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My Peace Corps Journey: Learning the Shape of Service
Two months into Peace Corps service, I’m settling into a life that feels both new and strangely familiar. This reflection explores the relationships shaping my experience, what it means to be far from home, and the quiet realization that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
February 5, 2026
My Peace Corps Journey: Swearing In
An oath, eleven weeks of training, my dear host family, and a new home in the hills of Veles—this is the beginning.
December 10, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey: Site Placement
A reflection on clarity, community, and the quiet moment when the next two years come into focus.
November 17, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey: One Month In
A month of becoming: vulnerability, care, recovery, and the quiet readiness for what comes next.
November 10, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey: In Country
Ten Days In: My First Week in the Peace Corps
Ten days into service, I’m settling into life in North Macedonia — from orientation in Skopje to my new host family, learning language, sharing meals, and finding meaning in every moment.
September 30, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey: Pre-Departure- Last Day Home
One day out from departure, I’m preserving the love, lessons, and anticipation that carry me forward.
September 18, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey
Joining the Peace Corps: Why?
It wasn’t a snap decision. Here’s the story of how a quiet idea turned into my next big leap.
August 16, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey: Packing for Peace
Two Checked Bags, One Carry-On and Personal Item
Fitting two years of life into a few suitcases? Let’s just say it’s been equal parts chaos and clarity.
August 17, 2025
My Peace Corps Journey: Why North Macedonia?
It’s more than a spot on the map — it’s a place I feel pulled toward. Here’s why.
August 18, 2025
Common Ground
What Living in Macedonia Has Taught Me About Inequality, So Far
(That Statistics Never Will)
Living in Veles has shown me that inequality isn’t something you just measure — it’s something you feel. This piece reflects on place, access, and daily life, and how living inside a system reshapes the way we understand development, dignity, and progress.
Read my latest reflection: What Living in Macedonia Has Taught Me About Inequality, So Far
December 12, 2025
Common Ground
Why Cultural Memory Matters: A History of North Macedonia
North Macedonia is more than a young country with an old name. It is a place shaped by empires, borders, faith, language, and survival. In this Common Ground piece, I trace the cultural history beneath everyday life here — not just what happened, but what stayed.
Read my latest reflection: Why Cultural Memory Matters: A History of North Macedonia
December 10, 2025
Common Ground
Why Grassroots Work Matters in Development
Before the American Revolution was a war, it was a movement of neighbors, farmers, and shopkeepers meeting in small gatherings to decide their own future.
That same belief — that change should start with the people most affected — is at the heart of grassroots development. As I prepare for my Peace Corps service in North Macedonia, I’m reflecting on why starting small, listening first, and building together can lead to the most lasting change.
Read my latest reflection: Why Grassroots Work Matters in Development
August 19, 2025
On Becoming: Friendships that Carry
Some friendships are formed through proximity.
The ones that last are formed through intention.In this reflection, I unpack how my understanding of female friendship has shifted over time — from childhood bonds built by circumstance to adult friendships rooted in admiration, trust, and mutual respect. It’s about learning to move beyond quiet comparison, choosing women who celebrate you fully, and becoming the kind of friend who does the same in return.
February 5, 2026
On Becoming: I Don’t Think I Can Go Back to Normal
I love where I came from. I’m grateful for the life that shaped me. And still—this experience has changed what I want. A reflection on roots, restlessness, and the question I can’t stop asking: will this be it?
January 27, 2026
On Becoming: Learning to Sit With Myself
Reaching the four-month mark of Peace Corps service has shifted my understanding of loneliness. What I once feared as something negative slowly became a space for clarity, presence, and learning how to trust my own company.
January 19, 2026
On Becoming: Turning 25: Quarter-Century
From Kool-Aid Jammers to quarter-century reflections — I’ve grown into the most me version of me. Bold. Grounded. Joyfully saying yes.
July 11, 2025
Lily Mild