Heading Home

We will be finishing our Peace Corps service in August. After going back and forth for the last several months, Gregg and I have decided we will not be applying for an extension. It is going to be so hard to say good-bye, but it is time to move on.

When we went home for Christmas, we told EVERYONE that we definitely planned on staying at least another year. It’s hard to say exactly why we have changed our mind, but I guess there are really a lot of reasons.

Since I can’t speak for Gregg (even though I often do!) I’ll just write what I think. I’ve had an incredible two years here in Ecuador. Before leaving I remember being ridiculously nervous and I wasn’t just nervous about having to pack all my things into just two suitcases. There was a part of me that was so scared that I was going to hate my life in the Peace Corps in Ecuador- that I wouldn’t have work, wouldn’t make friends and would be miserable!

Now that my service is nearly over, it is hard for me to believe just how much I have come to love Ecuador and especially El Chaco. I can’t say or write enough about how amazing the Peace Corps is and I believe more in its mission that I ever have. Even though I have a very strong love-hate relationship with the high school that I work at, the students I work with are incredible. I had no idea that I would be so successful crossing the cultural divide and connecting with the kids.

So why are we heading home? We have done some really great projects in El Chaco, but recently our work with our counterparts has really slowed down. Free time is great, but we have too much! More than anything we realize it is just time to move on. Peace Corps is designed to be 27 months for a reason. After three months of training, two years is a good amount of time to become integrated in a community, make friends, do good work, but then wrap everything up and head home.

I (even though I think it is safe to say WE) am really looking forward to being back with our family and friends. Right when we get back we have Geoff (Gregg’s bro) and Jenny’s wedding! Then shortly after we get to meet our first niece or nephew... My sister Emily and her husband Chris are expecting!

For now, we don’t know what date we’ll be back, where we’ll live or what we’ll do, but it’s good to know that we have 3 months and lots of free time to figure it out!