The last 6 weeks have been both exciting and stressful, and even a little bit frightening. As I watched my good friend Emily depart from Moldova, I was also struggling with a tough decision of my own. Let me start from the beginning.
In July, during my vacation in Germany, I took advantage of being in Bonn to make acquaintance with some of my mom’s colleagues at the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) headquarters there. I scheduled a couple meetings in the hopes of making some connections that might come in useful next year when my Peace Corps service would be ending and I would start looking for my next job. The timing of my meetings turned out to have been serendipitous for a UNV program in Kiev, Ukraine. It seems that they have been looking for some time for “the right person” to complete their team of International UN Volunteers working on the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Program (CRDP). Apparently I impressed someone during my meetings at UNV, and within a week of my return to Moldova I was contacted by a coordinator in Kiev and invited to interview for the position of Community Development Specialist. I was flattered, but told them I still had another year of service in Moldova and wasn’t ready to consider another job yet. Despite my hesitation, they insisted they wanted to interview me anyway, and I decided it couldn’t hurt to make a good impression now so as to better my chances next year when I started looking seriously for work.
To make a long story short, they did an excellent job of convincing me that this is an great opportunity to work on a VERY exciting development program. I still hesitated, though, and asked to meet with them and learn more about the program in person since I already had vacation planned in Kiev in September. They agreed, and I spent several hours one day at the UN and CRDP headquarters in Kiev. It was even better than I expected. The work sounds incredible – challenging and stimulating – and the people are wonderful. It’s a step up in the world of international development, a management position that utilizes my combination of skills and experience perfectly. It’s not only an incredible opportunity for me, personally and professionally, it is a practically a dream come true. I couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity, and the only downside is that it came a year earlier than I would have wanted.
I labored and stressed over this decision for nearly 2 months. I regret immensely that this unbelievable opportunity comes at the expense of my PC experience. Unfortunately, we don’t always get to have the best of all possibilities. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a choice between two extraordinary opportunities. I have had my struggles in Moldova, as each and every PCV does no matter what country they are in. I can honestly say, though, that I have loved my experience. I have met incredible people, made wonderful friends, and have been blessed with the love and affection of two amazing families. In the last year, I have gained 2 more sets of parents, another grandma, 2 additional brothers, a sister, 2 nieces and a nephew. I couldn’t have asked for my life to have been enriched more strongly than it has been in the last year by so many wonderful people. One consolation is that I will still be close to my friends and families here, and I most definitely will be visiting as often as I can.
I joined the Peace Corps with the hope of making at least a tiny difference in the life of at least one person. What I didn’t expect was the difference so many people would make in my life. I never understood why authors put those long acknowledgement lists in books, but now I find that I, too, have a desire to put in writing the names of the many people who have given me their friendship, support, and love – the people without whom I couldn’t have done this. To my wonderful family in Ialoveni: Fyodor Ivanovich, Tamara Ivanovna, Alyona, Anya and Ksenia – you set the bar high for every other relationship in Moldova! To my incredible family in Tvarditsa – Anya, Gresha, Sasha, Vova, Babushka and little Gresha: you exceeded my extremely high expectations, and I couldn’t have asked for a better family. There is something particularly special about living with people who truly love each other and enjoy each other’s company, and for your love of each other, I am especially grateful. To the fantastic kids in the English Club, especially Natasha, Maia, and Galya: you are extraordinary, talented young women. I am proud to know you, and I am happy to know that the future is in the hands of people like you. To my best friend in Tvarditsa, whom I also consider one of my best friends in the world, Petya Popov – I thank my lucky stars that I sat in your seat on the bus! I will miss our crazy walks and our philosophical discussions. I expect our debates to continue by email! To my partners, Donna and Galya – thank you for your friendship and support. I came here to help you achieve your dreams, and instead you believed in me and helped me achieve mine. To my fabulous PCV friends, to M14, and especially to Emily and Joanna – I couldn’t have asked to serve with better people. I can’t imagine this past year without you. To my American family and friends – I thank you for supporting me in my adventures; for sending me packages and emails that reminded me I was not alone, especially on the days when I felt so far away from everyone and everything; and for never saying that I was doing something crazy. To all the people who have been following my life this last year, especially the past, current, new and future PCV’s, I thank you. It amazes me that so many people have found this site and have taken an interest in what I am doing.
For many years, being a Peace Corps Volunteer was one of my greatest dreams. The funny thing about dreams, though, is that they often don’t turn out quite as you expected. If there’s been any kind of theme in my life this past year, it has definitely been that the unexpected is exactly what you can and should expect. Thus, my life as PCMoldovAnn unexpectedly comes to a close a year early. I will go to the U.S. for a couple weeks before starting my new position in Kiev at the end of October. I plan to keep the blog going, though, and I hope you continue to find it interesting and worth reading.
Anka in Kyiv 