One year.

I've been wanting to fire the blog back up. I got super busy over the summer and got lazy about writing. Also my computer has been overheating, and I'm not sure if that's because it's 6 years old now or because the weather is hot or what, but in any case I have been trying to use it sparingly, which is kind of getting in the way of work and of writing.

But today is August 15, 2018. One year ago I finished PST and packed all my bags to get ready for Swearing In and moving to my new home in Cahul. It's hard to believe that a year has already passed. In a fun turn of events, today turned out to be the day that I finally bought an ie ("ee-ay") - a traditional Moldovan shirt - and I think it's fitting that it marks one year spent in Cahul. I plan to wear it for Ziua Independenței (Independence Day) later this month.

I'm excited that the M33 Volunteers will be swearing in tomorrow. It has made me reflect on my own PST and the past year at site. What a year it has been. There were definitely many challenges, but there were also great experiences and beautiful sights. It's also interesting to see how I have changed, how my language skills have improved (and how they haven't - haha!), and how I've integrated into my Moldovan community over the past year.

I'm sure I will have more reflections tomorrow, the anniversary of our Swearing In and arrival at site, but I was thinking today about how from here on out everything will be a "last" instead of a "first." Probably I will not still be in Moldova by this time next year, which is strange to think about. I look forward to what this year will hold, and I plan to savor all the moments.

Mid-Service Conference

Peace Corps experience is such an interesting thing. Everyone has an idea of what Peace Corps is, and honestly I have a much easier time explaining my Peace Corps service to people than explaining the NGOs I have worked with, because Peace Corps has name recognition around the world. But at the same time, no two Peace Corps Volunteers' experience is the same, even if they are in the same country, program, or even site.

This week, my cohort - M32 - had our Mid-Service Conference in Chisinau. The last of the cohort before us has COSed now (finished their service), and we are now in the second half of ours. We spent the time discussing goals and hopes for the second half of our service, and it's strange to realize that we are on the downhill slope now. We also had a Q&A time with the new cohort (M33) who are now about a week away from finishing PST and being sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers. They will swear in exactly one year after my cohort did. One of the main things we emphasized to them is that each of their experiences will be different, and not to try to compare.

I have been reflecting on my first year in Moldova and in Peace Corps. I have been practicing Romanian because we took an LPI exam during the conference to get a benchmark of our language level. I've been thinking about what I'd still like to accomplish before I leave Moldova. And I have been thinking about how it will feel to leave Moldova. I can't quite visualize it yet. But one of my goals by the end of my service here was to be sad to leave, and I am sure that I will be. I am happy with some of the projects I have been involved in, but hope to be able to work with my counterparts to do more projects that will make a positive difference in our community. I am happy that I finally feel somewhat confident in my language skills, but still hope to improve a lot more before I leave Moldova.

And then I have started thinking about what might come after my service here in Moldova. Honestly, although there have been a lot of challenges, that is one of the reasons I joined Peace Corps. I wanted to be challenged and grow. I have. And I want more of this type of experience. I don't know yet what will come next, but for now I am glad to have another year in Moldova.