My post-volunteer life is different from most others. But I suppose that everyone has their own story to tell. Some people choose to travel a bit after they have volunteered. I heard several stories about Peace Corps volunteers in Ecuador who bought a car and drove from Ecuador, through Peru, down to Chile, and back up through Bolivia again to come back to Ecuador several months later. In my group of volunteers that have recently finished our service, most have gone home and a handful have chosen to stay on for an extra semester or another year altogether. I am the only one that is moving to a different country and starting all over again.
It’s a big risk, especially since I still don’t have a job lined up, and knowing how long it can take to just get adjusted and feel at home in a city, it’s going to take a lot of patience and vigilance on my part. But I’m ready for that. I leave Thursday for Argentina, and for the last two weeks or so I’ve been “on vacation” at home, keeping busy and waiting to return to South America, this time on the Atlantic side of things.
Sitting around, busy as I may have been, I’ve gone through a range of emotions. When my parents first picked me up in the airport I almost couldn’t look at them for a while. We hugged but then I looked away and went over to the baggage carousel alone to get my bags. After waiting so long I found it difficult to look at them in the flesh. It was a weird feeling. But in due time that passed, and I felt comfortable again. Yet I was anything close to normal. Normal as I knew it no longer existed, and not only had I changed, but everyone else had as well.
Taking a sip from the faucet, dropping toilet paper in the bowl–all of these formerly forbidden things that I could now do. And on the contrary, J-walking, peeing in the street–these were no longer acceptable. I’d be sizing up the situation in a bar and wondering who would try to rob me, then realize that I had no reason to feel that way. But I also couldn’t get what I wanted just by whining and pleading a bit, by showing that I speak the language. Of course I speak the language, and there’s no haggling. It takes a lot to adjust back to your home after being in a different culture for so long. Especially when keeping in mind that you want to remember the lessons learned and stay prepared for the return trip coming up.
At times sudden depression came on with no warning. In the supermarket, looking at all of the products available and their prices, my glum face saying it all. A man arguing in line, a driver speeding by to pass me on the road, the waste and excess of food. Other times I felt ecstatic to be home. With the windows down and the wind hitting my left arm and face, music playing loudly, I saw how the town had changed and remained the same. Visiting old friends, some in new places and apartments, catching up and sharing some laughs. But in the back of my head, when it got silent, there was always the reminder that they were staying and I was leaving again. It was only temporary.
After a weekend of fun in Boston, I caught myself thinking how I really wish I was sticking around to live here, get a job like everyone else, and make some money for once. Live the good life. But I know something else. It’s a feeling that you lose touch with once you’ve left a country you’re not from, but you always have while you’re there. The feeling of adventure, of experiencing something great and amazing that most people will never be able to. You know that you’re special in some way, and whether you’re teaching children the ABC’s or washing dishes in a hotel restaurant, you’re living a different life from your friends back home. You’re untouchable in a way. That thought has helped me get through the tougher points during this little vacation. I’m almost back to my second home, and I’m ready for it again.
Latest posts by jgbrandt8
- Not Too Far Gone - March 4th, 2010
- Mate Makes Amigos - January 15th, 2010
- Day in the Life: G to the R to the E in Bs to the As - December 18th, 2009
- Would It All Be Worth It If...? - December 1st, 2009
- New Doors Open, Finally - November 25th, 2009
- Putting Volunteering on Hold - November 3rd, 2009
- Romanticizing Ecuador, But Aware of It - October 27th, 2009
- Use Your Time Wisely - October 20th, 2009
- Going Abroad Alone or With a Group? - October 7th, 2009
- Keep Your Head Up, Champ! - September 29th, 2009
