Six

Today marks six months in Peru - time is crazy. Six months ago I got on a plane, not entirely sure what I was getting myself into, but certain that I wanted to find out. Even with so many months already behind me, I'm still figuring out my role in my community, and discovering what being a Peace Corps volunteer means for me. But I'm enjoying the ride, including all its ups and downs, and I never regret getting on that plane.

The fact that each volunteer signs on for a set two years of service puts a funny sort of time stamp on our lives and work here. There are always milestones to mark, whether it be counting up how many months you've been at site, or counting down how many months you have left in country. To always have these frameworks of time in mind is a bit odd - in what other job do you, from day one, count down how much time you have left? - but it can also be a good and motivational force that keeps you going through tough times or inspires you to make the most of what (relatively) little time you have in your community. Six months is no small span, so today we 19ers take a moment to reflect, appreciate how far we've come, and raise a toast to all the adventures that remain.