Fourth of July and One Year away

Well, today is the one year mark on this adventure, and I'm going to the airport to pick up the new education group. I have been asked to work with them as they learn the ropes and get through the training process, which for me was a lot of fun, but for others was the hardest part of service. It's odd to realize that I'm now a veteran in Peace Corps standards, but the education group ahead of mine is mostly gone, and when I look around, I realize again that this experience has a lot of changes and turnover as a central part of it.

Last year I spent the 4th of July in Philadelphia, where it couldn't have been more obviously Independence Day. This time, I was travelling from Farafenni to Kombo, and mostly didn't notice except when a fellow American said something about it. All holidays seem to lose their meaning with distance from home. But, I'll be spending much time over the next few months with fresh-off-the-boat trainees, and I'm hoping they will inject some energy into things here.

I also hope to have more chances to write and post - I did upload a couple of photos the other day - so be on the lookout for more updates within the next weeks. Either that or noticable silence. Meaningless but possible. Hope all is well on the home front, things keep rolling along here...