should i stay, or should i go?

Because I’m sitting here at the hospital with nothing to do, I thought I’d create a pro/con list of staying for you all to see and potentially comment on.

Pro’s-

-       I would be living in Quelimane, which is a big city that potentially offers more creature comforts like running water, a possible ex-pat community, allowing me to ‘blend in’ a bit.

-       I would be able to run outside without it being considered strange, or getting hit by a chapa

-       A better food selection, and more restaurants because I’m in a city

-       Easy travel because everything leaves from Quelimane

-       Its on a river, so there is a pretty place to go and sit

-       It's a safe town

-       Work potential/opportunity for networking

-       Meeting new people (pcv’s and host country nationals alike)

-       Opportunity to travel an entirely new region of Mozambique

-       I can extend with grad school for one year, and peace corps has granted the opportunity to COS early so I could make it back in time to start

-       I get 30 days at home whenever I want

-       One more year of fruit season (mangos!!)

-       The beaches in Mozambique

-       I would be able to improve my Portuguese even more

-       Possibility of getting more visitors from America

-       Not having to find a home for Lua just yet

Con’s

-       The possibility of having no work

-       Moz 18 (my closest friends/family) will not be here

-       It is very hot and very humid in Quelimane

-       Eating Mozambican food for another year, its delicious, but there isn’t much variety

-       Medical issues, like stomach viruses, eye infections etc

-       Being away from friends/family

-       Transport in Mozambique (always a crapshoot, and totally out of my control)

-       Unwanted male attention, and yet limited dating prospects

-       Being on a subsidy again

-       The possibility of having no work (said twice, because if I spend another year that is anything like the past few months here I’d go crazy)

-       The inherent frustrations of life in Mozambique

-       Another year of bugs/snakes/creatures of Moz

-       Not moving back home to start grad school yet, which is something I’ve been looking forward to for months

-       Missing things at home like the holidays, weddings, social events etc.

-       Living on a subsidy for another year

So while it seems that most of my Con’s are indeed creature comforts, and wanting to be back with family and friends. . . a lot of it also stems from my experience here already. I know that I just cant go through another year of feeling useless, not included, and like I’m wasting my time. But I also don't want to come home, and always be wondering “what if”…