Rx: immediate vacation

The other day, I heard myself say, “I love having visitors at my house, but occasionally I need alone time to spend with Mauritanians.” Let me recap: when I’m not passing time with fellow volunteers or tourists, I’m using the limited amount of free time to integrate, speak foreign languages, eat cous cous, wave flies from babies’ eyes, drink tea, etc.

No wonder I’ve been stressed.

When my director Aw came up to do site visit in December, he was floored by the effusive praise I earned. In every office visited – the Mayor, the Wali, the Hakem, the director of the Ministry of Education, the Secrétaire Générale, the PTA presidents, the school directors – my colleagues gushed about my work ethic, cheerful demeanor, commitment to integration and unlimited availability. Aw was floored, but not speechless. His response: “I think you may be working too hard. You should take a vacation.”

In the last 45 years of Peace Corps history, this sentiment must have been conveyed to volunteers, but probably fewer times than I have fingers.

With suitors offering trips to Morocco, stays in Senegal, rides to Mali and flights to Dubai, the world is my destination. If only I could find and actually use my “me time” for me.