Small World

Last week I met T.D.H., a future Peace Corps Volunteer for coffee. If it's not unique enough that she is from Clemson, she's actually heading to Lesotho. I could not be more thrilled for her and I'll confess jealous too. Knowing the behind the scenes of Peace Corps (both staffing and volunteers) I have to admit I had several hesitations about meeting up with her. Peace Corps has a history of unmanageable gossip, figuring she knew of the tragedy in Lesotho the last thing I wanted was for the dark ending of my experience to overshadow what I assumed would be her excitement and joy for the upcoming adventure. All my uncertainty was immediately erased as soon as we embraced each other.

T.D.H. is idealistic--reminding me quite a bit of myself. I remember the days before Peace Corps where everything was hazy, having no clue what to expect. I dreamed of change and progress while praying for a positive attitude, patience, and cultural understanding. She's educated and equipped with new ideas. As most she will meet on that long anticipated day in late May she's open-minded and deep, challenging those in her environment to think beyond oneself and own community. I have no doubt, this one was a good recruit.

This past Monday night I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with a returned volunteer who shares a story similar to my own; an eager college grad joins the Peace Corps to save the world and ends up learning tough lessons in life and bureaucracy. The conversation was comforting beyond words, a healthy reminder in this seemingly big world you're never alone.

The conversation flowed between the comparison of our individual experiences, to the difficulty of dealing with Peace Corps, to readjustment concerns and questions. I inhaled each piece of advice he provided and marveled at his kindness. This stranger was willing to take a chunk of his time to introduce himself because he cares. Let's hope nothing of this sort ever happens again, but if it does I aspire to be as willing to dig up dark memories from 10 years prior to make the transition back to reality easier for someone I have never met.