5 Years Ago...

5 Years Ago....

• I was in Philadelphia
• I had left my family behind the day before for an unknown amount of time
• I met an amazing group of 36 new people 
• I spent the day learning about Peace Corps and Albania
• I was excited, nervous, happy and unsure of what was to come

4 Years Ago....

• I was in Albania
• I had spent the past year learning a new language, culture, community, and friends
• I danced, drank and sang the night away
• I was happy, content and ambitious

3 Years Ago....

• I was in Albania
• I had decided to do another service with Peace Corps
• I had just finished my COS conference with almost all the people that I had arrived in country with
• My projects were finishing and I was starting to figure out what the last months of my service in Albania would be like
• I had drinks with friends and more coffees than I can remember
• I was sad yet happy, excited yet nervous, ambitious and looking forward to the next year

2 Years Ago....

• I was in Morocco
• I had just completed PPST with an amazing group of new people I had met 6 months before
• I had a toothache
• I was still learning a new language, culture, community and making new friends 
• I still wasn't sure if people in my new community liked me
• I was confused, nervous and content

1 Year Ago....

• I was in Morocco
• I knew my service was coming to a close and I would be coming home
• I had been accepted into a Master's program at Alverno
• I was trying to finish my projects and figure out what my last months would look like 
• I had gained the respect and trust of my community
• I had danced the night away and turned down more marriage proposals than I can remember
• I spent the night with friends sitting in an inflatable pool on a roof drinking beer
• I was happy, satisfied, anxious and nervous

Today....

• I am in America
• I still think about my time in PC every day
• I am enjoying my Master's program
• I enjoy time with my friends and family when I'm not working
• I enjoy being able to drive, watch t.v., go to the mall, and go out past sunset
• I still drink a lot of coffee, dance by myself and sing out loud in my apartment
• I am happy and healthy

It's hard to believe that I left to begin my journey 5 years ago.  I can still clearly remember leaving my house and heading for the airport to join my staaj mates for Albania like it was yesterday.  Every minute of my experience in PC was a minute I would never change.  Not a day goes by where I don't think about my time overseas.  I hope that my journey with PC is not over and I look forward to joining again at some point in the future.  Maybe in 5 years?????

Children and Their Most Prized Possessions

An amazing look at children around the world.  And even more amazing is that Massa made it on the list!  Check out these pictures.  Do you remember your favorite toys as a child?

Children and Their Most Prized Possessions

Follow My New Blog!

So here's the link to what I was talking about a few days ago.  It's a new blog that will be documenting my experience looking for a job.  The application process, interviews, advice, articles, the struggles etc...  It's a place for others like me who have had a difficult time finding a job that they are both qualified for and happy with.  It will be a place to get advice and share stories.  Check it out at the link below.

Lost Generation Looking to be Found

This doesn't mean that this blog is done.  Not even close!  This blog will continue to be a place for me to talk about my experience as a RPCV.  I still feel that most of my decisions and thinking processes are influenced by my time in the Peace Corps.  I think that I'll feel that way for the rest of my life.  So please keep checking this blog as well as I will update it frequently.  And so begins another journey....

AH-HA! The lightbulb just turned on

So I don't thInk it comes as a surprise to say I've had a tough readjustment period in America.  I am not happy with my current job and the past two months of job searching has been nothing but rejection after rejection. I've tried to stay positive but a girl can only take so much! This last rejection has been the hardest. I was so sure the job was mine. When I got the rejection email I broke down. I couldn't believe it. It was even more challenging to tell all my supporters that it didn't work out again.

Today I'm still down about it but then as I was reading my horoscope in the paper I felt better. I had an idea. How can I make all this rejection into something positive? I'm not alone out there. I know a lot of my peers have been struggling as well. I've read article after article about the job gap for Millennials. It's time to see how far it goes.

Later I will be posting a link to a new blog I will be starting based on my lightbulb idea this morning. I don't want to go into too much detail now but know that it will be interesting!! So thanks to all of you who have followed me on this journey and I hope you'll continue!

Happy Peace Corps Week!

In honor of Peace Corps Week, I'm posting a few pictures of my favorite times in the Peace Corps.  I loved my time in Albania and Morocco and there isn't a day that goes by where something makes me think of my time over there.  Here's some of my favorites.....

Swearing in after completing PST in Albania

One week summer camp for children living in poverty in Albania

Events for the International Day of Roma Communities both years in Albania

My counterpart, Yllka, getting married before I left Albania

My favorite family in my final site in Albania

Swearing in after completing PST in Morocco

couscous to go from my host mom's association in my final site in Morocco

Special Olympics Morocco

GLOW camp for girls in the south of Morocco

Women's day event in my town in Morocco.  Finally being accepted by the women after a year and a half

Spring camp in Agadir with all my kids from my youth center

AIDS awareness campaign started by my kids and captured the attention of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Morocco

COS'ing in Morocco.  After 4 1/2 years after leaving for Albania, I finished my first Peace Corps journey

I will never forget my times in Albania and Morocco.  These two experiences have changed me forever and I hope that I have the opportunity again to serve as a PCV.  I've served on two continents.... two more to go to reach my goal of serving on each continent where PC is present :)

Readjustment at Six Months

It's hard to believe that I've been in America for over six months at this point.  It's hard to believe I'm still readjusting to life here.  I know I was naaive to think that I would come home and the perfect job would be waiting for me and I would apply and get it instantly.  Life in America is stressful.  I've been lucky for the most part.  I found a job within two months of being home.  I was able to get a new car, laptop, phone and apartment shortly after.  Now the honeymoon phase of being here is over and the real world is catching up to me.

I was excited when I took the job at the hotel.  I thought that it would be an easy transition back into life here.  I had done it before so why would it be different this time?  Turns out, it's a lot different.  I started being unhappy after about two months of working there.  It's not so much the job as much as the management and the cliental.  When I started telling people about how I had to force myself to get to work every day, they told me, "think about the money".  Well I'm not used to having to think about the money to go to work.

Going from working for people who have nothing and ask for nothing to people who have everything and want more was a terrible transition for me.  A lot of times I have to bite my tongue and remember that I am in America where customer service means, what a customer wants, a customer gets.  I'm also not used to working with people who care so little about their jobs and so much about how much money they're making.  It's been rough but I think my luck is about to change.

Tomorrow is going to be a good day.  Tomorrow is going to be MY day.  All that positive karma I've been building up over the years is going to pay off.  Positive thoughts people.  Keep your fingers crossed and hopefully I'll have some excellent news to share soon :)