13 months down, 12 more to go!!!

"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination." -- John Schaar

If anyone has seen the last 13 months, please let me know. I seem to of lost them. It seems like just yesterday I was stepping off that plane in St. Lucia, then finally Grenada. The warm breeze, the humid feeling, the beauty. I had just come from the cold, so everything looked so green and colorful, new to the eye. The feeling of unrest cant easily be described in a blog post. I can only suggest you uproot your cozy life and move to a new country to absolutely understand what that feeling is like. Its been the scariest and most amazing 13 months of my life.

EC 81-Our first week in the Eastern Caribbean

I'm not quite sure why I hold on to milestones and dates so much through this journey. I was excited to tell my mom today that it was our 1 year mark to Closing of Service (COS). She replied "That is kind of sad. I dont want you thinking about coming home the whole next year." It isn't that I'm counting down the days to being stateside (or at Taco Bell), but rather a sense of being back to my hometown around the "normal" I have known for 22 years. I appreciate everyday here in Grenada and am learning things I could never imagine learning back home. I guess I get overwhelmed with the possibilities of my future that I forget to slow down. I need to work on that I suppose.

Official Swearing In- April 2010

I think its a great accomplishment that my group has stayed together these last 13 months with no one ending their service. As we get ready to say goodbye to the EC 79 group (tear) ahead of us, I have come to realize just how short this journey truly is. They are packing away the last of their items, giving away all they can and closing accounts. Im going to miss them more then I can probably realize right now. Their group welcomed us at the airport, mentored us through training and supported us through finding our roles here. Its the cycle of the Peace Corps that we have come to know so well. Always bringing in new faces keeps things fresh and ideas new. But it doesn't make the goodbyes easier. I appreciate you EC 79 and can't wait to see where your next journey takes you!

EC 79, Going to miss these guys!

So as I reflect on my last 13 months and the upcoming 12, I continue to be grateful for the experience I've had and the people I've met. The stories would take me years to tell. I have never been this happy in my life and the friendships I've made that break across cultural barriers are some I hold dear to my heart for eternity.

To the next 12 months....YOU ARE MINE!