The End Is Nigh

In the interim since my last post my life here has been changing considerably. I already shared a bit of the unusual circumstance of sharing a town, a house, work and friends with another volunteer. I am trying not to be in his way and let him start his life. But at the same time, I can't help but be both a little jealous and a little annoyed everywhere I go. People have taken to asking me his whereabouts and why he isn't with me as the first item of conversation everywhere I go. At the same time I know he gets called Carlos all the time and people wonder why he can't really speak spanish, but I can. I imagine it has to be a little more trying for him than it is for me since I am already so comfortable and well known there. But for the most part his presence isn't so much a nuisance as a portent that things are coming to an end.

A few weeks back we had our official Close Of Service (COS) conference which detailed the administrative, personal and work related processes of finalizing our time in Peace Corps and saying goodbye. It was weird to sit there and listen to people telling me what I would feel and how I should go about conducting my last days. As if it was all a little unreal and part of some crazy dream that I knew would happen but never really believed I would participate in. The conference also outlined all sorts of administrative minutiae and reports that are necessary to convert ourselves from PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) into RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers).

So for the past few weeks I have been lazing around my town, and allowing myself to settle into what I call Peace Corps senioritis. I know that I need to start phasing myself out of my work and phasing my replacement in, so I basically send him to the vast majority of scheduled meetings and either don't go, or just sit in the crowd. I don't want to step on his toes you know. Plus I have been writing all manner of reports; formal reports in the third person, informal reports about all my projects, spanish reports with recommendations for my community, quarterly reports and whatnot. In all the slovenliness and report writing I have basically given up reading books and parked myself in front of my computer either writing or watching digital versions of TV shows that my friends have given me (both english and spanish).

For the last 3 days I have been camped in San Salvador for my final Spanish interview and my COS medical evaluations. The Spanish interview went well, I was rated as Advanced Mid, which is only two spots below the highest possible on Peace Corps propietary language scale, the highest spot basically reserved for only native speakers. As far as COS med, it is a lot of pooping in cups, running around to appointments and waiting around to see doctors or get results. I make use of some of the down time to hang out with some friends that I don't see very often and to take care of some of the other administrative stuff like final evaluations, closing talks with staff members and other things like that. Fortunately it still leaves my evenings free to hang with Sam and Angie who I scheduled my COS med with.

We are staying at our friend Amir's place and living in style for at least a short time. Tonight we crashed a catering open house that another friend had a table at. It was meant for people who were planning to host events like weddings to come and see what was available, but we used it for a free dinner and better food than we could ever hope to afford on our salary. I have to say it was one of the best nights of my Peace Corps experience.

Tomorrow I have more of the same medical stuff, but I am buying a plastic kennel to fly Kaya home in. The thought is that since the Country Director and my Program director are coming to my sight for my final Sight Assessment, I can buy a kennel and hitch a ride in the Peace Corps vehicle to get myself and the kennel back home in.

Considering the general pace of my life over the past two years I never really realized that PC could be this much of a rat race at the end. I mean I am rushing all over for appointments and meetings and struggling to fit in time for friends and my site. I mean I haven't been home since Sunday night, but after I get home on Friday I am heading out on Saturday to get some quality time with another friend before my time and hers are both too hectic to see each other. Luckily I don't feel much guilt about work or my site (besides my close friends there) because I have my replacement there to pick up my slack.