Midservice

My apologies for my several week absence from updating the blog.

Two weeks ago was my midservice conference in Masaka, with all 44 volunteers from my training group. It was great to reconnect with my fellow PCV's, some of whom I haven't seen since IST back in January. A training group's midservice conference signifies the halfway point in their two years of service. The purpose of the conference is to share successes, challenges, and frustrations; pool resources; and to develop a new workplan and monthly project goals.

Midservice is also the time to really do soul-searching and begin to question what is next for me? What the heck do I want to do after service? What options are available? Do I want to extend my service in-country or in another country? Do I want to consider a Peace Corps Response assignment that has more defined project objectives, and is more tailored to one's skills, interests, and experiences? Do I return stateside, and try my luck in the uninspiring job market? I've already decided not to extend in Uganda because my work situation is anything but ideal; also, I want to see something new. More likely than not, I will return stateside following post-COS travel unless I find a Peace Corps Response assignment that is an ideal fit.

The most reflective part of the conference for me was when we were all frankly asked Why are you still here? What is keeping you from leaving early and going back to the U.S.? My answer is a combination of:
- The full support I have recieved from family and friends back home
- The great relationships I have formed with people in my village
- Several of my projects that are now on the upswing
- My stubborness/self-pride and refusal to quit anything I start
- My satisfaction at being able to communicate in the local dialect
- My loving, biting, tick-carrying dog
- The realization that Uganda really has become a second home for me

We also had a Halloween party (I was too lazy to make a costume) and trivia night, as well as superlatives which were given out to everybody. My superlative, predictably, was "Most likely to get mango flies, nairobi eye, and have his computer stolen all in the same week." Yes, these all did happen to me. No, these all didn't happen within a week.

Despite some nasty reactions (nausea, diahrrea, fever) we all had to the flu shots Peace Corps was mandated to give us (three days of diahrrea, no sweat), midservice was incredibly fulfilling, and motivated me to continue on in my second year of service.