I sent my first mass email yesterday after almost one year silence on the mass email front. I think one weird effect of the panoply of communication avenues of the day is that I really do not know how much of me is known by how many. This is to say, I am not sure how much of the email i sent yesterday was news to how many people. Surely anyone who has read my previous peace corps blog will know that I moved to Jamaica last autumn and am doing well. And anyone who chances even a passing glimpse at my facebook frontpage will know that in addition to moving to Jamaica I have also grown a large moustache, am spending some time at the beach, and am very much my old self, despite being on the far side of the world.
Still, it felt good to write the email if for no other reason than to simply book-end what has been a transformative and powerful year in the life of Raz. Some people have responded and as usual, I have answered their responses with further correspondence and inquiry as to how they are doing. It is good to keep in touch with friends.
Three people from Group 81 chose to early terminate just this past week or so. I did not know these three well, but a good friend from group 81 is taking the news pretty hard. This is one of the hardest parts of Peace Corps. The whole experience is such a pressure cooker, in just a few months you come to know people in this really powerful way, but at the same time you know that this entire experience (long though it may seem sometimes) is a fleeting ephemeral blink. And sometimes people blink early and decide that Peace Corps is not for them.
The decision to join Peace Corps is an intensely personal one. And the decision to early terminate is an equally personal one. i can only imagine how difficult this decision must be, and I know that no matter what, it is the right decision for them. Few things drag down group morale like a miserable volunteer.
I just hope that the people I have come to know and love don’t leave early though. Group 79 closed out their service just last week, and even with the emotional readiness that comes with expecting their departure, it was still hard to say goodbye. So many wonderful people in this world. I hope that I remain friends with at least some of these beautiful souls post peace corps.
