| Close of Service Conference 23rd March, 2003 |
| I just returned from the COS (close of service) Conference in Borovets, a small resort town in the Rhodopi Mountains. We spent our days in sessions on everthing from medical to life after Peace Corps. I definately feel more at ease with everything after listening to what all the speakers had to say. There was a great session where expats were brought in to discuss working overseas, and also the American staff held a session on how they dealth with returning to the states after 2 years of being away. In the evening we trid to spend time together as volunteers, and had activities such as horseback riding and suicide sledding. i haven't been on a horse in at least 10 years so it was great fun. We spent an hour on them going around trails that led behind the ski slopes. With so much snow still on the ground it was absolutely beautiful. The sledding was also great fun, although it was quite a pain to hike all the way up the slope trailing the sled behind me!! The banquet lunch was amazing. Seeing everyone so dressed up, not since the Swearing In ceremoney have I seen so many people nicely dressed! Each volunteer was called up indivudually and given a certificate, then shook Carl's hand, as well as the program manager and the representative from their sector of the Ministry. After the lunch, we hung out, I even got to go swimming in the hotel pool, which had huge floor to ceiling windows and a glass roof so we could watch the snow storm going on outside. That night we organized a cocktail-type party where we watched a video made by two volunteers, gave out awards of our own, and had a special concert from "Hi 5" - the boy band created during PST. It was hilarious!! After that we just mingled around, trying to talk with everyone one last time, and just enjoying the evening. It was great, and I was really sad to leave the next morning. It will be hard to leave the family I have here, but I'm getting more and more excited to return home and get a job, and go back to grad school. |