COS Conference

Up until the COS Conference I had the idea of leaving in the back of my mind, I knew the end of my service was coming to a close, and my focus was on how to say goodbye to my friends here and finish up certain projects I have going on. Then there was the conference. THE conference. It was the first time both the Education and the NGO groups had been together since Swearing In in September 2007 and man, some things have changed since then. Is it possible to age ten years in the span of 2? Just curious. We had some brainstorming sessions, feedback sessions, and lots of time to focus on how far we've come. Some questions we were asked to think about?
*What South African food will you miss the most? My answer: Pap and beans, a good drop in center meal.
*If you could pack up one person from your time here and bring them home with you, who would you bring? My answer: Rejoice.
*What is one thing you are most proud of from your service? My answer: Making it work in my village, finding a place for myself, and becoming a true part of my family.
*What part of South African life will you make part of your permanent life in America? My answer: The idea that everything will be OK. Things get hard, there are struggles and challenges, but things will eventually work out... even if it's not in the way you expected them to.
*What South African word will you try to integrate into your American lingo? My answer: What, what.
*Craziest taxi ride? It's a tie.... one from Pretoria to Tzaneen when the driver played the Clarence Clemens Live album on repeat and all the windows were closed. Erin, Elayna, Jaceson, Virginia, and myself were all privy to hearing the song, "Strokin'" (the live version... at least 10 minutes long) at least 10 times and trying to breathe in stagnant air. AND the bus ride from Maputo to Vilanculos, Mozambique. 10+ hours sitting with boxes, fermenting tomatoes, a chicken, mealie meal, an empty cooler (that was threatening our lives), with a man we so affectionately named "barrel" sitting on a water barrel right in front of us. OR the ride back to Maputo from Vilanculos that involved rain, potholed roads like Swiss Cheese, a crazy driver, some near misses with koombis, stomach issues, and lots of laughing for about 12 hours.
*If you could choose any song to define your Peace Corps experience, which song would it be? My answer: "I Know I'm Not Alone" by Michael Franti and Spearhead.
*Who or what has made the biggest impact on you in your service? My answer: A lot of people... in so many ways too many to count... Rejoice, MmaDiapo, Maite, Ledile, Maite, Karabo, Margaret, Mma Modiba, Esther, Synett, Mogale, Loikie, SA-16 CHOP, Nick, John and Mary.... and more... including people I only had brief encounters with who helped me get to this point.
It was a time of reflection, talking and hanging out, and movies on the Hallmark Channel. The hotel we were staying in was pretty fancy with a spa, putt putt golf, a game room, heated pools, and lots of places for us to just hang out. Since we all parted ways I've been thinking more and more about making a plan for my last 3 months, finishing up all the PC paperwork I need to turn in when I leave, and also giving a little thought to where I may find myself when I get back to the States. This is a huge transition. HUGE. I'm trying to take things one day at a time....things will work out, they always do.
Craig, as our scribe, during a brainstorming session.

Ronda and Abby leading the feedback session.

Me, Ronda, Nathan, and Keri during the feedback session.

Keri, Erin, Abby, Jami, and Serena waiting for our flu shots.

My neighbors!! Me, Jenny, and Jaceson.

Sandy, Abby, and Jed-how we do teatime, 'cause teatime is the BEST time!