Running it back

A question you will be asked numerous times during your Peace Corps service is the moment in which you decided it was something you wanted to pursue. Whether it was a college recruiter, following in a family member’s footsteps, or a childhood dream you didn’t want to let die, everyone seemingly has their reason. Truth be told, I don’t have a moment or a defining reason. The earliest memory I have of my Peace Corps journey was on March 30th, 2019. At approximately 7:38 pm I submitted my application that was due at midnight. I was at the only coffee shop that was open at that hour, Starbucks, they closed at 8:00. I was in my hometown, Seaside, Oregon.

When applying to join the Peace Corps you choose between one of two options

1. Apply to serve in a specific country under a specific job listing

or

2. Apply to be sent where you are needed most (literally could be anywhere in the world)

I chose option two.

12 days later I remember being on a field trip with the school I was working with at the time. I checked my email (something that you do no less than 10,000 times during the Peace Corps application and clearance process), and I had received an email from the Peace Corps. I was “under consideration for an English teaching position in Uganda”. Receiving that email was already further than I thought I would make it in the application process. I shared this information with all the students around me, they where thrilled, I was thrilled, we were all thrilled.

Exactly 205 days after I was sitting at that Starbucks, I found myself in Philadelphia for staging. After a day full of sessions, I ended up going out with a few guys from my cohort, Chris, John, Dan, and Brandon (betterly known as Big Handsome). I remember we walked in the freezing November weather to a place called Geno’s (Google told us it was “The Best Philly Cheesesteak in Philly”). Afterwards, we meandered the streets for a while and ended up at a bar fittingly named, “Bar”. They were having a special that night, a round of five beers for $25. It was my lucky day because that’s exactly how much money I had to my name at the time. I liquidated my bank account and bought the fellas the round and to this day those are some of my best friends l’ll ever have.

While in Uganda I was able to get through my Pre-service training (PST), study the language I would be using in my village (Lusoga), and I was able to learn what the Peace Corps truly was. Eventually, on Thursday, January 16th at 2:00pm I would officially swear in to become a Peace Corp Volunteer (PCV).

Fast forward a few months and l am immersing myself in my village. I have an idyllic job as a Teacher Trainer at a Teacher’s College. I’m coaching sports programs. I’m studying and progressing my local language. I even got a cat (I miss you everyday, Jenny)! I was, as my dad told me one day during a WhatsApp call, “hitting my stride”. I was, I was locked in and ready to commit myself to 27-months of Peace Corps service. I could tell my dad was proud of me, something I can’t say I’ve really ever felt from him; he even went as far as booking tickets to come see me that coming summer. It seemed liked I had found myself in the perfect scenario.

I found myself in the capitol one weekend, I was dealing with a pesky sinus infection and the РСМО (Peace Corps Medical Officer) requested I come in for a doctor appointment. This was my first time back in the capitol since I had sworn in some 2.5 months ago so l invited my friends to come visit and stay in a youth hostel together; everyone obliged. We all went out for dinner that night, we chatted about our sites, our jobs, our communities, inner cohort gossip and all the things volunteers love to catch up on.

At this point it was March of 2020. We talked about this “Coronavirus thing” but really didn’t pay it much mind. The rumor mill was going crazy with this one, but it’s nothing that we felt had to be worried about. You guys can fight over toilet paper, we’ll enjoy ourself and our service. We went back to our hostel that night, we talked whilst in our bunkbeds and eventually dozed off.

In the middle of the night my friend, Racheal, woke me up through a shake. The mood was somber, it was the middle of the night and I could tell the power was out, it was pouring rain and wind was blowing through the open window. She didn’t say anything, she just flashed my eyes with her screen. It was a CNN article that read, “Peace Corps evacuating volunteers and suspending operations over coronavirus outbreak”. Since the inception of the Peace Corps in 1961 this was the first time there had been a world wide evacuation. We were all going home.

I was eventually flown back to America. I, much like many others, only saw this as a minor inconvenience. My friend Trey once said about the situation in an Instagram post, “Ignore was bliss”. I was so convinced I was coming back to finish my service I only packed a single backpack, leaving everything else behind; no, I never got any of it back. Weeks turned to months; months turned to years. I wasn’t completing my service. Being evacuated from Uganda has eaten away at me for years since it happened. I love Peace Corps yet even thinking about Peace Corps made my stomach hurt. In fact, me writing this blog post right now is the first time I have ever written about it since the evacuation happened. I made myself a promise that, when I was able, I would apply to be a Peace Corps Volunteer yet again, go through all the trainings, sessions, clearances, hoops and return to service.

On September 9th, 2023 I submitted my second application to be Peace Corps Volunteer. Once again, I threw a dart at a map and said send me where l am needed most. On October 3rd I was put under consideration for the Kingdom of Tonga. I interviewed on Octber 20th. I was given an invitation to serve on November 14th and I instantly accepted.

In this blog, I will be documenting my Peace Corps journey whilst serving as an English teacher in the beautiful Kingdom of Tonga.