John and I found out this week that we didn't get medical clearance for the Peace Corps. We were expecting to have difficulties, but the finality of the decision came as somewhat of a shock. John has arthritis (which is basically an auto immune disorder) in his left wrist, but he doesn't need medication for it and it rarely bothers him. But I guess the Peace Corps is strict about immune disorders, because of the possible complications. We were told that malnutrition and stress have a huge effect on the immune system, and that it was likely like he would face medical problems.
So it's been a hard week, knowing that something we had spent so much energy and thought on was not going to happen. The huge application process, the interviews, the acceptance and nomination to leave for Central Asia in July, the constant wondering and speculation of what country we might go to (Kyrgyzstan, by the way). But in some ways, having a definitive answer was a big relief, even if it wasn't the one we were hoping for. Now we're free to figure out what we want to do next, to not run all our decisions through the Peace Corps filter...do we need to buy that if we're going to leave this summer?...is it worth it to move to an apartment with air conditioning?...etc.
So now comes the next step of envisioning what the next few years are going to be like without living overseas. All along we've been thinking of other things to do if the Peace Corps didn't work out. Should I look for a new job? Should I take some classes? Should we move to San Francisco? Should we get a puppy-dog? Should we take a sabbatical with my family in South Dakota? Should we go to Europe? The possibilities are endless. (if you don't count the whole Peace Corps thing)
9 years ago
2 comments:
Wow. Life decisions are so hard yet so exciting at the same time. South Dakota with the family, eh? I like the sound of that. We could do all sorts of fun things. My aunt lives on a lake near Sisseton, SD. Does your family have any more concrete decision of where they are going in SD? Keep me posted!
It feels good to sort of keep in touch now via these blog things.
-Megan
They would most likely live somewhere in the general Sioux Falls area- though somewhere out in the country. We also have relatives in Platte, so that's a possibility. It would be a lot of fun to visit you!
But we're waiting for them to actually move before we start exploring our options. I'm not sure how it would work out with my work. But at the very least we're hoping to spend a long Christmas vacation there :-)
I'm really glad we can keep in touch better too- although a year ago if someone told me I would have a blog I would've thought they were crazy!
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