Moving On

My next move: a new apartment on the second floor of this old house in downtown Sylvania, Ohio, photo by new neighbor Robin C, and flick photo below by AR Avaritti.

I am nearing the end of my DC medical visit. It’s been great being in DC, a good transition back to the States, but it's as if time has been suspended. I've been in the waiting room long enough! Time for something to happen. The surgery went well. I am AOK! My daughter Elissa was a great help, a blessing. This week I have a few more follow-up appointments with my surgeon (more than I wanted) and my final Close of Service medical appointments, and then I will be going home, to a new home, in Sylvania, Ohio.

My Peace Corps service has come to an end. It happened a bit too fast for me, and it’s a hard adjustment, but I am ready to resettle. I am going into the unknown again, not sure what awaits me, not sure what I want to do. I will feel my way forward, like I did in Starobelsk, but with more ease, flexibility, and life lessons under my belt. I think I’m more relaxed with life as it comes.

I now have attachments I never thought I’d have, attachments to Ukraine, the culture, the people. It will always be a part of who I am, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. How blessed I am. So I will make a new home in Sylvania, Ohio, near my daughters and grandkids; get my stuff moved up from St. Petersburg, Florida; settle in and settle down.

I will lighten up my load in the process, get rid of furniture and stuff I have accumulated over the years. I have found that I really don’t need much in the way of material things. A bed, a table, a lamp, some books. I grew to enjoy living in one room. It was all I needed. I felt comfortable in a room in a house, sharing space and meals and life in general. I am not sure where my next adventure might take me. I want to keep learning, exploring, stretching.

I am moving on. Also, a new blog, My Post-Peace Corps Life, will emerge shortly, after I'm settled in Sylvania!