Macedonia has a mountainous terrain and just when I thought I rounded the last bend to my destination, I was had to endure another. It was my good fortune (in hindsight, of course) that I tore my left knee meniscus (during strength training????) a couple weeks before leaving for staging. If it had happened a few weeks/months into my assignment, I would have been medevaced(?) and never come back glowing with accomplishment.
My doctor recommended arthroscopic surgery immediately before I left on assignment. In his experience due to my physically fit condition I would heal rapidly without needing a crutch and be ready to board a plane in 3 days. The whole office shifted in high gear on Tuesday to run me through pre-op tests, labs, etc and got me ready for surgery on Wednesday, Sept 24, 2008. I was given a whole lot of exercises to perform and the doctor gave me the go ahead to leave on Friday, Sept 26 for Philadelphia, my staging city.
Imagine my disappointment that I was immediately put on medical hold by the Peace Corps Medical Office. They were to make their decision long distance and needed time to review my surgery related medical files. I bid a tearful farewell to my new friends (hope to see you all in a few years) the first evening of my first day of staging event and returned home to wait this out.
I am writing today because all medical documents are now in Washington, after my last follow-up visit Jan 20, 2009. Everything works in slow gear when you are in a hurry. There's something magical about this date in our history and I have high hopes that in a small way this will allow me to make history in my personal life. I am afterall leaving behind my husband and four children (one a freshman in college and the other three just a couple years past their undergraduate studies - the age of most of my new PC colleagues).
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