All foreign embassies will provide basic services like renewing your passport and filing a birth or marriage abroad. Some embassies go beyond the basic paperwork tasks and offer a few more services to citizens, such as notarizing documents, legal advice, or tax preparation advice.

In Guatemala, the embassy of the United States seems to be one of the most active of the many diplomatic missions, seeking out periodic communication with its expatriate citizens. I recently attended a “town hall meeting” with embassy staff where the consular officers tried their darndest to answer a wide variety of questions from our demanding gringo audience. The group wanted to know about the safety of volcano hikes (best to go with a reputable guide), international drivers’ licenses (apparently not worth the cost), and even how much a U.S. passport might be going for these days on the black market (upwards of $10,000 per use, so best to guard it in a very secure spot)!

The United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States all offer voluntary registration services where citizens can let their respective governments know where they will be located abroad. Most registries are protected by confidentiality laws and are only used to contact you in case of major emergencies, national crises, and for sending periodic health and safety updates. While some people might have mixed feelings about reporting their exact whereabouts, the news updates can be helpful for getting a foreign take on local issues as well as more detailed safety information.

In my case, I was teaching English at the University of Cuenca in Cuenca, Ecuador. Not long after beginning my work as a university professor did I realize that teaching was most likely not the career meant for me. But that’s OK I thought, because it was a valuable lesson to have learned sooner rather than later in life. But now what to do? I’d grown up in Massachusetts, about a half hour south of Boston. I went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, double majoring in Journalism and History. I wasn’t quite ready to head back to the United States just yet, and I wanted to continue learning Spanish, as well as gain international experience in the event that I go to grad school.

My mom is actually from Buenos Aires, and I’d always wanted to travel to, and possibly live in Argentina. One of the other professors at the university told me that I’d be able to get dual citizenship in Argentina, and after looking into it and going through the long process, I’ve been approved for citizenship in Argentina. So long story short, my next move is to Buenos Aires to experience the culture and customs of this new country.

This is life after volunteering, and I’m sure it won’t be exactly peachy. A friend who was in the Peace Corps in Guyana once said that returning to normal life after long term volunteering is extremely difficult. I’m still looking into possibilities of volunteering in Argentina, but basically I’m winging it. Heading down without a job lined up, I’m hoping to find a focus in a new city and use the skills and lessons I learned from my experience as a volunteer in Ecaudor in my new home, Argentina.

So check in and see how life is treating a returned, though not yet home, volunteer. And together we can figure out just what we’re supposed to do after giving our time, and what awaits us.