erin.

In March of 2007, I met 49 strangers in a hotel in Philadelphia. Nervous and excited, we played name games, went out for our last Mexican food, unpacked and repacked our bags, and attempted to prepare ourselves for what we could not possibly prepare for.

Twenty-seven months later, the members of the group that arrived with me are beginning to close their service, leaving Uganda one by one. Moving on to other places, new ventures. We have achieved both the big and the small. Building schools, planting gardens, challenging unquestioned attitudes, learning obscure languages, teaching children and adults, coping with harassment, caring for the sick, making friends, enduring stares and unwanted attention, disproving stereotypes. For most of us, perhaps the biggest achievement is that we have stayed.

In this time, I have learned that my fellow Peace Corps volunteers are extraordinary human beings. Fun, supportive, hard-working, funny, unique, tolerant, inspiring, exemplary. They continually amaze me with their talents, their perspective, and their commitment. They have made this experience, my life here, phenomenal. I think that all of us have been changed, not least by one another.

It has been a privilege to serve with this exceptional group of Americans, and I will miss them very much in the coming months.

To any members of my Peace Corps friend-family who may read this, safe journeys and nice time. I hope we meet again– probably when I crash on your couch in six months!

Thank you for the work and much love.