Lastly, I am in the capitol just having finished our closing
seminar. Meaning, that I will be coming back State side by December. The last
two months in village were very contemplative/reflective for me as I was
seriously considering/praying to God as to whether or not I was meant to extend
my service for another year, or whether it was time to go home. Whether or not
I was meant to give my heart for this community for another year, or If my love
is meant to be spent somewhere else. The truth is that I am immensely happy
with my life in Dir. I have never felt so fulfilled, so supported by a
community, so joyful, so close to God. I love my quality of life, and I love
the values that people live by. I love that on a Wednesday a man who comes
knocking on my door for help at the hospital for his sick wife, is fixing my
broken down motorcycle in the bush on a Sunday. I love that the mama who feeds
me beans four times a week is also the woman who takes me out dancing at the
bars. I love knowing the stories of the women who are waddling around pregnant
at market, and a couple of months later being able to meet their babies. I love
that I am the person women come to when they are looking for ways to stop
getting pregnant. I love that the food I eat comes from the community, and that
there are only certain times of the year that we get to eat it because we are
dependent on crop seasons! I love that when the rains come, everything stops,
that we are subject to the weather here, that we have to be humble to our
environment. I love that I have finally figured out the logistics of living
here, that fetching water, cooking on village ingredients, and life without
electricity is normal to me now. I love that I have stopped constantly thinking
about “What do I have to be doing?” “What comes next” and that I’ve just
learned to sit with people. I love that I have time to myself, and time to go
on long walks just because I want some time to think. I love that I can be in a
village 40 km out into the bush and people know me by name. I love the surprise
that comes to people’s faces when I am able to roll their native tongue with
them. I love that I don’t need to worry about having social plans or “things to
do” because whenever I have free time in my schedule I can just go spend hours
with one of my boutique guys or the petrol guy talking about everything and
nothing. I love that in the evenings my neighbors and I all gather around a
lamp and a cell phone and listen to music while the goobers dance.
It’s amazing to say, but my life here has become so easy, so
effortless, so normal. I think I may be crazy for giving it up. For saying
good-bye to the life I have created for myself here and the people who make up
my world here. But, despite that, I can’t explain it in a concrete way, but I
believe God is telling me that (for the time being) it’s time to come home.
There is still much work to do at the hospital and with the soy harvest in my
last three months in Dir, but my priority as my service winds down is simply to
soak up all the small moments that make my life so full here.