It's been a while since I've posted anything. Really...nothing has happened since I last wrote. Nothing in that I have not heard anything from the Peace Corps. Like most things in life you have to hurry and wait. No one contacts you until a few weeks before it's time to leave. Then they will give me the information I need to make flight arrangements, the date I am supposed to be there, and where "there" is.
In the meantime I have been busy. I think I wrote last time that I spent 3 weeks in New York visiting my sisters and old friends. That was great!! Then last month I spent a week in Henderson, NV (next door to Vegas) visiting my sister, Gail, and brother-in-law, Rick. Rick is leaving January 9th for a years service in Afghanistan. He has been in the Army Reserve for quite some time and although they've had him on the list to go several times it never worked out that he actually went. This time is for sure. My poor sister. Her husband is leaving and then the next closest relative, me, is also leaving...and not just leaving town...leaving the country. Going to places most people would not voluntarily visit. My visit with them was good. We hung out, we got to go on a motorcycle trip out to Death Valley with a couple of their friends. I rode my sisters Sportster...my first Harley experience. It was great!!
These last two weeks I've been up in Sonoma. Santa Rosa to be exact. An hour and half north of San Francisco. I stayed with my brother Rodger, his wife Denise and two kids, Logan and Eryn. I drove up there with a U-haul as I had some stuff that I wanted to give him. Not to mention my motorcycle. I hate giving it up but what I am going to do with it for the next two years? Put it in storage? That doesn't make sense. My brother has always wanted a bike. But the way life works is that once you have a house and children and all the repsonsiblities that come along with that you don't get to buy yourself extravagent gifts like a motorcycle. So it was a wise, feel good choice for me to give it to him. Of course it wasn't running right either. So I felt kind of bad aobut that...LOL...but if you're going to own a bike you must learn how to work on them. So we/he spent time taking the carbs off, bought them in to be cleaned, changed the oil, the spark plugs, etc and then put the carbs back on. It runs like it's brand new now. I really hated leaving it after it was running so well. But I took it on my last ride for a couple of years. Awesome...I really like riding up in Sonoma. It is so beautiful up there. It was a good visit.
I know they probably think I was bored and we didn't do anything but it was exactly what I wanted to do. Just sit and visit and hang out. We talked and ate and decorated for Christmas. We watched White Christmas and drank hot chocolate and ate popcorn. I did get to see one of my nephews basketball games and got to see my niece cheer for the high school football team...in the cold...and the rain. We had a very emotional good-bye. Even though I won't be leaving for another 47 days..LOL...I won't be seeing them again until I get back. At least 27 months. My brother drove me to the airport by himself. So I said goodbye to Denise and the kids at the house. I hugged Denise and then hugged Logan. Logan is a great kid, but not much emotion. He never gets mad, never really gets very excited, laughs sometimes, but not often enough...never really sad either. This type of attitude has it's good points and some bad points. But when I hugged him goodbye I couldn't help but start to cry. He hugged me a little longer than usual and he said, "I'm going to miss you" and all tears broke lose. When I finally let go I think his eyes were welled up. It tore my little heart out. Then I hugged and kissed and cried with my niece. Then at the airport with my brother. I thought he would just drop me off at the curb. I was kind of hoping he would. This way I would have a quick cry and he'd be gone. But alas, he is a glutton for punishment. He parked and came in with me. We checked in and then got on line for security check. Everytime he looked at me I started to cry, then he would cry. Then we were fine. Then I'd cry and he'd cry. When we finally got to the end of the line where I had to go through security and it was time for him to leave. He gave me a quick hug and ducked out of line under the security ropes/bands. I was crying some more and he said "Don't cry Clarey". Then got teary eyed and made the sign language sign for I love you and walked away. It was horrible. They could have made an after school special based alone on our airport goodbye.
What's silly in a way about me being so emotional is that it's ONLY 2 years. Think of all the things you've gone through in your life that were just two years ago, or things that you haven't done in 2 years, or the people you haven't seen in two years. I just saw my sister Lynn in NY...I haven't seen her in 5 years. We talk on the phone. Even that's only a few times a year. My sister Karan is back and forth to California alot so I see her at least once a year. When my sister Gail lived in New Hampshire I think I was 8 years without seeing her once. I've been 2 yeas without seeing my brother before. It seemed like I only worked for the Red Cross for such a short time...8 months maybe. It was 2 years 3 months. There's alot of other things I've gone without for 2 years before...hardly unnoticed. Unbelievable how time flies. In the grand scheme of time 2 years is nothing. I think it will go slower for me being away from who and what I know, than it will go for those of you here. You're lives will go on as usual. Barely noticing I'm gone. When I start freaking out a little about leaving my brother is always able to ground me. "You know what's going to change and be different here while you're gone...NOTHING. The kids will still be in school, I'll still be working, Denise will still be working, still be paying my mortgage." Maybe someone I know will get a new job..maye someone will get engaged...may married. Even with my own boys...they will still be in college hopefully well on their way to a bachelors degree. Maybe they'll have been through a girlfriend or two. Although babies can be conceived and born easily in this period of time...but I'm hoping for the best. Surely I've taught them better than that.
This will be the hardest part for me. I've gone years without seeing one or more members of my family. I've done without many things over the years that I don't even think about...but I've never been without my boys. And they...they have never been without me. I think this will be good for them though. Some may say I'm crazy for leaving them...what kind of mother does that, they are still young, they still need me...but others think it's a good lesson for them to learn to live without someone handing them everything they need. And they are taken care of financially by our very loving, generous uncle that passed away a few years ago...as long as they stay in college. So they can go to school full time and they are set. They will get part time jobs to supplement their college fund...which I was doing...to pay for gas, food and fun. Right?? I guess I'm still feeling a little queezy about this part...guilty...not very mother like of me!! :-((
Thank goodness for modern technology. I have my Magic Jack, email...and SKYPE...Skype i believe is a gift from the heavens I'm sure. And although I may not have electricity and/or internet in the village I am living in how far away can I possibly be that at least once a week I can get on the wonderful public transportation system of Mali and travel 1, 3, 6, 10 hours to get into town to make my weekly phone calls and skype my babies.
Public transportaion...
Pictures courtesy of Kristin Richards current PCV in Mali...I hope she doesn't mind me using her pictures since I am not there to take my own yet. They really topped off the last part of this blog...
Your time will fly by!!!! Good luck! Thanks for keeping us all updated. peace.
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