My Peace Corps Family

I’ve spent the last two weeks out of site and I’m completely ready to go back to site now and try some more. I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent away and it has given me the opportunity to realize at least one thing; Peace Corps Malawi really has become like a family to me. I climbed Mt. Mulanje with some friends from my Environment group and it really showed me how I truly relate to them like family.
The way they would tease me and I knew it was out of love; the way I would snore causing them to lose sleep and they would still let me join the cuddle party; And how they would do things that I found annoying but I let it pass cause I know that they have other great qualities. Maybe due to my increase patience I treat them better than I treated my own brother and sister who’ve annoyed me in the past.
One great example is a certain little “joke” that some of my fellow environment volunteers are “playing” on me. When I was at camp Sky I spent the night in the room of another volunteer and from that came a short quip that I am gay. Now it is one thing to just to say. “ Sam is gay, ha ha ha!” But it is another when you go all out and perpetuate this rumor to the point of where people are asking me after several degrees of separation if I am gay! Even more so when I know these guys are doing it on a continual basis. But I suppose that I don’t get pissed because I just shake my head, call the creator of this rumor a Stupid Asshole and know that he isn’t truly being malicious and just wants laughs. It is like one of those obnoxious family jokes that you are the butt of and everybody likes except you, but you kind of smirk every once in a while and you don’t fight too much cause your family loves you anyway.
They are like my family in another way, I don’t get to pick them, I am stuck with them, and I don’t have to like them but I do have to love them. Oh Peace Corps, what a funny institution you are.
I'll blog about Mt. Mulanje later. Love you guys!