended up sobbing into my shoulders, so it was a really sad departure. With Peace Corps medical evacuations, you have 45 days to get cleared and return. However, getting cleared can be a tough process, especially at the end of service. This is not going to stop me because I WILL finish my service! I cannot even imagine not finishing my 27 months when I’ve already survived 23 of them.  

SURPRISE I'm home with my sissy!!

As overwhelming as it was to be sent home, of course I have loved seeing my family!! It’s been wonderful! I’ve had to take it easy and I’ve had doctor’s appointments to attend, but being able to watch a movie with my family on the couch at night is incredible. Seeing my sweet pets, my 94 year old grandmother, my college roommate, my high school best friend – it has definitely helped the fact that I was sent home! My baby sister got her learner’s permit and I’ve been able to help teach her how to drive! I also ended up being home for my 24^th birthday, which was so unexpected. Being surrounded by friends and family (in AMERICA) was an amazing start to year 24. It’s already a year of change, but I know it will continue to be as I (hopefully) return to Samoa, finish my service, move back home, get a job, etc.

A real American cake tops off year 23.

So, a very unexpected blog post coming from America. The good news is that I’ve been home for two weeks and my skin condition is on the mends! I feel much, much better and I should be cleared and on my way back in no time. It’s going to be a crazy last four months as I prepare for my real departure. This temporary departure gave me a mini idea of how insane December is going to be. I can’t even imagine saying goodbye to my host family! Luckily I’ve been able to call them while home. I’ve also called my school and been able to get all of our grant deliveries done while home. Once I get medically cleared, I’ll be returning to a very exciting end to my service! I’ll be completing two grants, I’ll prepare for another volunteer to hopefully replace me, and I’ll say goodbye to my insane 27 months spent in Samoa.

But for now, it’s time to heal and get medically cleared!