Here We Go Again

My time spent in Lesotho as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2018 to 2020 was a rollercoaster of an adventure. I had highs and lows and so many new experiences that I won’t even bother to try counting them all. I learned a lot about the world and even more about myself. I was constantly challenged to try new things and think in different ways. It was, as the Peace Corps is so fond of saying, “the hardest job you’ll ever love”.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck early in 2020, I had no idea what changes I would have to adapt to next. I’d finally gotten the hang of what it meant to live and work in Lesotho. I’d built connections in my community, started projects at my school, and envisioned all that I might accomplish given another 5 months of service. Then I got the call that changed everything. I had two hours to pack my belongings, run to my school to say goodbye, hop in a truck, and leave it all behind. I arrived four days later in a California I barely recognized. Things that had once been mundane were interesting and in some ways unsettling (casually being outside at night- that one threw me for a loop), not only because I was experiencing culture shock, but also because the world was a fundamentally different place. For a start- lockdown was in place. Truthfully, being stuck in the house was one of the things I handled best. I had spent a lot of time merely existing in my house in Lesotho between the teacher strike and my sprained ankle, but now I had wifi and hot shower and a microwave. Big improvements! But still, as it stretched on and I remained unemployed in a job market that wasn’t hiring, it became harder and harder. I had gone from feeling useful and adventurous to stuck right back where I started.

Things did improve from there. Vaccines and better policies ensured that we as a species were able to start moving forward again. My career started moving as well and after a stint with a science museum, I got to try out a job I’d thought was cool since I was a kid. I became a National Park Ranger! And it was awesome. I loved my time in the parks teaching people about the importance of wild places and the impact humans have on them. I got teach everything from astronomy and geology to history and critical thinking skills. I loved it. But every job has challenges and last year the challenges were starting to outweigh the joys. I saw a job posting for a Peace Corps Response position that fit my skill set and my interests at just the right time, so I applied on a bit of a whim. To my delight, a few months later I got an interview and a few months after that- a job offer.

So here I am. A Peace Corps trainee once again. Learning new things and relearning some old ones. I still feel like there is a lot I can give to the world and I lot I can gain from it, this time in a new place and a new (though familiar) role. My STEM teaching role is a one year contract here in the beautiful island nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. Now that I have gotten my assignment, I’ve been told I’ll be teaching physics and maths at a school on the island of Pentecost, which is north of Port Vila, the capital, where we’ve been training. The brief and highly condensed chapter of training a Response volunteer (2 weeks instead of 3 months) is coming to a close. I’ll be sworn in as a volunteer on Monday and on Wednesday, I’ll fly out to my new home. The next chapter is about to start. Here we go!

P.S. I’ll drop some of my favorite moments of training in the next post.