Peace Corps' advertising can be right on. |
I arrived in Benin on July 4th, 2008. I remember
the warmth of the heat and humidity. I remember thinking that it was going to
rain soon. It didn’t. It was hell, hectic. We didn’t know anything. Baggage
tumbled off the plane and onto decaying conveyor belts. We picked up our lives
and resigned ourselves into the hands of an organization that would take care
of us.
One of Peace Corps’ posters shows a village scene in Africa.
A child does a handstand in front of mud huts. “The most difficult challenge is
leaving.”
I’ve wanted to leave before, but Benin kept luring me back
to her. Two years in a village, two
years in a city. The end has been in sight the whole time, but I’ve managed to
push it away. “Almost done” has never been the case until now.
Today is May 21st, 2008. It’s almost three years
and 11 months since I arrived In Benin.
I’ve made my decision. I’m taking the challenge head on. I’m
leaving. For me, leaving is a process
that starts today and will continue until January 30th, 2013.
The blog is called “The Challenge of Leaving.” It will serve
as a mémoire of leaving. I want to relive my life in Benin as a way of saying
goodbye. I’ll visit friends, live experiences, and see places one last time. I’ll tell stories no
one has heard before. I’ll celebrate Benin and I’ll berate it. That’s how Benin
is. Benin brought me into herself, for better or for worse. The things weighing
heavily on my memory are more likely to be tragedies than comedies. This is the
reality of my life here. I’m not going
to sugarcoat my experience or feelings. I’m going to share the reality of my
life and the truths behind the Challenge of Leaving.
-John Mark Feilmeyer
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