Day 3 on Pele, pt. 2: kittens, Angela and Cris

2016-Jun-07

I moved into the bungalow today after class. It is really nice and more importantly spacious. I have a whole small house to myself instead of one small room. The bungalow rents for 3,500 vatu per night ($35.00), which is paid for by the Peace Corps. This also seems to be the place where three kittens hang out. They're tiny, adorable, and always stalking each other. The quality of my living arrangements went up several notches today.

My new sister helped me move. She's another trainee named Angela, and we were next door neighbors in Epau. I really like her. It is like having a sister here, and since I miss my real sister, that's pretty good for me. I am working on my habit of refusing help. I almost refused her offer before I came to my senses and accepted. I've just grown into a lifestyle of having to do everything by myself, and am not used to accepting help. But moving was better and more enjoyable with Angela.

I have sort of a dream of going around Vanuatu and interviewing everyone in my group. They're all very different. I've tried to perceive the one thing we all have in common, some particular thing that might have made the Peace Corps want them. The trainees come from different age, ethnic and economic groups. Having a college education isn't formally a requirement for the PC, but considering the applicant pool, it really is a requirement. But the trainees in my group have all kinds of different degrees,  and some have graduate degrees. The only common trait is that we all wanted to be in the Peace Corps.

For example this morning I was running late, but then I thought of my fellow trainee Cris. I thought, what would she do? She'd take her time, because it is her time to take. She'd say to herself that they'd just have to get started and get along without her until she showed up, and she'd be right. She would be who she wanted to be, and take the time she needed that was best for her. And the world would go on just fine. And it did. And it does. So that's the attitude I took and I felt better.  Thanks, Chris. 

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