Bolivia 44: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

So it's official -- as of Monday, September 22 our Peace Corps service ended. The whole process of our consolidation, evacuation, and completion of service has been a bit surreal. At times we were bogged down with paperwork and details and at other times we were overcome with emotion. Actually leaving Bolivia was the most difficult moment for me. I held out hope that the political atmosphere would calm down and we would be allowed to return to El Puente and continue our service. With each announcement from the PC Admin I thought "This will be the one where they tell us everything is calm again." Even as we waited in the Cochabamba airport and our plane was delayed over and over again, I hoped that things might return to normal. Not until our Country Director finally announced that Bolivia and Peru had approved our flight plan and the C-130 had left La Paz did I begin to accept that this phase of my life was over.

Erica and I walked outside the airport and took some last looks around at the mountains. I cried. We talked. We laughed a bit. Then we went to the observation deck and watched the military plane arrive.

Loading the plane took on a bit of a circus atmosphere. We were told not to take pictures, but hardly anyone could hold back their curiosity. The PC staff, volunteers, and even the Bolivian airport staff were all shooting photos of the military cargo plane. The mood was quite somber as the doors closed and we left Bolivia. We had a great view of Mt. Tunari as we sat on the runway and I was grateful that I had the opportunity to take two trips up the mountain. When we arrived in Peru the mood lightened and we were happy to be greeted by the US Air Force and Embassy officials. In another strange twist, one of the Embassy officials turned out to be my old high school drama teacher. I recognized him immediately but could not remember who he was until his name was announced. Later I talked to him and even though it had been over 15 years since I graduated and I'm a bit more hairy now, he also recognized me.

The next days were spent at a "retreat center" outside of Lima with all 110 Bolivia volunteers. We did paperwork, had sessions to express our feelings, and had time to unwind and just hang out with each other. When Monday came we were whisked away in vans to the central PC Peru office in Lima and were officially no longer Peace Corps Volunteers. It was a strange, abrupt ending to such an intense period in our lives.

At the entrance to our retreat center with fellow B-44 volunteers Gina and Stephanie.

We spent the next two days in Lima, planning out our next steps, eating good food, and renewing our passports. We went to the US Embassy on Tuesday and were helped by a former Bolivia PC volunteer who served in the early 90's. She had heard about our evacuation and we shared stories about our experiences.

We were fortunate to return to our hostel just as a group of friends was setting out for southern Peru. Our bags were already packed and we took advantage of our newly gifted freedom and made the decision to join our friends on the road...

And so begins the next phase of our lives -- we are now Returned Peace Corps Volunteers traveling around South America. We expect to take our time and see this continent and slowly make our way overland to Mexico. We are grateful for our time in Bolivia, the community of El Puente and its people, and the many other volunteers who we met and forged friendships with. We are also very excited about the opportunity to travel a bit before returning to our friends and family in the US.

These are the closing pictures of PC Bolivia taken Monday morning before everyone began their new adventures. We took a Bolivian-style photo without smiles.