Wednesday, July 4, 2007

There and back again...

Hello from the states! As some of you may know, I have returned to Pennsylvania for good. After an incredible experience in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps, I have decided that it was in my best interest to come home. Besides a few run ins with parasites, health wise I am ok.

The Peace Corps is an institution that brings people of all backgrounds together, people you would never have otherwise met, for a unique life experience. I have lived with multiple families, all of whom were vastly different and from who I have learned a bit more about the culture and myself. I am able to have conversations in a language I did not previously know. I can dance the Bachata and Merengue and eat rice and beans every day and love it. I have lived in the Dominican Republic as a Dominican. And while I will forever be a rubia, Part of my heart is now a bit Dominican.
I will forever speak praises of the Dominican Republic and the Peace Corps. I am thankful to have met the amazing volunteers in my group and the Dominicans who have touched my life.

So I am sure you are asking at this point if everything was so good, why leave?
While there were good things... there were also things that were quiet the opposite. But they weren't the reasons for leaving. Its hard to explain... it was a feeling I had. Its not that I couldn't deal with the living conditions or the language... they made for some of the funniest stories. It was something in my heart that I had to trust, a feeling. I wasn't feeling fulfilled. I didn't feel as though this was what I was meant to be doing. So I listened.

Here I am. Back in the States. I am completely comfortable and confident that my decision was the right one for me. I do not regret leaving. I do not feel guilty or that I have let any one down. I actually feel a bit relieved. And things are really falling into place already, which reinforces that I am where I am supposed to be.

Thank you to all for you support and encouraging words. It was the experience of a life time.
And to the rest of PCDR 517... thank you for your friendships. You all are wonderful!

Now I am off to start the next adventure of my life... whatever that may be




"Eventually all the pieces fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason."