Farewell Tarnaveni

So here it is...my last day in Tarnaveni. I left myself some cleaning to do in my apartment to distract myself from my sadness. It's been a great two years, and I've integrated into my community better than I ever thought I would. I love that my friends and neighbors have seen this change in me...and they are sure that I'll return. I will come back, but I've learned over the years that you can never really go back to the place that has taken up a place in your heart...it changes, evolves, and so do you. Every experience inevitably runs its course...and we have to work up the courage to meander onward to our next adventure.

I think that realization is also the source of many of my feelings about returning home to Indiana. It's a mixture between fear and excitement, but I know that it's where I belong now. My time in Romania and the Peace Corps has shown me that I'm a Hoosier at heart and I belong in a small town, specifically the small town that watched me grow up...now it's time for me to give back.

I find myself reminiscing and humming along to the sounds of someplace else--the place of my youth, and I can't wait to return.

So goodbye Tarnaveni! You have been kind to me, and I've been blessed to call you home for the past two years.