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Month 19: finding my niche

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I laugh a lot.  Probably every hour or so — no doubt there have been times I’ve been in the back of a classroom uncontrollably laughing to myself and crying. That’s not because a kid did something funny. It’s because some text message I got from a PCV that range from a plethora of topics — stories from school, home, major Peace Corps fails,  or random thoughts that have absolutely nothing to do with South Africa.

An average day after school consist of me coming home,  curling up under my mosquito net, watching bugs ruthlessly die on the net, and shooting out texts to my peoples. Not only does it keep me sane and grounded,  but it also adds some spice to my ever-so-routine life.

Yes, we can make friends with our South African colleagues and families.  But, at least my case,  it hasn’t been easy to find someone who finds humour in the same things and someone I don’t have to censor myself around.  My PCV friends,  on the contrary,  can take it all. A text-by-text frenzy blowing off steam when I’m not in the best mood, a live update on shooing the hens and chicks out of my house, or a text-by-text update on how the lawnmower (I mean weed whacker that takes 3x longer to cut the grass) is encroaching upon my hut. Trivial things, really,  but you can always find a way to laugh at them.

It took a good while for me to find my niche in American culture.  I never felt like I fit in in college outside of the journalism world, and God forbid those treacherous middle school days!  Through my two and a half (omg!) years of service,  I have found people that are passionate about the same things as me, have similar senses of humour, share dreams and aspirations and all that jazz. I have finally found my niche,  and I’m pretty happy about it!

The Battlefields cluster — my closest Volunteers geographically — recently said bye to our mama hen, Paige, who was in the cohort before us (SA 25). Although she is not going back to the States and rather extending for a year in Pretoria with the CDC, her farewell party made me think about the relationships I have with her and other PCVs. (And not to mention,  if it weren’t for mama hen, the little chicks of SA 26 would have never found their way in the beginning.)
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Battlefields last group trip to our beloved shopping town Nquthu

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Paige’a farewell function at her organisations;  all her colleagues singing and prancing around the yard

Peace Corps and City Year combined really helped me understand who I am as a person and what I need to make me happy, which is generally being around likeminded people and doing something that will help improve our world. I know that I will never feel like “I don’t belong” anywhere ever again because I know where I stand.  When I return to America at the end of July/early August, I’ll be entering a graduate school programme (public administration), which will be seeping with AmeriCorps alums and RPCVs.

Extra gratitude this month for all who make my service just that much more worth it.  Thank you for the comic relief, the support,  and keeping me updated about things like the whereabouts of the chickens on your lawn.  I love ya’ll!

Yours in service,
♥ Liz


Filed under: Liz's Primary Peace Corps Project

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