Peace Corps

I’m writing this blog to reintroduce myself and allow my readers to stay up to date on my life as a peace corps volunteer. Since I last blogged in 2019 while teaching in Nepal, I’ve done some growing up. At that time, I had recently graduated from high school and decided to take a gap semester. On my 3 months off I participated in an Outward Bound semester program. We started with backpacking near Leadville, CO then went to Joshua Tree California to rock climb. After learning a lot about ropes and knots and gear, we spent a couple of weeks canyoneering in San Rafael Swell near Moab, UT. We finished our course backpacking in the Ecuadorian Andes. I called my parents on my first day off course begging them to change my flight so I could stay in Ecuador with my new best friends. They agreed and I was able to stay the next few weeks with some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. We spent much of that time reminiscing about the best 80 days of my life. We laughed about how many mornings we spent wringing our sleeping bags out after camping on the perpetually wet ground that coats the mountains of Ecuador. We shared pictures of the stunning moon rise we saw in the desert together. We bought $1 empanadas and were overjoyed to no longer be eating cold, overcooked polenta. And then we shed tears as we hugged goodbye at the airport knowing we had to fly back to different states. I spent the holidays at home in Colorado with my amazing family and then flew to Vermont to begin school at Middlebury College. I spent 5 whole weeks there before getting sent home for COVID. We all know how fun that was. I spent the next 4 years there and graduated in February of 2024. Highlights include: Going back to Nepal summer of 2022 with CGA, countless hours spent teaching and enjoying skiing at the Snowbowl ( the 600 acre mountain out college owns), being in New England when the leaves changed color, the 10 day ski trip I took with my brother and our friends to Park City, my first marathon, my creative writing professor who believed in me, a cool lab studying water quality, Two Brothers Tavern, and mostly, the 4 friends I made that I’ll keep for life. 

Since graduating, I’ve been having too much fun living in the mountains with my incredible parents. I finished the ski season with the most days I have ever gotten. I made some great new great friends and have been SO lucky to see some old ones. I ran and hiked hundreds of miles on my favorite trails with my favorite person (my mom), I fell in love, and I got ready to move to Tanzania for 2 years. 

How does one get ready to do that?

Yea, I have no idea. 

I spent time with people and in places that felt important. I got vaccinated for things I have never heard of, I downloaded DuoLingo for the first time, I promised my brother (who is my best friend) that I would figure out how to have a functional phone while I am away, I hugged my grandmother’s fragile frame and felt like I wasn’t really lying when I said “I’ll see you again. I promise.” because maybe there is life after this one?   I read too many Reddit posts about being a Peace Corps volunteer, I bought unflattering dresses and the letherman I have always wanted, I gave my favorite bartender a Thank You card, I packed a big suitcase, I worried my suitcase wasn’t packed well enough, I unpacked a big suitcase, I flew to Philadelphia to attend a staging event, I learned about the Peace Corps mission to promote world peace and friendship, I started writing again.

Now I’m here at Terminal 4 and excited (not terrified at all) to keep you updated. 

Big love,

Zoe Luna