Last week, my fellow group of G11 PCVs celebrated our 2 years of service at our COS Conference at the beautiful Adulala Resort in Debre Zeit. While i was bogged down with food poisoning, I was still able to enjoy the views and company of the 44 other PCVs that made it to this point with me. During one of our sessions, we were given the letters that we wrote to ourselves at our Mid-Service Conference in September last year. My words filled my eyes with tears and my heart with pride. I did it. I really did it.
You never thought this day would come and yet, here you are. Nearly TWO years ago, you left everything and everyone you knew and loved behind. What for? For this moment. This feeling. You did it, babe. You survived typhus and countless other illnesses, 730ish days of life in Ethiopia. It’s been anything but easy, but you are SO much stronger for it. You have found strength in people and places you would’ve never known if you never got on that plane. You have never loved so deeply or hoped so profoundly. This experience may have come with more hardship than you bargained for, but you wouldn’t be the person you are now without it. I simply can’t wait to meet you. Think about all of the people you have touched in one way or another. And even better, think of all of the people that have enriched your soul. In a few short weeks, you will be returning to Colorado and everything that is waiting for you. I am so unbelievably proud of you. To be you. To have enriched your life in a way that Peace Corps only can. And one of the best parts? You will always have “I served in Peace Corps Ethiopia” up your sleeve. No matter how hard it gets, remember what you did here. I love you.
