Visiting the US as a Peace Corps Volunteer

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YAAAAAS - ya girl was able to go visit the United States three weeks. Although the time seemed long it went by so fast. Shit, ya girl is sitting in her home in Indonesia listening to the frogs while writing this. However, there are people who aren’t able to visit their family during service, so I tried not to take it for granted. 

I was able to be at a family birthday party.

The reason why I decided to upload this post was to help other volunteers who are planning on visiting the states. It can be difficult going home and I wanted people to know they're not alone. However, if you’re a family member of a PCV this post can help you understand where they might be in their minds when visiting the US.

Before I left I started getting mixed feelings. I cried a little and for some reason, it felt like I was leaving my host country forever. I thought to myself, “will this be how I feel when I COS?”. I felt guilty for leaving and being able to be in the states for part of my service. But I wasn't about to let that interfere with me having a fun vacation.

What I did to help with that feeling is tell myself “girl you coming back it’s fine. You still have time.” So I said goodbye and I was super excited to get back to New York.

I was able to get my friends together and catch up

When I arrived it all felt surreal, it still doesn’t feel like I went to the states. It feels like it was all a dream. My first day back in the US I felt like nothing changed, but everything did change. My world changed. I had just traveled across the f*** world to see the people I love and went through some shit.

After all the hugs and the "welcome homes” were over everyone went back to just -living-. It was awkward for me because I didn’t have:

1. village children watching me
2. nosey neighbors asking me what I was doing
3. random people asking where I was going

....and part of me missed that.
 But I told myself not to think about the Peace Corps while I was on vacation and with the help of my partner, I made sure of that.

I went on a Museum date. *Museum of Natural History

I went on an Ice Cream Date *Sugar Hill Factory in Harlem

I was able to overeat all the good food the US had to offer with the people I love most.

I was able to walk around New York City and go see a movie *End Game & Godzilla

This trip reminded me that everything is right where I left it and it’ll be there when I come back. Some people you know may have drifted, but everyone is doing alright. 

Even though I was so happy to be home, I couldn't help but stay up at night with this feeling in my stomach. A feeling telling me, “you’re not supposed to be here now”, and that’s what made me realize that being far away and completing my service is what I should be doing right now. The trip reassured me that I was doing the right thing.

Volunteers, I guess I’ll leave you with this…

Be in the moment when you visit your loved ones. They may not understand what you go through and if you get frustrated with them just remember to understand you have changed and they will not be able to understand why yet so make sure you don't leave the States on a bad note. *Life is short remember that* Also, unplug if you need to. Your host country and the people in your village will be fine and waiting for you to come back to hear stories about the United States, so go have fun!

Loved ones of volunteers….

I hope my experience can help you understand what a volunteer may be dealing with internally. 

If you have any questions feel free to message me. I'd love to answer them. Remember it might take a while if you're in a different time zone than me.

Thanks for reading, xoxo

-Bren