Well, my time is nearly down to 50 days and I recently went to my Close Of Service (COS) conference. In other words, yikes! I've got less than two months left to wrap up projects, see anywhere else in the country I want to see, finish up Peace Corps paperwork, and say my goodbyes. It is slightly overwhelming, but it is also exciting and sad at the same time. I look forward to going home and being with my parents and helping with my sister's wedding, but I also feel sad about leaving a place that I have come to know as home for the last two years. I have to say goodbye to a boyfriend (no, I'm not bringing him with me), to friends, to the wonderful community that has really taken care of me for the last two years, and to a beautiful and humble place in the world. In a letter I wrote to myself to be delivered to me in 8 months at home (a COS tradition), I made a list of all of the things I'm going to miss. Well, as many as I could come up with in 15 minutes. Closer to the time I leave El Salvador, I think I'll make that list a blog post. For right now, I've got to stay on the now.
Carol and I are going on a vacation to Guatemala leaving tomorrow. It is kind of inconvenient timing since I'm in the middle of some stuff right now in my village, but I'm looking forward to seeing a different part of Central America and getting to spend some time with a good friend who is going to stick around in this country for another year. When I get back, I'm going to keep going on the projects I've got going on in my school right now. Some good-hearted guys in my community just helped cement two walls so that the 5th, 6th and 7th graders and I can paint a world map and El Salvador map, funded by my mayor. And we'll hopefully be planting the 80+ trees hanging out in the school right now waiting for a home in town. I've also got a few women still in the middle of learning how to quilt pillowcases, and I hope to do a mini workshop on basic jewelry making. My women's shampoo group has been maintaining success and I'm hoping to teach them a few more products before I leave, and my youth group has a whole list of projects they'd like to start working on. And lastly, thank God, I've got to finish up a coloring book that I've been drawing and get it printed and distributed before I leave. Whew. I've got my hands full.
On the "saying goodbye" side, I'm also busy. Aside from the required Peace Corps paperwork, I want to make sure I show my thanks to my community. I am working on a few little gifts to give to the people that I have worked most closely with as well as people who have helped fund my projects. I am trying to do a little craft to give to everyone in my community (something really small and simple, don't worry!), so they have a little memento from me. And although I'm not thrilled of the idea I am planning a goodbye party for myself. Peace Corps really recommends doing it and so in order to take control and make it good and not totally awkward, I'm going to organize it. Plus, I think it will be a nice way for me to say thanks to the community and say goodbye without having to go house to house, which can be time consuming and awkward. Part of the saying goodbye process for me will be easy because there are aspects of living here that I don't love, but other parts will definitely take a toll.
Right now I am staying in the moment in order to get everything that I need to get done, done and to enjoy my time while it lasts. Plus, I want to give my community what they deserve: my attention and work.
(I've just recently started playing soccer with the newly formed girls soccer team. This was a glorious fall my first game ever...ha, ha.)
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