Outdoor adventures in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, with some occasional reflective storytelling.
On the morning of Wednesday, November 16, I did something I never thought I’d do. I told Peace Corps staff to send me home. In Peace Corps lingo, I “early terminated”. Within just three hours, I was packed up and in a Peace Corps car on my way from our training town to the capital…
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My roommate and I left Maputo at 9 am and arrived in our site in Gaza 5 pm after two chapa rides and a 1.5 hour layover in Chokwe as we waited for our bus to fill up so we could leave. The ride from Chokwe to our site was a long slow journey from…
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On Dia do Professor (October 12), Moz 27 received our site placements. Site placements happen for us during week six of in-country training, and you better believe that people have been dying to know where they will be living for the next two years since way before we arrived in country. But basically, the staff…
Read MoreI’m lying in bed, staring up at the bare single lightbulb that casts a dim glow in my room, wondering when the next electricity outage will be. I just got off a vchat with my best friend from college, the connection between Namaacha and London suprisingly clear. My mãe is singing a tune that seems…
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When I was back in California for a brief three-week respite before beginning this next adventure, the state was experiencing a drought. Though it had rained a decent amount this year, it wasn’t enough to make up for what has been called one of the severest droughts on record. It’s a frightening thing anywhere, and especially…
Read MoreSeven days ago, PC Moz 27 touched down in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Since arriving, we have gone through a series of vaccinations, lugged our hundreds of pounds of baggage around a few times, moved in with our Pre-Service Training (PST) host families, and started taking Portuguese language classes. It’s been an eventful week,…
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This isn’t exactly what I had in mind. I’d been envisioning “closing off” my year in Ecuador with a nice, 1500-word blog post summing up my experiences there and what I’ve learned from them and how I’m different now etc. I sat down with my laptop and some notes scribbled on the back of an…
Read MoreI hated reading as a child. My parents, both English teachers, did their best to coax me into a reading habit. They were people who, when my six-year-old self came downstairs in the mornings on the weekend suggesting we watch TV or play a game, told me to grab a book and join everyone under…
Read MoreSo when you’re accepted to serve with the Peace Corps, you might think that all the work is done. WRONG. Accepting an invitation actually begins a whirlwind process of tasks that the invitee must complete–applying for a diplomatic passport, getting finger printed/background checked, a bunch of medical/dental tasks, etc. One of the earlier tasks that…
Read MoreAs a child, I grew up in a farming town of about 15-20,000 people. For years, I dreamt of leaving my small town and exploring the world. Living in a big city, learning more about new people and places, and having greater opportunities available seemed like the ultimate lifestyle. This isn’t to say I didn’t…
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Elizabeth Seeks 