Before.
3 days later.Somehow 2 years have come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye. I am currently in Maputo doing all the paperwork/exams necessary to leave Peace Corps. Naturally, I have spent most of my time reflecting on everything that has happened during my service. Here is a list of things that stick out in my mind, both good and bad, as memorable moments:
• My first long distance trip, hitching in the back of a truck with the wind in my face, being in awe of how gorgeous Mozambique is.
• Being diagnosed with arthritis and put on bedrest for a month
• Bungee jumping
• Tutoring Mohammad, and slowly becoming a part of his family which led to spending my last week in Monapo at their mansion in Chocas (best beach EVER, eating the world’s best seafood)
• Living with Esther
• Doing nothing all day except collect rainwater and going to bed feeling accomplished
• Visits from home!!!! Mom, Marti, and Mich, love you guys.
• Receiving packages/letters from home
• Sitting in 4 hour long meetings at school that accomplish nothing
• Having a stack of 500+ exams to grade
• Catching kids cheating
• Teaching math basics during physics and feeling like I changed lives
• Pica Pau (restaurant) with the “real Monapo girls”
• Volleyball!!!!
• Hitching up and down the country (2x the length of California)
• Going to S. Africa and Malawi…the food, the views, the lake, the ocean, cliff jumping, drinking, the company, you name it.
• Sporting Monapo games (big soccer team in Monapo) and supporting my students that were on the team
• Going to the market every day to buy whatever I wanted to make for the day
• Amazing students. RIP Nelson Sabonete.
Clearly this is only the tip of the iceberg. Mozambique has been so good to me and will definitely be missed. One thing that eases the sadness of leaving Moz is knowing that I'm going home to family and friends. I'm so ready to see all of your beautiful faces. In 2 days I will be boarding the plane...brace yourself LA.
