Due to some kind of error in the Medical Office, my medical clearance hasn't even begun yet (it should have started a month ago) and I would need to be cleared by now in order to leave in April for the program in which I was re-enrolled.
This kind of thing is frustrating about the Peace Corps, but I'm going to stay patient and focused and keep calling them until they give my file the priority it deserves as an evacuee.
A lot of my other Peace Corps friends who were evacuated with me have already re-enrolled, got their medical clearance and invitations, and a couple have already left for their new posts! (Good luck, Daywalker and Big Cactus!)
So I guess I'm not leaving in April!
Oh well, it's not the worst thing to have to stay for an extra month or two.
Maybe I'll go hike the Grand Canyon again! I did it a couple of weeks ago with my family and it was beautiful and terrible and covered in snow. We hiked South Kaibab trail to the river and back in a day, aka the "turn and burn." I wouldn't recommend this hike to anyone, unless they were in great shape and slightly masochistic.
I loved it, though. There is something magical about the canyon to me. Every time I hike up, I hike alone and always have some kind of epiphany about my life, which is usually a variation of the same realization: everything is perfect, everything will be okay, or there is nothing wrong.
This time, my realization was gratitude. I felt grateful for every breath, every step as I hiked up that steep muddy trail. I was grateful that I could feel my heart beating and my muscles working to get me out again. I was grateful for my family and friends and for every single moment of my life. I was grateful for all of the places I've been able to see and the people I've been able to meet. I have been privileged to have experienced so much beauty and love in my lifetime. And I am grateful in advance for all of the things to come!
