On May 14th, I flew to Washington DC on what Peace Corps calls "medevac." I injured my knee playing basketball in January, and it needed to be taken care of with a simple procedure. Unfortunately, it could not be done in West Africa. The standards of modern medicine just aren't even close there to what we have available in the US. Peace Corps gives you 45 days to get to DC, have your medical "issue" resolved, get doctor's clearance to come back, and fly back to country. I was there for exactly four weeks, and as much as it was somewhat annoying to have to deal with a medical issue, I definitely embraced the opportunity to be home.
I started in DC for the surgery and then traveled to Cleveland, my hometown, to do my physical therapy. I also got a chance to sneak into Boston for a weekend, just in time to see my old Trinity Catholic students graduate. The entire trip home was just really incredible. Before I left Guinea, I was hearing all the stories of volunteers that don't make it within their 45 days; I was very anxious about leaving and perhaps not making back to Guinea in time. But it all worked out without a problem and the trip home was very refreshing. As much as it made me miss going to Tribe games in the summer, beautiful Boston Sundays, talking with students in a language that I can have a meaningful conversation, homemade meals, and conveniences of travel and everyday life, I was ready to get back to Guinea. As I approach the end of my first year in country, I feel this is where my life is for now and I'm ready to take on all the projects that are in store for the summer and do some traveling around West Africa.
I've uploaded some photos from before I left (April, May, and June 2009 album) - the first few are from the top of my mountain. Before I left, my host family was knocking at my door at 7am for photo shoots, as if taking photos at noon wasn't possible. My students stopped by say goodbye and request things from the United States. Also in the photo album are a few photos from the trip home.
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