More on the New Date

I will admit I had the feeling that something might happen to change the July 12 date. I didn’t get my Morocco plane ticket until a couple of days before I left, so it wasn’t that I hadn’t gotten my ticket yet. I don’t know what it was. When I saw the email I had to laugh – and then I felt a little dissonance. Maybe I should look for something else? That feeling came and went though – I still feel committed to going and I feel that Peace Corps is committed to sending me.

I think what took me aback more was my new end date – January 23. Why, though? Because I thought I was going to start something new in the new year? Because now the resume gap seems long? Because I have work to do for Princeton’s next major reunion? Because I wanted to be vacationing for the holidays and not still working? Because I want to come back to the northern hemisphere for winter? I finally realized it was because of the possibility of people (either current Morocco PCVs who will COS in November or other friends) traveling with me. But then I realized that they still can! I have vacation days. Once I identified that, I relaxed. Inshallah, again. Besides, now my new end date means I can put “2009-2010” on my resume. So then I started thinking about what I could do with my newfound extra time.

For example, it's about time for a haircut. Should I get one before I go or leave it be, since I'm about to have Peace Corps hair anyway? Now that I have more time, I should probably get one. I haven’t started Culture Shock: Philippines yet; was waiting until my departure got closer. Maybe I will start it now. But more, now I might be able to visit some friends or do more volunteering or attend a conference that looks interesting. So far, I am just exploring options…and I’m going away for the weekend (a getaway from the getaway!), so I’ll put further thinking aside for a few days.