Last night we attended our last Western Montana Returned Peace Corps Volunteer potluck. The group meets once a month at a member's house to socialize and eat amazing international food. Matt and I have been a part of this group for a year now and I have to say that it has been one of my favorite parts of our Missoula experience. The photo above is of all of us this June at the group's yearly weekend retreat on Flathead Lake. For the last meal of the weekend (a potluck to end all potlucks! Talk about amazing...) most of us dressed up in clothing from the countries where we served in the Peace Corps. (Matt and I are kneeling in the front row, he in his indigo Guinean boo-boo and me in my green waxed Guinean boo-boo).Matt and I had been back to the U.S. for over three years before we met up with El Presidente (the head of the group, also known as President-For-Life) and the RPCV Gang. While Matt and I were (and still are) lucky to have each other to talk to about our time in Guinea and the challenges of being back, it has been wonderful to be welcomed into a whole community of people who are excited to talk about some of these things, whether they were in the Peace Corps in the 60s and 70s or just got back last year. The people in this group are amazing and inspiring. Individually they are doing great things for the different communities to which they belong and as a group they fund small projects locally and abroad, help foster cross-cultural understanding in Missoula through presentations and panel discussions, and give advice to newly nominated volunteers getting ready to leave. The bottom line, though, is that they're just super nice and supportive people who have made us feel very welcome. Lately they have all been giving Matt and me a lot of encouragement for our upcoming trip to Guinea. Many people in the group have been back to visit the countries where they lived in the Peace Corps and I keep asking to hear about their experiences as I get ready for my own. Last night I spoke with a couple who went back to Ethiopia after having left 30 years ago!! Amazingly, they were able to meet up with friends and former students from their time there!! And the people there remembered them! They said it was an extraordinary experience. This, along with all kinds of other "going back" stories from other returned volunteers in the group gives me hope that a happy reunion with our Guinean host families and friends might be around the corner.
But before any of that is possible, we must first say goodbye to people here. As we started our goodbyes last night Cat Steven's "Wild World" was blaring out of the speakers and onto the deck decorated like a Jamaican beach cafe. The party's host, a former volunteer who served in Jamaica patted us on the backs and said, "That songs for you. Kids, it's a wild world out there and you're headed off into it."
Indeed. But before we rush out into it I keep stopping to pause and look back. It was sad to say goodbye to the group last night. The only thing that made me feel better was that El Presidente said he had put a link on the group's website to this blog so that people could stay in touch with us. So to El Presidente, I say, Gracias, and right back at you. The Western Montana Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Group is now a link on my blog too (in this post and on the link list to the right). So there you go- mutual blog linking, the next best thing to monthly pot-lucks with our friends.
Thanks again to everyone in the group for welcoming us into your community and for all the laughs and support. We'll miss you guys. Please keep in touch.
***NOTE: if people are looking for a place to make donations, this group is a great one to consider. Each year the group funds various local and oversees projects. The group is conscientious and sensitive to issues concerning sustainability and appropriate development. Check out the "Projects and Fundraising" link on their website for a list of recent projects and some photos. ***
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