The Past Two Weeks

This blog post will be written by both of us because of the intense emotions and amount of information we want to share…

Lately, I can’t help but think back to a year ago when we were in the application process for the Peace Corps, Laurie and I would go for long runs in the cold snow on the Olentangy Bike Trail in Columbus and talk about the challenges that we would face during service, the people that we would become as a result, and the sacrifices we would have to make in the end. And although it was good that we tried to prepare for the experience, I realize now that no amount of preparation could really have done us justice for what was to come.

My father, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, told me in the months leading up to our departure to sit back and enjoy it, because the time will go fast, and with this experience there is going to be the loss of innocence. Sitting here writing this blog, a day after my 30th birthday I realize now that I have only begun to understand what he meant by this.

On December 20th, Laurie and I spent the day cleaning the last room in our house. We had been at site for eight days and the realization of just how difficult living with no energy, water, or a personal bathroom was beginning to sink in. But, we were feeling optimistic that we could soon become comfortable with this life. We watched an episode of Mad Men, using the last of our precious computer battery knowing we had plans for the next day to go to Vilankulos, the nearest city, for some pizza, errands, free internet and access to power. We fell asleep around 8:30 pm, as living with no energy makes for an early bedtime. We were awoken in the night by several phone calls, none of which we picked up in our dreamy state.

The next morning on our rickety Chapa ride to Vilankulos we received a distressing phone call from a fellow PCV that there had been an accident in the Southern Region. She went on to give us the news that the night before, several of our friends were being medically evacuated to South Africa and two had died during the night. While this news was disheartening, we took it with a grain of salt since it was only hearsay. However, later that morning it was confirmed by Peace Corps that Alden Landis and Lena Jenison, two vibrant, beautiful, young women in our training group had passed away while three others were in the hospital. They had all hitched a ride back from the beach at night (hitching is common place in Mozambique) and the car swerved off the road. As you can imagine we were instantly stunned, confused, and saddened. The full details of the accident are still being investigated; we are all waiting anxiously to hear about the events that took place that night. Peace Corps issued the following statement here.

The tragedy has caused a ripple for our group as a whole. We all left training excited and optimistic to get to our sites, begin integrating, and start teaching and in just a matter of a few weeks, most of us are now feeling broken. Aside from Chris and I, we learned that many people had different expectations about their sites and were having difficulties adjusting. While Peace Corps makes it very clear that the first 3 months at site tend to be the hardest for PCVs serving anywhere in the world, it still comes as a bit of a surprise that things aren’t easy when all you wanted was to be on your own after 10 weeks of intense training with a homestay family. Of course, this terrible event has only intensified emotions during an already vulnerable time. Peace Corps is trying to accommodate the grieving process with memorial services (which we are attending this week) and counseling, but the fallout is still great. We have learned that a few of our fellow volunteers will be heading home to the US for 45 days to revaluate how and if they will continue their service, and that many others are now questioning if they want to be here at all. And for those that are still here, many want to switch sites in the hopes that the flurry of emotions they are facing right now will subside with a change in scenery.

On a personal level, it has certainly made us question our commitment. When all of the comforts you know have been stripped away, the relationships you make become your comfort. And now, that consistency has been taken away too. In honesty, these last couple of weeks have been some of the hardest of our lives. At this point, we still don’t know how or when Mozambique will start to feel like home, or understand how we will fit in here. What we do know is that we both still want to be here and our passion for living this experience continues to motivate us. We know it will take time for this to pass, and our lives to become more comfortable. With school beginning shortly, our assignments will start and our purpose will become clearer. We’re optimistic that our next blog posts will talk about the massive sized bugs in our home, or how to use a dutch oven to make mint brownies on a charcoal grill. :)

We wanted to end this post with the notes we shared with Lena and Alden’s families for their memorial services at home.

For Alden:
I was drawn to Alden from the fist day that I met her. Her charisma, beautiful smile and lust for life were contagious. I was so amazed by how adventurous her life was and even more so, what a strong and independent person she was for being able to follow her own path. She had an insatiable thirst for knowledge; She always wanted to know more, learn more. Alden wanted to live life to the fullest and from the short, but precious time I got to spend with her, she did it better than anyone I had ever seen. She was dearly loved here in Mozambique, and her memory will forever remain.
-Laurie Williams

A beautiful girl with a wonderful smile, full of adventure with a zest for life. Always beaming with positive energy and excitement. When I first met Alden, I was struck by how easy she was to talk to, I was amazed about how much traveling she had done and how comfortable she was with herself. Maybe it was because she appreciated the simple things in life, sunsets over the ocean, Mozambican a cappella women singing, coconuts and the beauty of the natural world. I feel blessed that I was able to share in these things with her. A bright spot in my life!
-Christopher Williams


For Lena:
I remember the day I arrived in Philadelphia to start my Peace Corps journey, I was struck by this beautiful, blonde, stylishly dressed girl with funky glasses who was sitting at my table for our first orientation. Little did I know that I would find so much more underneath the surface from my initial draw to this lovely person. Lena was caring, smart, relaxed and funny. SO funny! That’s what I think of most when I think of Lena. She had the best sense of humor and comedic timing! I remember so many times where our group was tired of an activity or a training session and she would find a way to make us laugh. I am so privileged to have had her in my life for 3 months, and her memory for a lifetime.
-Laurie Williams

I sat next to Lena during Peace Corps Staging in Philadelphia, she was dressed very well and stylish with bold glasses. When I first met her I thought she was quiet and reserved, boy was I wrong… Over the next couple of months I got to know a girl who was friendly, open and adventuress. She would tell us stories about her Mozambican home stay that would have us all gripping our stomachs with laughter. All 51 of our group (Moz 17) took Meyers Briggs personality tests, Lena and I had the same classification, ENTP:“The driving quality in an ENTPs life is their attention to the outer world of possibilities, they are excited by continuous involvement in anything new, whether it be new ideas, people or activities. They look for patterns and meaning in the world and they often have a deep need to analyze, to understand , and to know the nature of things. ENTPs are typically energetic, enthusiastic people who lead spontaneous and adaptive lives.” She was a special person and is missed by us all.
–Christopher Williams