Friday, September 25, 2015

9/25/2015: A year of difference

Today 2 years ago I moved from America to Mozambique to pursue a dream.
After a year of conflict and struggle and adversity, a year ago today I moved from my home in Xinavane to a new village.
Today I sit at my big screen display screen after coming home from working at American Eagle. Still pursuing work with the EPA, still looking for what this new dream might include.

Sometimes your world just changes and you roll with it. I just came back from Dallas visiting my "Peace Corps Best Friend." But really...a best friend you make in the Peace Corps is just a whole incomparable level of best friendship. I rose at 3 am to travel 3 hours by plane to spend 1 day with her. Hm. Just like in the Peace Corps. During my time with her, as always, I realized the past few years haven't been based on achieving one goal or another, they have been about the journeys I've been on. The places I've seen. The new push pins I can put on the map I plan on making.

Maybe I've been on the move a lot. Maybe I feel under employed. The relationships I have fostered in the past few years are like none other. My friends in Mozambique just sent a care package to me as I prepare another package to send to them. Maybe I'll only see them a few times in my lifetime from the this point forward, but we are forever engrained on each other's hearts because I took that brave step to board that plane 2 years ago. I can't think of anyone else I would go through such effort to see for only 1 day, but because we helped each other through our darkest days overseas and cheered each other through our brightest days, Jules will be that person. Because of where I've been the past few years, I know how important close relationships are, how important my family is, and I can proudly stand in American Eagle and say "you know what, life is just an adventure full of different journeys."

This time next year I could be a firefighter (no...but seriously...here's hoping I am). You just never know what's going to happen and what could change your plan. I can only hope that the adventure continues, I keep growing, and one day soon I can take my family back to Mozambique with me and share with them a place that I still carry with me everyday.