One Month In
This past month has been full in every sense of the word—full of learning, laughter, overwhelm, growing pains, and small, steady joys. I’ve been adjusting to new rhythms in a new country, surrounded by a language I’m still learning, routines that are still becoming familiar, and people who have welcomed me so genuinely into their world. But something happened in Week 4 that reminded me how vulnerable this experience can be, too.
One afternoon after language class, I became really sick—suddenly and intensely. It came on fast, and I felt completely unsteady. My host mom noticed right away and stayed close, checking on me, contacting the Peace Corps medical team, and doing what she could to help me rest at home. We waited through the next day, hoping it would ease, but it didn’t. And with the language barrier layered on top of not knowing what was happening in my own body, everything felt uncertain and a little unsettling.
The Peace Corps medical staff continued to monitor me remotely and, when it didn’t seem like I was improving, a doctor came to my site to assess how I was doing. After the evaluation, it was decided that I needed more care than what was available locally. I was taken to the hospital in Skopje for treatment and recovery.
Being sick anywhere is difficult. But being sick away from home—still learning the language, still building connections, still finding your footing—felt isolating in a very real way. I was exhausted and vulnerable. But once I arrived in Skopje, the Peace Corps medical team took such gentle, thoughtful care of me. They checked in constantly, made sure I was comfortable, and reminded me that I wasn’t alone here. Their kindness grounded me when everything felt overwhelming.
I spent about a week in the capital resting and slowly getting my strength back. And when I was finally cleared to return to my site, the welcome I came home to is something I’ll hold close for a long time. My host family greeted me with warmth and relief. Volunteers in my community reached out with messages, support, and small joys that reminded me I belonged.
That homecoming shifted something in me.
This place is becoming home—not because it’s easy, but because I am supported when it’s hard.
Now, as I enter Week 8 of training, something big is on the horizon. On Friday, we’ll learn our permanent site placements—the communities we’ll join and the work we’ll do over the next two years. Peace Corps makes these decisions carefully. They consider our backgrounds, our goals, how we show up, what we value, and the needs of communities themselves. It’s thoughtful. Intentional. Human.
And yes—there’s a little anxiety in not knowing yet. Of course there is. But when I pull back, there’s a steadier truth underneath:
The hardest part was getting here.
The preparing, the waiting, the goodbyes, the leap into the unknown.
That was the mountain. And I climbed it.
So now that I’m here, I trust myself to meet what comes next. I trust the process guiding us. I trust that wherever I’m placed, I’ll learn how to belong there with time, patience, and curiosity.
There’s a quiet excitement in that. A steady readiness.
I came here to serve.
And now, that part of this journey is beginning.
I’ll let you know where I land.
I’m learning to trust the unfolding.
With heart,
