Tired but Not Ready to Quit

March 19th, 2016 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | 1 Comment »

marathon

“There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream.” – Author unknown

I’m at the stage where I’m three-fourths way through a very long marathon. I have been running for a very longtime. I have been counting down how many miles I have left to go for some time now. I’m sweating profusely and exhausted to the point that I am ready to stop running but I don’t want to quit because I am so close to the finish line. I’ve worked so hard to prepare for the long journey, and I’ve been doing so well so far in spite of some mishaps and illnesses.

This is how I am feeling right at this point in my service. I am tired and ready to go back to the States. I’m so close to finishing the service. I have only seven more months to go, but I’m not ready to quit.

Strangers approaching me on streets, asking for my phone number or to be my friend, and my standing out in the crowd is wearing me out. On the other hand, hearing from community members that they have no knowledge of HIV/AIDS or misconceptions about how the disease is transmitted is motivating me to stay in country and continue to provide education to as many people who have been denied to education as possible I think of every member of my community as my babies, and I can’t just walk away from them without finishing the work. So many of these people whom I educate have been denied to important health information. I need to get the information to them. I have so many exciting projects coming up that I want to see through the completion. For the rest of the service, I am focusing on finishing up on giving HIV Prevention workshops to as many persons with disabilities and then providing them Sexual Reproductive Health workshops. I will also be training healthcare workers on how to include persons with disabilities in HIV services.

As I continue my work, I am counting down the months until I am on the plane to the States. I have seven more months to go. It seems like a longtime, but it will go by quickly. I look forward to the day when I will be a blur in the crowd and no longer stand out. I also look forward to no longer being away from my love for a long period of time. I know that the moment I am on the plane flying back to the States and looking back on the most incredible two years journey of hard work will be the most gratifying feeling.