Looking Forward

So, 2 weeks of preparation for the new volunteers is through. We had a blast working together to get ready for their arrival. I am blown away that I have been here almost a year, and I am so excited to greet them as they come off of the plane. I look forward to seeing the excitement and apprehension on their faces as they soak up all the newness.

I remember arriving and thinking about how little I understood about life abroad and the Peace Corps, and I also remember thinking how interesting it would be to sit on the resource volunteer side of things watching all of it unfold as new volunteers get a grasp on their new life.

I love it here in Malawi. I love the work I am doing, and I love the potential it has to impact even just a few people’s lives, no matter how hard it seems we have to fight for it at times. I really, really hope that some of that rubs off on the new group of trainees. They are a diverse and talented group, and I already want to be friends with ALL OF THEM!! (We resource vols have had the chance to read up on them a bit – new trainees, if you are reading this, we promise we aren’t creeps!... uh, at least not much :p )

          All of the Resource vol's hard at work prepping for the new trainees arrival in March

All said, it has also been a tricky time as I look forward to the next step of my life. This last year will move every bit as fast as the one I just left. Already there are friends from the group before us that I am getting sad to see go – they are readying for COS in april. (COS = Close Of Service). I really don’t know what I will do after Peace Corps, and it is not for lack of interest or options. I literally want to do ALL OF THE THINGS.

Every possible life path and career path that I have been interested in seems open to me. It is just too hard to decide on or plan for at this midpoint.

As a result, when people have been asking me what I want to do after Peace Corps, I have narrowed down to only 3 things that I can realistically think about for the time being.

1. Spend some time catching up with the people I love. I eagerly look forward to seeing my parents, sister, and brothers – I am sure it will be a tear fest of happiness. I also plan on couch surfing for a few weeks or month to visit my MANY good friends around the country.

2. Mountain Biking - duh, I love this shit. I plan on spending more time trail riding with my good friends – I also plan on putting more effort into racing.

3. Rock Climbing - As much as I love mountain biking, I have come to realize that this is the personal passion I want to chase the most. Short term goals after getting back are Redpoint 5.12 outside, and onsite/flash  5.11b and V6 outside. I also want to work on traveling to competitions more. Long term goals are to redpoint 5.13 outside and to travel for climbing as much as possible. I also want to do my part developing in the crags that are near my hometown.

That’s it. That is as far as I have thought. And I am ok with it (for now). Kind of single minded, but these are all ‘gimmes’ given my passions. I have a lot to look forward in the next year of my Peace Corps service, and I am excited to see where the projects in my village go and what new ones develop.

I want to open up to those of you reading this. Have any specific questions about my service? The work I am doing? What it is like to live in a tiny brick hut in the mountains without power or water? What my favorite color is? ASK AWAY! I will do my best to share questions on here and answer them as openly as possible.

What to look for in the coming months

- My parents experience here (They are visiting Malawi for 6 weeks, 2 of which are going to be traveling and visiting with me)

- Pictures of travel down south to meet them

- Climbing in Malawi!

- Featured villager of the month, this will be tied with sneak peaks of my portrait of Malawi photo project

- More pictures!