Not sure if anyone is still reading this, but I thought I'd check in one last time for a little closure. After twenty-seven months and a lot of hard work - we're back in the US of A. We're rebuilding our American life and trying to hold on to all the amazing truths we learned during our time in the Peace Corps. We've been floating between our families in Austin and Houston until we figure out the next step. We just got home from a week-long trip to Georgia - the state this time - to visit all our old friends. I got the chance to give a presentation about our Peace Corps service to my former students - freshmen when we left, seniors today - crazy weird. At the end of the presentation, I got to tell them a few of the lessons I've learned. I couldn't think of a better way to close out the blog than that. So, here it goes.
I've learned...
-To appreciate the chance I have as an American to
question, to criticize, and to have a voice…
-To balance that criticism with a respect for the system
that gives me such freedom…
- To “see myself as others see me”… that humility is not
weakness but wisdom…
- To appreciate the rights I’m guaranteed as a woman and
to fight for those around the world who are denied those same rights…
- To take myself less seriously…
- To remember that “control” is an illusion…
- To embrace who I
am, not who I am “supposed to be”...
-That we all have the power to create and destroy – with
our words as well as our deeds…with our actions as well as our failure to act…
- That the labels we use to identify ourselves often
serve as nothing more than a wall to keep others out…
- That life exists beyond my dot on the map…
Here are a few shots from our time back at home, our trip back, and our last days in Azerbaijan.
Thanks for checking in on us. Here's to the next adventure.
KJW
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| Christmas Shenanigans on the Motor Bike |
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| The nieces - Lots of Sass Happening In This Shot... |
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| Sunset in Beaukiss, Texas - Doesn't Get Much Better Than This... |
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| The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland |
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| Best Graffiti Ever, Near Doolin, Ireland |
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| Dingle, Ireland |
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| Stone Fences, Near Dingle, Ireland |
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| Ruins Near Dingle |
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| Ireland, Near Dingle |
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| The Sea of Galilee |
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| Ruins at Capernaum |
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| The Salty Shore at the Dead Sea |
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| The Dead Sea Up Close |
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| Dustin Looking Over the Valley Below, Masada |
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| View of the Dead Sea From the Top, Masada |
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| On the Way Up, Masada |
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| Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem |
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| Down The Via Dolorosa - A Shocking Mix of Old and New |
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| Looking Over the Old City of Jerusalem from The Mount of Olives |
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| In Tbilisi - The Cure for the Common...Anything! |
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| The Best View In Tbilisi |
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| In Tbilisi With My Girl! |
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| Some of My Favorite People On the Planet - Who Runs The World? These Girls Will... |
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| Saying Good-Bye to My AZETA Counterparts |
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| The GABA Family |
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| Best Cake Ever... |
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| Dustin's Azeri Dance Steps At the GABA Farewell Party |
