If we are being honest I was simultaneously bummed and relieved to be medically separated from the Peace Corps. Bummed because I came to do a job and despite all the issues at site, quitting was never an option. Relieved because medical separation gave me an ‘out. Physicians and Physiotherapists in Kigali couldn’t get me squared away and neither could the ones in South Africa. They recommended surgery but couldn’t say exactly what they would operate on or the desired outcome. So off to PC Med Hold in DC. So imagine my surprise when DC surgeons said ‘you should have come a year ago.. I don’t think there is much to be done at this point and if we evacuate the lesion, you’ll have a depressed area of your leg.’ Cue anger, rage, and disbelief on my part.
At this point I was given the option to do nothing and go back to Rwanda and finish service (another 6 months), have surgery in DC and be medically separated since recovery would take about 3-6 months, be medically separated and have surgery in my own community (or do nothing in my own community). Either way, PC would pay for a consult with orthopedic surgeon.
What’s a girl to do?
Medical separation it is. While I’m bummed I didn’t leave on my terms or with my things (I made a iist of what I wanted from my house and it was gathered and shipped), it was the right decision. I wasn’t overly close to anyone in my community or to anyone in my remaining cohort [currently at more than 50% of volunteers have left for myriad of reasons]. So with more of a whimper than a bang my PC service ended January 7, 2020.
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Birthdays = Road Trips
Birthday 2020 [aka February] had me visiting my PC bestie in Washington, DC and exploring one new state/location– Rehoboth Beach, DE. I was able to wrap up any remaining PC tasks and also process it with other PCVs [PC Bestie also med sepped] because no one outside the Peace Corps can understand life inside the Peace Corps.
After my time in DC, I indulged in my favorite pastime of visiting beaches in winter. I like visiting beaches in summer too, but there’s something special about seeing them without all the crowds of people or worry about my skin melting in 100 degree heat. Then I chased horses on Chincoteague and Assoteague Islands in Maryland and Virginia. I visited my cousin in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and fiinished up my somewhat unplanned road trip by cruising all the way down the Outer Banks, North Carolina. I returned home late in the evening March 12. With an IKEA trip planned for the morning, I barely had time to catch a few zzzzzz’s before heading out to design my new kitchen. Little did I know that the world would shut down a mere hours later and Peace Corps Worldwide operations would pivot to evacuating the current 7000+ worldwide volunteers..
Worldwide PC Evacuations
Especially knowing that NO ONE in my cohort was able to finish service. I’m glad I got to leave when I did. Scrambling from being on HOLD FAST to catch a charter flight in Kigali was less than idea;. The flight that eventually went to Kigali–>Kampala–>Nairobi–>Addis Abba–> New York picking up stranded volunteers at each location. [Europe had closed its airspace by the time PC Africa sprung into action]. I honestly cannot imagine the stress level of the evacuated volunteers. At every cohort meeting, we joked that we were one day closer to being evacuated due to Ebola. No one could have guessed a full GROUNDSTOP of all PC operations.
What’s next for me? Well, I’m working as a psych RN. and I was accepted to graduate school starting in May. I made it out of IKEA with enough supplies to build a closet. So there are two things that will keep me occupied in the next few days. I returned to the same house and same job as pre-PC. Sometimes is seems the whole thing was nothing but a dream,.
