New Beginnings. A Third Year in Malawi.

Transition is one of the hardest things we experience as humans. Many of us are scared of change. Scared of the unknown.

In the past weeks this has been me. I have been anxious about what is ahead, and about what is unknown, and it has forced me to put all faith in God's hands.

I recently I was selected for a position with the organization Corps Africa as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer. When the news came that I was offered this position I was so excited to have the opportunity to stay a third year in Malawi, working for an organization whose mission I truly believe in. Now, I am currently wrapping up the final steps to transfer into this position, with an interview on Wednesday with a PC desk officer in DC. Then after I'm cleared with medical it will be official. It seems there are so many hoops to jump through to become a response volunteer, so I'm glad to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although I'll be staying in Malawi another year, parts of me still feel as though something beautiful is coming to an end. Realizing that these are my last two months in and with my community is not an easy feeling to have. Villagers, counterparts, and friends have started to talk about my departure and I've found myself in tears thinking about leaving these amazing people who have truly touched my heart and given something so beautiful to my life. I find myself wondering if I will ever feel this way about a community again. If I will ever live like this again, with experiences that have taught me so much about the world and myself. It's hard to conceptualize moving away from this village that I now call home, and all the people who were once strangers, that I now call family. When again will I ever bike down a dirt road with children running after me yelling, "Katy, Katy, Katy?" Or eat nsima and relish that was cooked over a fire, by a woman who may just be the strongest woman in the world? When again will I have neighbors who teach me how to make kites out of old bread bags, and stick the stickers I gave them all over their face? Thoughts like these and trying to stay in this present to enjoy my last couple of months have brought on a lot of feels.

And then I also have fears of moving into the big city. Being thrown back into that faced paced life, an office job, and so many conveniences that I've lived without for the past two years. How will I feel during this time? Will it be overwhelming? Will it be easy to fall right back into a life of convenience without a blink of an eye? No one knows, except GOD Himself, and trusting in His plan is all I can currently do.

During this phase of transition I've had to lean on God more than ever before in my Peace Corps service. One may think that moving into a village is the difficult part. Moving from "things," and comfort into simplicity (in terms of materialistic items) and fundamental life. But for me, it's been the opposite. Saying goodbye and thinking about what is next for me, when I've been exposed to what "real life" means for so many humans has been a challenge. Questions about how we give, what we give, and how development is taking place are running through my mind as I enter this difficult transition period. How can I live with intention, and remember these past two years as more than just an experience, but as a piece of me? How will my time spent in Chipoka shape my future and the way I decide to live my life, with the blessings, opportunities, and privilege I've been given? I've grown so much living as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and because of these two years my eyes have been opened to a much deeper world. A world of hunger, and fullness. A world of poverty, and privilege.

I have so many feels full of change and transition, but I am excited for the new beginnings ahead and the opportunities that I have been given. I'm excited about being able to come home for a month from 9 May to 14 June and spend time with my family and friends that I've missed so much. And I'm thankful for what these past two years in Chipoka have taught me, and for the forever friendships I've made with such a beautiful community.

#peacecorps