My New Reality

These past few days I have been dealing with my new reality- that I am no longer a currently serving PCV. Technically, I am now a Returned PCV. My service officially ended on October 15, 2010. My plans changed a million times until August when I had to set my final day in stone. The plan in August was to travel to Cuba and Guatemala/Belize before finishing up some work at site then heading to Panama/Costa Rica/ Nicaragua. Then, no one was available to go to Cuba with me and Peace Corps blocked travel to Guatemala ensuring that me and Brian were unable to go there. So, now I am still here doing what I have done for the last two years- working. Only now, I am free from the leash of Peace Corps. I am here as a private citizen. It is a very very odd feeling to be here without any one to answer to or call when I am sick. (Not that I have been sick yet.)

You would think I would feel liberated and happy but actually I was quite upset when this reality set in….the reality that I closed my service about a month prematurely losing out on nearly $600 of PC cash. Oh well. I figure I would blow through that in a few weeks in the States. Now, I just need to focus on my budget- no more than $2000 before I start work the first week in January. I need to put a down-payment on a car and stash some money away for the rainy day fund which also may soon be known as the grad school account. Money is not fun to talk about and I hate thinking about it. But, with a three country tour ahead of me it is a must.

I feel better now than I did when it first occurred to me that all my careful planning fell to shit. Everything happens for a reason. I am still going to see a lot of parts of new countries and hell, I already have two years of memories that should be enough to make anyone proud.