As I sit next to two of my fellow volunteers it is crazy to
imagine that it’s almost over. Five days to be exact. As I look back on my service, I’m glad to know
that I have no shred of regret for the decision I made over 2 years ago. When I
first arrived in country, I felt that 2 years would be a long time. Now I look
back and still remember that first day as if it was yesterday. The time flew by
as fast as a breeze, but the memories that I gained were endless.
I’m anxious to get back home but, it’s not because of bad experiences and a yearning to end my time here. It’s more of a feeling of accomplishment and the thought of moving on to the next stage of my life. Even though I didn’t get to do all the things that I wanted to do. Teach all the kids that I wanted to teach or make the impact that I thought I would. I still feel that I did my part and am satisfied with my contribution. Hell, I don’t know what I was expecting when I joined the Peace Corps; maybe I thought I would be like Bono. Kissing little African babies and listening to then thank me for the ton of food I got them from the U.N. Or maybe I thought I would be an Angelina Jolie, adopting seven kids and taking them back to the states. But the truth is, I was the broke guy that if asked for money from someone on the street, I would step around them as if I never heard them. And the guy that immediately locked the door when I saw a kid walking towards my house. It’s funny how we fantasize about things that don’t coincide with our true personalities.
I can’t say enough about the gratefulness I feel for the
Panamanians that took the time to know me. I can truly say that I have a second
family and won’t forget them. I was treated better than I deserve and given so
much respect. They made my last days comfortable and showed me so much
appreciation for all of my efforts.
However the best part of my time here were the volunteers that I had the pleasure to meet. I was thrown into a stewing pot of 200 + people from different backgrounds and completely different personalities, and I am thankful for that. Some of them I immediately liked and formed a good relationship right away. Others I met and despised, but by the time I came to the end of my service I considered these people friends.
I can’t say that my whole time was a bowl of ice cream with
strawberries. Some days were hard and I struggled; and I questioned my reasons
to stay. But with every difficult situation comes the realization that there
are other people dealing with worse situations than yours. So stop whining.
To close this blog out, I would like to say to anyone thinking about joining the Peace Corps or a similar program; DO IT. As they say, it’ll be “the toughest job you’ll ever love”.
