Anniversaries

The second week of September brings about a lot of change. With the passing of Labor Day, Summer winds down and Fall looms around the corner with cooler temperatures and colorful leaves. Helllooooo flannel! Students and teachers begin another year of school (or their first year), ushering in a variety of emotions amongst both children and parents. And we welcome back American football. So long Sunday afternoons...

This time of the year also resurrects some unforgettable experiences. 14 years ago on September 8, 2001, I witnessed my first Red Sox-Yankees game in Yankee Stadium. As a newly appointed Red Sox fan and growing sports enthusiast, this was the ultimate sports experience. Along with 3 other friends and their dads, my father and I made the drive down to New York City for two nights, lodging at the Marriott Twin Towers. Three days later, as I sat in my 7th grade Social Studies teacher Mrs. Streb's class at 9:00 in the morning, I watched as that hotel, the well-known towers that surrounded it, and the pentagon were attacked by al-Qaeda, resulting in the death of nearly 3,000 innocent people.

Yesterday marked the 14th anniversary of 9/11, and today, 9/12, I hit the 1-year mark as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). These types of events, both positive and negative, and their anniversaries provide an opportunity for reflection and change in our own lives and the world we live in. Specifically, 9/11 gave Americans a chance to unite together, to adapt, to "never forget," and to recognize the tremendous everyday sacrifice of our service men and women.

Peace Corps, in some ways, afforded me the same. As an RPCV, I've been challenged this past year to adapt and reintegrate myself into Western life while simultaneously finding the next part of my camino. The best part about this time: the opportunity to listen and observe family, friends, media, etc. to inform my own opinions and decisions. This is a daily challenge as we often become consumed by our innate busyness. Coincidentally, our failure as individuals and as a society to listen and observe has led to more division than unity...14 years after 9/11, one of the greatest opportunities in American history to create and define our unum.