So much has happened in the past 2 weeks, it's hard for me to know where to start. I opened up a new blog entry about 10 minutes ago and despite the many thoughts flying around my head, I can't quite seem to capture them. Regardless, I will try.
I headed to Bangkok on an overnight bus on Thanksgiving night because I had my hopefully final dental appointment on Friday morning. I'm happy to say that I survived yet another trip to the dentist and can now chew on the left side of my month for the first time since October. Small victories.
The rest of the weekend unfolded with much laziness with fellow PCVs, eating caramel corn at the movies, buying clothes that go far beyond my PC living allowance and a big "Thanksgiving" Mexican dinner gathering on Saturday night. About 50 of us bombarded the restaurant and delicious Mexican food and margaritas were enjoyed by all.
Then Monday morning started the official Close of Service (COS) conference. I remember last year seeing the group heading off to their COS and it's surreal that now it's my turn. I took my final Thai language interview exam and received an Intermediate High level, which is an accurate assessment of my language abilities. I'm just glad I improved from training. I was a little worried because everyone at my site basically only speaks Isaan, a dialect of Laos, so I rarely hear Thai spoken. The final language exam does not test for dialects, so my Thai abilities were what mattered and it worked out okay.
That evening we went to the Deputy Ambassador's house near the US Embassy and had a full Thanksgiving dinner feast, including turkey and pumpkin pie, neither of which I have had in 2 years. Because I serve on the Volunteer Advisory Committee, PC decided the 4 of us should sit with the Deputy Ambassador during dinner. It was really cool to be able to sit and chat with her about her travels around the world as a diplomat. Promptly after dinner, we all headed on a bus to a beach resort about 3 hours from Bangkok where our actual COS conference was to take place.
The meetings were very relaxed and it was a great opportunity to hang out with the whole group (or at least who's left, 14 people left early for a variety of reasons). So many strange parallels to the past flooded my thoughts. As I boarded the bus to the beach, I couldn't help but have flashbacks of boarding the bus at the airport super jet lagged and heading to training at 3am so long ago. The first morning as we sat in a U-shape seating arrangement, I immediately felt like I was back in pre-service training. It was surreal. We've all come so far and experienced so many things that started together 2 years ago.
Honestly as I reflect on this now, I have tears in my eyes. These people are my family and my best friends. I cannot imagine my life without them and it's scary to think about going back to the States and not having them in my life. Of course we will keep in touch, but it won't quite be the same (although we already are planning a reunion next summer). These people are my lifeline and in some cases the reason I pushed through the hard and lonely times. There isn't a single person in my group who didn't at one time inspire me or encourage me and I am forever grateful for that.
During COS, everything about this experience, the ups and downs, the frustrations, the restless nights, the hot afternoons, the unending bus rides all clicked and slid into place. I know without a doubt I am 100% a better person because of my time in the Peace Corps. I am more confident, resilient, flexible, creative, and honest. I've talked a lot about the challenges of life in a rice field, but for every challenge there has been an equally rewarding experience and I don't think I fully understood that until now. At COS all of this made sense and I truly internalized that all of my frustrations weren't for nothing. As my dad periodically asks me, "If you knew what you know now, would you still sign up for this again?" and my answer would be "YES, YES, YES."
And now I have exactly 3 months left here. I'm honestly so excited to live it up in the village and do things that make me happy here. I foresee many naps with Grandma and lots of coloring and singing the Hokey Pokey at preschool. We also have the preschool cafeteria to get going so that will keep me busy as well. Life is so good in the rice field!
P.S. No snake sightings since being back at site.
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