I reached my 6 month mark here in Sierra Leone this past Friday. Time sure does fly fast nowadays. I feel like I just got here when in fact I've been living here for half a year!
I really have to be thankful because I'm happy and I've gotten everything I asked for, if not more. I remember sitting at my Peace Corps interview back in March 2011 and the recruiter asked me where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. I said that my #1 choice was Africa and I wanted to work in the education sector with children. I also told the recruiter that I was willing to go to anywhere and do any job but my biggest preference was warm climate and luxury preference was to be close to a large body of water. So here I am, in Africa, teaching kids, next to the Atlantic Ocean with a plethora of untouched beautiful beach territory. On top of things, I'm here in Sierra Leone taking part of the early Peace Corps groups returning since the war.
I think alot of my happiness has to do with me wanting a do-over with New Orleans. I took NOLA for granted while I lived there and bitched and complained about how the Bay Area had this & that and how NOLA didn't. It wasn't until the day I left when I realized how awesome NOLA was and how I had a great life there. I felt terrible for taking the place for granted. So from that day, I promised myself that if I were to live somewhere outside the Bay Area again that I wouldn't constantly compare and be more appreciative of what that place had to offer. That's why I love it here in Salone. I love it for what it is and I don't think too much about what it isn't.
So we'll see what the next 21 months will bring me. The US Ambassador to Sierra Leone was in Lunsar the other day and decided to visit me at my school. He seemed to have taken an interest to my pitch about the computer lab upgrades. So hopefully,
I can get some movement and turn it into a successful secondary project.
Projects aside, it's great being here. I really enjoy teaching and I love how the girls all call me "Ms. Paskal". It's great going around Lunsar hearing my girls call out my name just to say hi. And what a great way to celebrate my 6 month mark......I was invited to the Boarding Home Christmas Party. We had couscous with chicken, there was music and dancing. I even found some watercolors and did face painting on the girls, they loved it. The girls would grab me left and right wanting me to dance with them. I had a great time. Definitely had those Peace Corps warm fuzzy feelings inside. All of this is totally worth it.
Heres to the next 21 months........ <3 SALONE <3
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