No Tears, No Fears

Peace Corps training turned me into an emotional mess.  I cried privately twice a day on average and publically once a week. I cried when I felt tired. I cried when I craved cheese. I cried when I walked over a mile for wifi only to discover my family was unable to Skype. I cried on my birthday. I cried if I couldn’t fit into my favorite dress because I gained too much weight eating rice.  I cried during the Swear In Ceremony.  I cried when I said farewell to my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Lindsey (this, by far, was my worst cry-fest). The point is I cried more than the average human should cry. 

Fortunately, training is over and I have a picture to prove it! The picture above is of the Sumberejo B team reciting the 10th Peace Corps Expectation in Bahasa Indonesia at the Swear In Ceremony. I'm on the right in the black and white skirt. 

 Right now I’m in Panggul, East Java, Indonesia. I am at my permanent site and I will live here for the next two years. Good news: I haven’t cried….yet.It’s only been a few days since I left the cool mountain air of Batu, but I can honestly say I’m happier. I attribute the busy schedule, exhaustion, culture shock, and lack of Starbucks (oh no, I just sounded so American there) to my shattered emotional state.

 I thought the hardest part of Peace Corps life was going to be the lack of amenities. It’s not. I have the same luxuries here as I do in America with the addition of an unlimited amount of rice and lukewarm bucket baths. The hardest part of Peace Corps life is maintaining sanity. Sometimes my emotional state dips a little too low for comfort. But there’s always that one little happy moment that keeps me going. 

Indonesia is entering it's dry season. I guess I picked the perfect time to stop crying.