My dear friends Stephen and Antonio invited me to their home under the pretense of a casual dinner and egg decorating. But no! Instead, I was treated to a magnificent dinner (cooked by Chef Antonio) with a surprise of an additional three friends (Joanne, Donna, and Ventura)!
The food, as always, was spectacular. Course after course was served that included a ramp tart, asparagus tart, potato tart, these incredible chili peppers, and a creamy mushroom risotto. Cheers to the chef! :-)
Joanne shared her Afghanistan photos, we looked at Stephen's DaVinci pop-up book, and Donna told us about a book she was reading. But the best part was that we got to decorate Easter eggs!
Like kids with no adult supervision, the table was covered with paper for protection, Stephen proceeded to make the colored dyes (with vinegar and water), the hard-boiled eggs came to be dressed, and off we dunked. Some of us used rubber bands or wax and some of us went au naturale. We made a mess, had a lot of fun, heard a lot of oohs and aahs, and ta-da! Our works of egg-art:
Merci beaucoup mes amis. xoxo
My friends' emotional progression
As I've described my Peace Corps adventure with people, there have been a lot of reactions. I now realize too, that not only do I have to go through my own process of coming to terms with my journey, but everyone else does too (well, that choose to anyway).
Thank you Ericka, for shining the light on this idea and thank you to Tracy, for reminding me that it's all good.
In my March 22 entry, I wrote about the "PCVs Emotional Progression". I know too well that emotional roller coaster I've been going through.
Well, I think there's a progression for the people I leave behind too. It goes like this:
Stage 1: Incredulity, skepticsm, suspicion. Yeah, yeah. Another adventure for Becky. Magic Castle magician, competitive ballroom dancing, Hollywood Squares contestant, Police Department Domestic Violence volunteer - what now? You're always getting yourself into something new and exciting. What is it this time? Go on. Tell me. You never cease to surprise me so I just don't get surprised anymore. What is this Peace Corps thing?
Stage 2: Shock. WHAT?! You're doing what?! You're going to West Africa? What? For 27 months? That's um, (let me calculate it now), over two years! Are you sure you want to do this? Why are you doing this? The: "I could never, ever do what you just described nor would I ever want to, so why are you doing this?" syndrome. Leave the comforts of home, my family, my friends? No way! You're crazy Becky. This time, you are really crazy.
Stage 3: Reality. It starts to sink in. Ok, tell me again. What are you doing? Why are you doing this? What made you want to join the Peace Corps? What are you going to do with your business? Will you rent your home? What will you do with your car? How long did you say you'd be gone? How can you leave me?
Stage 4: Acceptance. Ok, you're going. I'm sad now. Sad for me, but happy for you. This is exactly who you are. If anyone would do something like this, it's you. You are perfect for this. Whatever village gets you will be so lucky to have you. Can I write to you? Can I send you care packages? What can I do for you? What do you need? I'm here for you.
Every reaction has been different; some of you ran through the stages and immediately got to stage 4 while others are stuck in stage 2. It's all good. I get it now. I imagine that for every volunteer that serves in the Peace Corps, their friends and family experience something similar to this too.
Originally, I thought this was all about my journey, but in fact, it's about your journey too (if you choose to accept this mission). It's really our journey.
Maybe you can never see yourself not having electricity or running water or being exposed to malaria through hundreds of hungry mosquitoes. I'd think you were crazy too if you told me that. But yeah, that's going to be my new life. I'm not jumping up for joy about it either, but it is what it is.
I see a village of people that want help and I see me as a willing and eager participant. How can I be part of a solution? How can I help others help themselves? My life is NOT about me; it's about me serving OTHERS. (Although I do have shortcomings: food and stuffed animals.)
Why do I have this passion in my heart? Why, oh why, do I have this in my heart? I have no answer to that question. I just do. If I could get rid of it, I would because I really don't want malaria.
The best quote to-date
Last Saturday night, while I was describing my upcoming PC mission to the gang, Ventura asked, "What happens when you come home?" He was the first person to ask me this question.
I wasn't sure what he meant, so I replied, "I come home. That's it. I guess I'll figure things out when I get back."
Ventura then said, "That's it? Well, I think they should build you a statue. Yes, you should get a statue for what you are doing."
I couldn't stop giggling the rest of the evening. That is definitely the funniest thing anyone has said to me.
Thank you Ventura. :-)
