Looking Back

Today I attended the Group 91 ava ceremony. An ava ceremony in Samoa is a welcome to a new person or group of people to a community. Each group of Peace Corps Volunteers is welcomed by MESC (Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture) when they arrive in the country. Being at this ceremony three years after I have arrived in Samoa made me think about how far I have come in the past three years.

Three years seems like forever ago and just yesterday. Parts of my pre-service training (PST) are so vivid in my mind while others seem like a distant memory. Even just thinking about my extension year seems like it has gone by so quick, but it has also been nearly a full year.

When I think about who I was and why I came to Samoa three years ago, I think about the fact that I truly had no clue what I was getting into. This has been my M.O. my whole life. I am all about getting into situations where I have no idea what to expect or what will happen and just hoping for the best. I moved to New York City for university without ever having been prior to being accepted into my university. I chose a country for Peace Corps based on the program, not on the actual country itself. I simply figured things would work out.

I did not know that I would find a warm welcome and so many new “families” that I would become a part of. I didn’t know that I would become so used to giant bugs and say yes to so many church events. I had no idea that I would live off of rice for two years and drink 3-4 liters of water a day. I didn’t know that I would learn to love the ocean and sunshine (despite being a redhead). I didn’t know that so many people would appreciate my joking and sarcasm and that my quietness would be so accepted. I didn’t know that I would willingly sing a song for my church Christmas pageant or that I’d play volleyball so much despite how terrible I am at it. I had no idea that I’d be given so much grief and encouragement for walking, running, and biking. I didn’t know that I could loathe dogs so much or rescue a kitten on the verge of death. I didn’t know that I could hate polyester so much or love the freedom of shorts in the capitol. I didn’t know I could go 6 weeks without shaving my legs or enjoy cold-water showers so much. I didn’t know that I’d be so interested in that faitala (gossip) or get so many tattoos. I had no idea that I’d miss so much at home or get so much from Samoa. 

I could probably go on forever about all the things I have gained and/or lost by living in Samoa for three years. Overall, however, I am so happy that I have experienced everything I have. It has not always been easy, but that’s life. No matter what you do, there will be challenges and the challenges I have faced in Peace Corps have only made me a stronger person (except maybe centipedes). Samoa will always be my third home (behind Colorado and New York). I am so grateful to have so many homes.