2014 was a humongous stomach-jerking roller coaster of a
year. Perhaps a recap post is just as annoying as the lazy flashback episodes
of TV series that don’t progress the plot at all but I’m doing it anyways.
January
2014 started off pretty lackluster with the monotony of
continuing a boring desk job scanning medical charts for a primary care office.
The monotony only lifted during occasional office potlucks and the “parade” of
EMT’s who’d stop by about once a week to ambulate an elderly patient. But
January ended pretty well with my first trip out to Fiji to visit Max where he
served in Peace Corps. The lush tropical greenery and turquoise waters made the
mind-numbing hours put into that scanning job worth it. No joke, the first
thing I thought upon exiting the airport in Botswana was how it couldn’t be
more opposite of the lush green oasis of an island that is Fiji.
February
February was back to the states and more tedious work.
Spring arrives early in AZ, practically on the heels of Santa’s sleigh so many
hiking trips and outdoor fun was had.
March
March wasn’t so great. We first heard the diagnosis of my
dad’s colon cancer the week of his 52nd birthday. Blindsided, it hit
our family hard and of course my dad the hardest after just recovering from a
dramatic leg injury following a bike crash two years previously. Just when he
had regained movement again and the ability to reclaim his hobbies of hiking,
camping, and yardwork, life was pushing him back down. He began his long road
to recovery with surgery to remove a large part of his colon and lots and lots
of jello. Despite the blow of this life-altering diagnosis, my dad has battled
for his life head on and continues to be an inspiring source of positive energy
and an emotional rock for our entire family. Without a doubt, this cancer
diagnosis has not debilitated my dad as I know him. It has limited his body,
sure, but not his sense of being or who he is. Since diagnosis, I have seen my
dad smile more, laugh more genuinely and relish in the things he likes to do
like hiking and camping. Cancer is not going to prevent him from living life
and for that he is my greatest inspiration. As horrible and frightening as this
cancer is, I think it has brought us closer as a family and served to wake us
up from days of merely lazing about in our own little worlds to truly valuing
and pursuing time spent together.
April
April continued the bad news train. As I was preparing to
leave for Peace Corps service in Mozambique in May; studying Portuguese,
packing, and planning my going away party, I was told that I couldn’t receive
final medical clearance because of my history of kidney stones. I was
devastated. After applying over a year ago and being stuck in the purgatory
that is Peace Corp’s application process, I wasn’t sure I could go through it
again, especially now that my dad has cancer. I argued. I used everything I could
to try and convince the Peace Corps medical staff that I was medically fit;
completely healthy, and completely prepared to depart in less than 50 days. But
they wouldn’t budge. They rescinded my invitation and put me back in the
system. I was lucky to work with my recruiter again who promised me he would
“find me a home” as I broke into tears on the phone. I was offered a second
invitation to serve in Botswana departing in August. Still bitter about Moz and
not thrilled about having to wait an additional 3 months I eventually accepted
the invitation knowing that it was really my last chance.
April then
continued as planned with my second visit out to Fiji. The idea was to visit
every 6 months if we could afford it, but because I thought I was departing in
May I had booked the trip sooner. The trip was a blast and a needed break from
all the stressors of home and Peace Corps. We booked a week at Octopus Resort
on a small island off of Vanua Levu. It was heavenly, I still dream of it to
this day. Days of lazing on the beach, snorkeling, and reading, and evenings of
dinner with tourists from all over world along with the unexpected fun of
hermit crab races, trivia night, and falling asleep to the sound of the waves
made for the ideal vacation.
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| My Parents on their anniversary, April Fools Day |
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| being goofs |
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| an even bigger goof |
May and June
May continued the Fiji vacay and ended with the return of
Max to America. Coming home earlier than planned he decided that Peace Corps
just wasn’t for him and instead decided to pursue grad school. June was an
uneventful month full of work and fun with friends and family.
July
July, my last month in America, was mostly consumed with a
whirlwind road trip with Max through 5 states and two national parks. We drove
for what felt like forever, catching far to many bugs on our windshield to
visit Glacier National Park in northern Montana. Having lived in the Grand
Canyon state for my whole life, I can’t think of a prettier site than huge pine
trees, alpine lakes, and snow-capped mountains.
Every picture I took felt like a postcard. The trip continued with a few
nights in Yellowstone hanging out with the bison and elk before heading home to
spend my final week with family and friends.
August
In August, I finally departed for Botswana to become a Peace
Corps Trainee. Taking one last tear-filled look at my family and giving
multiple squeezing hugs to Max I left Arizona behind on my way to Philly where
I met up with the 70-something strangers that would later become some of my
closest friends and allies here in Bots. We traveled on turbulent flights,
waited for hours in airports, and were hijacked of sleep by PC staff hoping to
wave off our jetlack; no doubt we had formed bonds already. After a couple days
of staging, introductions, and countless ice-breakers our group was quickly
separated and distributed to various host families throughout the village of
Serowe. Our training commenced.
September
Pre-service training continued throughout the month of
September with hours of Setswana lessons, safety and security training, and
countless other powerpoints and presentations that blend together in my head.
Despite being a larger group, it is amazing how quickly friends turn to family
when you are thrown into a new country, bored to death by repetitive
information, and share all the culture shock and nuances together. We struggled through, dispersed to various
locals of Bots to shadow current volunteers, and returned to find out where our
new homes were to be for the next two years. Realizing our foreboding
separation we all valued the last few weeks together and yet were itching to
depart on the adventure we all signed up for.
October
In the middle of October we were finally sworn in as Bots
15, the 15th group of volunteers in Botswana since they returned in
the early 2000’s. As soon as we had arrived in Serowe and experienced the ups
and downs of homestay life, we were heading out to establish the foundation of
our new homes and service. I was placed
in Kang, a medium village in the Kgalagadi Desert. Sandy and hot, I settled
into my new life here.
November
November continued the struggle of getting to know new names
and faces. I woke up everyday, trudged through the sand to my clinic where I
would sit, observe, and ask a lot of questions. As new volunteers we aren’t
allowed to start projects till after our training in January so my time was
filled with a lot of stationary immobilization and trying to escape the heat. I
began investigating answers and info for my community assessment which is a
comprehensive report about every aspect of the village which serves to build
support and awareness for future projects. November ended with fantastic
weekend of food and wine as I celebrated Thanksgiving with other desert
volunteers.
December
December was much the same as November, not much happening
but there was the fantastical addition of the rainy season. Nearly every other
day, the dark clouds would roll in on calls of thunder and fill my little
desert with water. It was like magic! Where there was before just sticks and
sand, there was now greenery and leaves and weeds (though I’ve now found out
the treachery of these weeds, the thorns that appear after the rains leave…). I
celebrated a low-key Christmas with my neighbors and received the best
Christmas present as Max flew in the next day.
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| The fantastic health fair put on in my village for the whole region |
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| The area of my yard I've cleared out for a garden |
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| Christmas Day with this cutie |
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| Sukiri |
So there it is. 2014 in words and pictures upon pictures (a chore for any internet connection to load). No matter
what 2015 brings I’m sure it will continue to be a testament to perseverance,
joy, love, and homesickness, new adventures and mundane days, it will be a year
exploration inside and out.
