So anyway...many of you may know, but for those of you that do not, I'm back in the US. I got sick post-Celaque with some mysterious illness. I stayed first in the hospital in Tela, then in La Ceiba, and finally in Tegucigalpa. Those hospital stays probably merit a blog of their own, as I'm sure many of you are curious about third world hospital adventures...Anyway, the doctors in Honduras couldn't come up with a definitive diagnosis for a variety of symptoms ranging from extremely low blood pressure, the rash covering my body, fainting, bloody noses, abnormal blood test results, etc. I was 'medically separated,' which means that the higher-ups in the Peace Corps world didn't think it was safe for me to remain in the country. Devastated is probably the closest word I can find to describe how I felt when I heard this news, but it was so much more than that. Although I was only in the country for 6 months, I feel like I gained a lifetime of experience. It is an opportunity that I would go back and do all over again in a heartbeat (illness included) and definitely plan on living and volunteering abroad in the future...whether that be with the Peace Corps, I don't know.
The hardest part of the experience was collecting my belongings and saying goodbye to my host family in Tornabe. They accepted me as part of their family in an indescribable way; I know that my acceptance and success I had in the community were absolutely due to their help. It was hardest to break the news to my host-sister, Denia. She had been trying to convince me to live with them for the remainder of my 2 years and helped me emotionally as well as physically within the community; she introduced me to friends, cooked me meals, took me to community events to introduce me, and generally accepted me as her own sister. When I arrived home from the hospital and told everyone I had to go back to the US, the family was shocked. After packing my belongings, I went to say my final goodbyes. Denia had left; her husband told me that she couldn't say goodbye to me and didn't believe I would ever come back. It was pretty tough to walk away after that, but I know one day I'll be back and she'll know that I wasn't just giving up on the community.
Anyway, I wanted to give those of you out there in blog world an update. I'm not dead!
One last thought...for anyone out there thinking about applying for the Peace Corps or any sort of international experience, particularly in an underdeveloped country, I say go for it. The experiences you will take back from it can't be gained in a classroom or any job within the US. The challenges I faced and overcame made me realize not only how spoiled we are on so many levels, but also how adaptable humans can be in any situation. You'll never realize what's out there unless you make an effort to see it.
