Why I can’t get started

Peace Corps is labeled as "the hardest job you'll ever love", but it allow its volunteers the opportunities to take days off. Assuming that a person fulfills their full 27 months of service (excluding the 3 month PST thing), they get a whopping 48 leave days. That's 2 days off every month! Of course, there are limits to taking time off. You can't use all of your days at once. For OCAP and Youth Development volunteers, if your organization is busy you probably shouldn't take days off. For teachers, taking leave is discouraged if school is in session. You also can't use days in your last three months of service. All restrictions aside, I love it, and challenge any organization or business to do better.

As many days I've racked up, I haven't taken many days off. I have seen a fair bit of Kazakhstan; however mainly while on work travel. It's great to see other parts of the country while assisting other NGOs and volunteers but it's exhausting and I find myself more tired after traveling for work than I would be after a normal week at my site. The last time I had a vacation was in July, and while that is not very long ago, in the lifecycle of a volunteer, 7 months is an eternity. In the aftermath of the holidays and our holiday related actions(see previous 3 posts), things have cooled down at my organization, and it is expected for it to be really slow until March. A perfect opportunity to take some time off.

So, I've decided to go on another short trip. My destination is the oddest of all my travels to date: I'm vacationing at home. Although this trip has been over a year in planning it still feels weird for me. Home for vacation? Really? It feels very weird. Never would I have thought that the United States would be a vacation spot for me, but it is. Disregarding all of my nervousness at seeing friends and family that I haven't seen in over a year, I'm thankful that I have the chance to go back. I'll get to see some old friends and hang out with my family. I will *hopefully* get to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday, watch the Superbowl (I'm hoping for a Colts-Saints match-up), and give a presentation at my alma mater about what I do in Kazakhstan.

However, I have to get there first. So far, this trip has been the most boring and anti-climatic event in my life since watching Evolution in the movie theaters on opening day. At 6am on Sunday morning, I went to the airport. I sat around for 6 hours in the airport until the flight to Amsterdam was delayed for about 20 hours. I was then faced with a choice: either sit in the airport for over a day, or go back to Almaty and hang out. I chose the latter.

I was very angry at the delay, but now I'm ok. Since the first 20 hour announcement, the plane has been delayed 2 more times. At this rate, the delays are on pace to exceed the hours in flight time that it would take to go round trip between American and Kazakhstan. And, I haven't even hit my stop off point yet: Amsterdam.

For now, I'm scheduled on the first available plane to Amsterdam, and then from there, I'm not too sure. Oddly enough, I'm not worried about it. I know I'll get to America. Someday.

I think. :-/

***Update***

I did get back to the US eventually, spending 10 minutes running through the Amsterdam airport, having my bags lost in Detroit, and chilling with this cool Russian man along the way.