Family, Friends and a Filibuster

In front of some house

So... I was sent back to the US for a month for a medical issue (turned out to be nothing, so I'm very glad). Since I was in the US, and was what I call a "walking wounded," I decided to take advantage of my "forced vacation."
First I have to say that the most common fear in Peace Corps (from what I gather from my fellow PCV's) is being sent home before the end of service. When I was told that I needed to go back for a while, I was less than happy to say the least. I was only 14 months into my 27 months of service. It was hard emotionally, as the process was not clear and I had a lot of unanswered questions. Harder than that, I felt that my medical decisions were being made by my employer - a scary concept. To make things even more nerve-wrecking, my employment status was contingent on how their assessment would go before 45 days of 'med-evac' were up. 

Back in Albania!

A common theme in my peace corps service is that I have to be flexible and just try to navigate every situation that comes up. There isn't always an easy answer for problems. Such as in life in general. So as I waited in my apartment in Eastern Albania for the PC Washington office to decide what to do, I was sitting with a lot of feelings. Fear of what the future will hold. Since I am 9 hours ahead of my friends and family in California, I don't always get to contact them when I would like. Hardship.

Luckily I have some good Peace Corps friends that I can call. Sometimes I need help, sometimes they do. Making close friends as an adult can be harder than it seems. Which is why I really value any new friend I make in Peace Corps. Locals or other Americans. I really rely on my local social network in times like these.

So what did I do for a month? Helping out at the Peace Corps Office in DC with LGBT initiatives (they have a great team there!), going on medical visits, and coordinating some projects in Albania (remotely that is!)... and:
1. Lots of reading! Favorite was Carlos Castaneda's Return to Ixtlan
2. Ran the National Mall listening to Belle and Sebastian's 'Dear Catastrophe Waitress'
3. Ran to Maryland along the beautiful C&O Towpath to The Decemberists
4. Ate cheddar cheese, Mexican and Chinese food as much as possible. Went to Trader Joe's every day. haha
5. Did a family reunion and spent time reconnecting with my family, and even meeting some new cousins! A lot of my family lives in the Maryland area, so I really lucked out there.
6. Went to the US Capitol, sat in on the Patriot Act expiration session with Sen. Paul. Tried not to laugh as I heard someone's cell phone (someone on the floor!) go off during Sen. Paul's last speech - It was "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen. LOL
7. Holocaust Museum, Newseum, Portrait Gallery, ALL Memorials, the Archives, saw the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the Constitution., Hope Diamond (at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History), Experienced the biggest Memorial Day parade I've ever seen!
8. Regained my LGBT card, went clubbing with some PC friends and new friends!
9. Spent some good quality time with my brother and his family in Brooklyn. First time reading a story to my niece. AMAZING.
10. Oh yeah, and hung out with Sid in NYC, saw Book of Mormon, met Sid's cool friends, chilled VIP at the Clean Bandit concert with Janelle Monae.. ;-)