New New Departure Date July 26

In Morocco, the phrase was “inshallah” – God willing. Nothing is ever definite. I’ll see you tomorrow – inshallah. You just don’t know! Sometimes, inshallah is used when you don’t want to say a direct no but it’s something you don’t want to do – I’ll have tea with you next week, inshallah. But even if you want to go, have every intention of going, plan to go, think it’s definite – it may not happen.

I still find myself saying it (or, more often, thinking it). It’s true – you just don’t know. So when I told people my departure date was July 12, I always added a mental “inshallah.” I’ve done a lot to get ready, but there are things I am holding off on until I have a plane ticket – actual packing, calling the insurance, bank, credit card and cell phone companies, mailing my change-of-address postcards, buying travel books for a post-service trip (actually, that last one was kind of waiting for the packing, but now I am in the mood to get some books anyway).

So I can’t say I was surprised to get the email yesterday with the new departure date of July 26. But I still had to process it – there’s an element of Charlie Brown with the football. I get ready to kick it, and Lucy keeps taking it away. Here’s what the PCRV coordinator in the Philippines sent to the recruiter:

“We clearly understand the dilemma you are in, hoping for earlier visa cable receipts and PCRV departures to avoid possible PCRV pull-out from the assignment-position, which we hope will not happen. Much as we would like to have the PCRVs arrive earlier or as you have proposed, the period of processing security clearance at the National Intelligence Agency (NICA) and the Visa application with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is no longer within our control. We are left to only constantly coordinate with the Phil. Nat'l. Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) to somehow fast track these rigid processes. We hope for the best and shall keep you updated on the progress. Thanks much...”

The recruiter sent to six of us – does that mean one person already dropped out? She also sent us each other’s contact info, and I wrote a quick hello to everyone. One of the New Yorkers proposed a get-together – we’ll see if we can make that happen (inshallah). Otherwise, we’ll see each other soon enough (inshallah!).