27 Days

9 October 2009
Aktobe

So soon.  I’m truly overwhelmed about leaving.  Now that I can easily count the number of weekends and the numbers of days until I depart Aktobe, it’s strange.  Every conversation has something to do with my departure or future plans.  Usually this theme is directly addressed.  Sometimes, it’s approached in a more roundabout manner; asking when I’ll be back, talking about other PCVs who didn’t write, trying to figure out plans for the next few weeks.

It’s not a question of not being ready to leave.  I’m ready to leave.  I’ll miss my friends, my family, my coworkers, and my job immensely.  But, like any stage in life, something comes next and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.  I have faith I’ll make it back to Aktobe and Kazakhstan in the future, the question is when and for what.  That decision will come later.

Today was also Kaz-21 Site Announcement.  We found out the new PCV to follow me:  Aaron and his wife, Dawn, will come to Aktobe at the beginning of November.  Aaron will be working at my organization and Dawn at a local school.  I met them in Almaty and they’re both wonderful; I have no doubt that they will both be great volunteers and bring their own perspectives and energy to the work (their blog: http://followthedawn.blogspot.com/).  My confidence in them doesn’t detract from the brink of closure that accompanies the news.  For the next three weeks, my focus will be on a few projects (Golden Heart 3, Kazakhstan Volunteer Network, and leaving) and preparation for Aaron.

The idea of preparation is great.  The daily work of it is draining.  It requires contemplating the past two years, thinking about saying goodbye to my friends, and focusing on next steps.  This goodbye is much more melancholy than was my departure to Kazakhstan for Peace Corps.  In Michigan and then in Washington, D.C., it was clear I’ll have a good opportunity to see my family and friends again.  In Aktobe and later Almaty, the opportunity to see my friends and family after I leave the country on November 20 is not as sure.  I hope, however, that I see them soon and that the distance and time zones don’t stop our talking.  Two years is a short-time in the big picture, but it has been an intense and wonderful time that has had a very strong impact on me.

For those interested in reading the “Kazakhstan Volunteer Handbook”, please go to this link to view online or download: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19492259/Kazakhstan-Volunteer-Handbook

Thank you again for following my travels.  After Kazakhstan, I’ll be spending four weeks around Central Asia in the middle of winter.

My current schedule (pending visa approvals and likely some slight date changes) is the following.  If you’ll also be in Central Asia at this time, be in touch:

Nov 20 – Dec 5: Tajikistan
Dec 5 – Dec 19: Kyrgyzstan
Dec 19 – Jan 9: Uzbekistan
Jan 9 – Jan 23: Turkmenistan
Jan 23 – Feb 6: Azerbaijan
Feb 6 – Feb 20: Georgia
Feb 20 – March 10: Armenia