June 08th, 2008
Tim and I find ourselves in a similar place we were in last year… trying to figure people out, and still excited to get to know everyone. We’ve clearly remembered all but a couple of the 38! I am pleased with how responsible everyone seems to be; we haven’t lost any of them! I enjoy soaking up their excitement about the future, and re-assuring them of things in general. This is why I am here! But they are already so positive…I heard one of them say today, “I just got my first le blanc!”, about a word that often irritates volunteers in Africa. I envy their starry eyes when they talk about looking forward to becoming us. I wanted to be me one year ago. I am as comfortable as I wanted to be, and have grown into someone I didn’t even know a year ago. We have become so comfortable in this foreign place that even a part of us has become foreign. This experience reminds me of how important the 2nd and 3rd goals are, for my community, myself and now those that follow me. They have so much to learn, and although my training doesn’t end until I close my service, I’m seeing that I learned a lot in quite a short time. I love being host! I love being a smile that gives them confidence. And everyone’s smiling back so far…the group dynamic is so interesting. I’m curious to see how they evolve by the time that I see them swearing in.
