I have decided that I want to extend my stay in Lesotho for one more year. That doesn't, however, mean that I'm going to stay in Lesotho for one more year. I'm only a third of the decision-making party. It's me, my school, and the Peace Corps staff. Since both I and my school have decided that I should stay, it's now up to Peace Corps. I have discussed it with them and written a letter of request. I'm not sure exactly when I'll receive an answer.
But why do I want to stay? Well, why not? I always knew the option of a third year was there, and so it floated in the back of my mind from long ago. Recently, I sat down and began drawing up the simple decision chart I learned from Ben Franklin's autobiography my freshman year in college. List the positives, list the negatives. Which weighs more?
So on the good side, that is the staying side, I wrote about my side project of compiling a book called 'Careers and Training Courses in Lesotho'. I've recently started working on this with Mr. Lephoto and Mrs. Mofolo, my Peace Corps supervisors. It's a book of hard information that will guide students in Lesotho with regard to their options after high school. Where can they train to become an electrician? What kind of grades do they need to go to a university? If we find the money, we'd like to distribute a copy to every secondary school in the country. But it's unlikely we will finish this book before I'm supposed to leave in December.
Also on the good side, I would like to be here another year to oversee the development of a library at my school. Currently, I have a two shelves of books and a few stacks of magazines and newspapers in my house, which serves as our school library. Fortunately, friends and family have begun to send us more--two boxes of books from my aunt Lisa and her school and one from my friend Amy have arrived in the past week. More are on the way. And men from our village have dug a foundation for what will be a library building. As more books come, the men will continue their work. If all goes as planned there will be a room full of books and periodicals and students with their noses buried in them someday soon. I want to be around to help and enjoy the process.
Those are the big two: the book and the library. But beyond these there are smaller but still compelling reasons to stick around. I will get to speak Sesotho for another year. (I'm loving Sesotho.) I will get to follow my youngest class of students through their critical national exams at the end of next year. (They're a great class.)
There are, however, some things that make returning home in December appealing. Every once in a while I feel like I want to move on, so to speak. I look forward to settling into a career path and marrying, etc. But what's another year? Family and friends. Of course I miss them, especially my mother. But if I stay, Peace Corps sends me home for up to a month at Christmas. So I'll get to see everyone in December anyway.
Fact is, the staying side of the scale is much heavier. It wins. So I have requested accordingly. We'll see what Peace Corps has to say.