Close of Overseas Service

Wow! It's hard to believe. We are almost finished with our Peace Corps adventure.

What a time it has been!

Next week, Monday-Wednesday, we will be in the Romanian city of Sinaia (a ski resort) for our group's Close of Service conference. We'll learn about our final paperwork (we work for the U. S. government so you can imagine the paperwork!), final medical and dental exams, final grant reports (for Holly's projects), passports after service, how to ship pets home, and how we'll get our "Readjustment Allowance" (this is the money they save for us that helps get people get set up when they return home).

We'll also take hundreds of photos -- including official ones. We'll hug everyone a hundred times. We'll cry, we'll laugh, we'll cheer. This will be the last time that we are together as Peace Corps Volunteers.

I'm reviewing all the information today: COS Manual, travel info, reimbursement info, medical and dental info, health insurance options, etc. I'm feeling overwhelmed by it all, which means it's a good thing we get a whole conference about all this stuff!

At the conference, Dennis and I will make the final decision about when we will actually leave. We must tell the Peace Corps SOMETHING. While we're anxious to get this settled, we also dread it. It will be final by Wednesday. We'll know the dates of the end of our adventure. We'll know when we will return home to Alamosa. We'll know.

We are planning to travel for a few weeks after we COS, but right now have no firm plans. Look for more details throughout March.

I feel the adrenalin warming my tired blood, and I also feel sad.