The Rise and Fall of Summer 2008

This summer has been full of change, life-changing experiences and opportunities and endings and beginnings. I've hardly been in Moscow, and I hardly ever am in the summer, but even more so this summer than ever before. My 6 weeks away in Lagos changed me irrevocably. I am always missing that place and those people, and even if I were to go back, someday, somehow, it will never be the same as it was. It's like I left right when I was starting to build a home there. I was building friendships and settling in to my job, and then I just had to leave. If it hadn't have been for moving out of my apartment back in Moscow, I would have stayed until the middle of July. I wish I had spent more time there these last 2 years and I plan to make up for that when my parents move to Poland. I plan to take ever more advantage of the opportunites presented to me by their profession. No more 2-3 week trips because that's all I think I can fit in - I really want to KNOW Krakow, be immersed in it. I want to learn Russian, at least a little, before next summer. I could learn Polish, but I can get by there with Russian and it'll be more useful to me, because it is more widely used. I want to spend at least 6 weeks there next summer, if not more. I want to work at the consulate again.

I started reading stories of Peace Corps volunteers today and it made me want to try and do that someday. The only thing I worry about is being sent to somewhere really remote and having my body/health fail me, as it often seems to do. Maybe I'll marry someone who would join with me - that, to me, seems like it would be even more incredible, to be able to share that with your spouse.

I also spent in week in Boston with my aunt and my mom. That was amazing because I don't really have a sense of a close extended family like some people, and my aunt (who's only 3 years older than me) has always been the one I'm closest to, but in the past few years, we've hardly had any chances to really see each other and find out who we are - now that we are not longer childhood playmates. But we spent a week together, our own hotel room, hooking uo with my mom for part of the day, but mostly just exploring by ourselves. I hope I get to do something like taht with her every year.

And then I'm still learning about my relationships. With Sam, with friends. WHo I want to be, and who I want to be with nd around - those concepts are forever evolving. I no longer believe Sam is who I'll be with forever. But I also do not see an end for us anytime soon. We are happy, he's a part of me, he's family and until there is some strong reason that I should not be with him , like serious problems with our relationship, or someone else that I fall for, I don't see any reason to not continue being happy with him. But I just know I am not passionate enough about him to be with him for the rest of my life. I want to say "yes yes a thousand times yes" to the person who proposes to me, not "yeah, sure, okay." I just hope I do not have to end up breaking his heart again. That when the end to us comes, we both see the need for it. I hope.

And then there's my job. My job which I LOVE, which has fit me perfectly and made me so thankful. Chances are, 95% sure, that the daycare will no longer exist by the end of summer, due to changes within the family. I have a couple of ideas for jobs next year, none as good as the one I have now, but ones that I will be happy with. Hopefully the one I want most will pan out, which would be taking care of the 1 year old at the daycare right now, at his home, and doing some housework as well for the family. But I have to present my idea to the parents first, and see if that's even close to something they want. Otherwise, I'll start applying to other daycares in town.

3 more weeks of summer. Who knows what will happen.