I am not a Peace Corps volunteer. Wow… I am not
a Peace Corps volunteer. Technically I
am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer; I will be for life. But I have been a
volunteer for three years and four months…and now I’m unemployed.
Thursday I lived in San Ignacio, Misiones in Barrio La
Villa Universitaria. Friday I packed everything I owned, left my home of 1 year and 3 months, hopped a bus
to the capital for my bus to Argentina…and now I’m homeless.
I had my wives, Casey and Julia, who I spoke to every
day, multiple times a day, for sometimes hours a day. And now we’re faced with international phone
charges and potentially limited internet access. Who am I going to give moment
to moment updates about my bowel movements, or a new street dog friend I’ve
made, or a new way I’ve found to embarrass myself. ..I am alone.
What the hell am I doing?!
Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I really have no idea. I don’t
know how I got here (well, yes, other than a bus smart ass), I don’t know where
I’m going, who I’ll meet, where I’ll be staying, what I’ll be doing. My plan is measured in months, not days or
hours, and completely subject to change.
I always thought the leaving volunteers who were going to
travel around South America for months and months after service were amazing
but terribly reckless for putting off their future. Now I'm one of them.
My best friend recently called me ‘brave.’ I’m not so sure about that. I don’t feel brave. Maybe I’m a special kind of
stupid. I should be going to school. I
should be getting a job. I should be saving my money. I should be preparing for
the GRE. I should have an IRA. I should
have a gym membership. I should have a
dog. Hells bells, I should at least have an address. I should be responsible. But I’m not and I don’t and I won’t and I can’t
and I haven’t.
I have(had?) a Type A Personality. I should have a schedule and be accomplishing
things. And yet I don’t feel that drive
right now. I don’t know where it
went. Let me know if you find it for me,
but put it on layaway for a while, because I’m enjoying drifting too much
In summary, I am unemployed, homeless, alone, without a
plan, wandering…and it has never felt more liberating.
…Now follow me down the Jolley Brick Road, read along,
stay in touch, join my travels. Let’s go
find OZ and enjoy of the stops along the way, and hopefully I don’t find myself
wanting to click my heels together too soon…
