Last night, I went to an Returned Volunteers happy hour in Cleveland. It was fantastic. The volunteers had so many stories, and so much great advice as to what to pack and how to be a smarter volunteer, just in general, that I feel much more comfortable than just 24 hours ago. I heard some of the best stories, especially when it comes to being brutally honest.
The living conditions sound very much like camping in the woods ... for a couple years. I know I adjust to that lifestyle very easily (and in many ways, I prefer it), so I don't think that will be a very difficult adjustment. The language barrier seems to not give anyone any trouble, even the ones who have very little background in the language they will need to speak. It seems that you pick up very quickly on the native languages, and even though I knew this, I hadn't heard it from enough people to really hit home. I'm still going to keep doing plenty of studying in the next few weeks though!
I did take everything with a grain of salt, however, because these volunteers are the ones who completed their service and were satisfied enough with it to continue to associate themselves with Peace Corps in some capacity, even in just a social one. I do know of volunteers who didn't have as great a time, but it seems that the people who did make the most of their time abroad were very flexible, unlike those who are less glowing about the experience. Even though it wasn't explicitly stated, adaptation to different situations seems to be the most important quality -- plasticity, if you will.
I definitely need to find a way to take music. When I'm listening to good music, it fills the air around me with an indescribable atmosphere. Music can dash anxiety in a second, and can give unconditional hope. I think I might need a dose of that.
