From our “Home Sweet Homes” back to our “Home Away from Home”

Jess writes:

As a brief primer: Adam and I recently took the very long 40+ hour round-trip route home to spend some much-needed time with family and friends, and to be a part of a very special wedding! Oh, and did I mention that this trip also gave cause to enjoy some of the finest luxuries in life… namely, running water, a toilet? Ahhhhhh… As a previous post mentioned, we were in the gloriousness that is our “Home Sweet Homes”. And yes, two of them, the Midwest one (with our two, amazing families and many, amazing friends) and the East Coast one (with some of my oldest, amazing friends)!

And how was the visit back?? For lack of a better string of words: unimaginably, indescribably, unmistakably, ummm, incredible! :-)

To begin, we crammed our first weekend with as many parties and get-togethers as humanly possible: first, a much-needed Mexican dinner with both families to celebrate “Christmas in August” (ahhh… Mexican… and Christmas!!)! Next, an always-crazy-and-awesome Duffy’s Night with the whole Duffy’s crew and of course all our amazing friends from every corner of the Midwest, including those that drove in from the Chicago suburbs, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio (you are all awesome!)! Followed by a thoroughly relaxing day by the Aleksy pool with great food, drinks, and tons of family and friends from not only the Midwest, but also from California, Kentucky and Virginia (it wouldn’t have been the same without you!)! To round out the experience, we even fit in an educational day discussing our work with Peace Corps to Juniors and Seniors at St. Bede Academy, Adam’s alma mater (see an article about our visit in the previous post, titled, “In the News”). And finally, we topped it all off with a “Post-Weekend Partying Party” in the suburbs in honor of our good ‘ol “Tuesday Night (Wine) Tastings”!! (…okay, so that a specific Krajniak doesn’t feel the need to correct my blogging: I was sick for that last event, but Adam went… and can you blame me? I was exhausted!!) Whew!

The following days were filled mostly with family catch up time about the most important things going on in our lives – new houses, new relationships, new pregnancies, new jobs, new ups and some new downs, and so forth – for a full week of relaxed family time. Of course we talked lots about Peace Corps (it’s almost obligatory, right?), but what was best of all was hearing – finally in detail! – all that had happened since we had left. And to actually see people’s faces when they told us funny stories, or talked about plans, or just mused on the moments of love and life from the very full past months… something phones – and not even Skype – can ever fully capture. There were lazy mornings on the front porch and long afternoons at the lake house and all the while we found ourselves doing what one always does when you’ve been this far away from home for a while… looking around at the people surrounding you and thinking to yourself, “Yup, this is home.”

It was pretty much perfect. Just too short.

And then we were off to my second of “Home Sweet Homes”… the oh-so-homey-because-it-smells-a-little-like-old-dirt-and-salt of Cape Cod. Ha! Everything about landing on the East Coast brings me back to what I love about growing up there and once I’m reunited with friends I very quickly revert to a slightly plumper version of my seventeen-year-old self, only now with margarita in hand!

This trip was also too short, but we managed to fill it too with plenty of friends and conversations: late-night discursions en route from the airport, old-time chatter in the back of a friend’s workplace, mass catch-all catch-ups at wedding-related functions and one-on-one laughter in the pre-shift midday. And of course, we did this all over as much seafood as we could possibly scavenge – seafood raviolis, fried calamari, clam and quahog chowder and plenty, oh plenty, of lobster!!

And I have yet to touch on the actual wedding itself – Kimme & Brian’s – in which I was a very high-heeled, champagne & mahogany, bridesmaid! It was stunning! And while I would have loved to have had the entire weekend to eat raw confetti cake batter with Kimme in our pajamas on the couch… *wink*… I was beside myself to see her – in her beautiful ivory lace, all smiles… and some tears – on the day that she got to marry Bri. I had jokingly told Kimme & Bri that theirs was the most we had ever paid for a wedding present (that, being the tickets home), but the truth is that not much would have stopped me from being at that wedding… not even the entire Atlantic ocean. (And both of our incredible families knew this as well, so all the thanks go to them for making the whole thing possible!!)

So… all in all, we had the very best of possible trips home: family, friends, and more love to give, receive, and be a part of than we could have ever asked for!

But, eventually, we had to get back on that plane…

And now we’re back in our new home, our “Home Away from Home”, as many of us like to call it. And while we would never trade in any of our experiences in the Peace Corps thus far, it is nevertheless difficult to come back after such a great, albeit short, trip back to those other “homes”. So our first days back have been long… and hot… and once again we are readjusting to bucket baths, and pit latrines, and fans that simply do not have a high enough setting.

In fact, in a phonecall the other day with a friend and fellow PCV, we were asked “So how’s the transition back?” I laughed to myself, as I pictured ‘Transition’ as this allusive medical condition that every PCV accepts upon entry to Peace Corps, a pre-existing condition of sorts, which every PCV must self-medicate and treat on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily basis. All these ‘Transitions To’ and ‘Transitions From’ that pop up like nasty allergies when you finally think you’re becoming immune to the local ailments… argh. “So, how’s the transition back?” she asked. “It sucks.” I answered, but with a laugh. “Yeah,” she replied, “It’ll take time. Geez… that’s gotta be weird.” Yes, weird it is.

But just last night someone from home – someone that can always make me smile – sent me some encouraging words to ponder, my favorite of which was a quote by Thomas Paine: “What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; it is the difficulty that gives everything its value.” This reminded me somewhat of the slightly borrowed-and-altered PCV philosophy of, “What doesn’t kill you, makes for a great story.” I guess the truth is, none of this will probably kill us (except maybe the gargantuan millipedes) and while all these ‘Transitions’ are obnoxiously persistent, without them there certainly wouldn’t be any value in the stories that we will one day be able to tell about our time here. And most important, regardless of any of the difficulty, I wouldn’t have given up visiting home for anything – to share those stories we’ve already made here and to bring back ones that we’ve just been a part of – well, that’s worth the whole world right there.

We love you all… and miss you always.

Salani kahle!

In the News...

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Section: Front Page-A3

By Matthew Baker
NewsTribune Reporter

One St. Bede Academy alumnus got a very early head start on homecoming with a visit back to the academy Monday with tales from the other side of the globe.

Adam Aleksy and his wife Jess spent the day speaking with students about their experiences in South Africa as Peace Corps volunteers.

Using his trombone skills, St. Bede Academy junior Joe Mauck (from left) plays a South African vuvuzela as classmates Mike Venegas, Ty Dobrich and Ali Braboy look on during a classroom presentation by Peace Corps volunteers Adam and Jess Aleksy. The Aleksys are working with the Peace Corps in the village of Schoemansdal in South Africa. (NewsTribune photo by Amanda Whitlock)

For the past seven months the couple has been living in a country filled with disparity.

South Africa’s major cities are very well developed, but the country’s rural areas are basically the third world, Adam explained.

“We live in the third world part of South Africa,” he said.

They are currently residing in a small tin-roofed home in the village of Schoemansdal.

The home features fairly consistent electricity but dishes are washed in a set of tubs with the used water being dumped outside the house. Similarly, the closest they get to a bath is a set of larger tubs in which they stand while pouring heated water onto themselves.

“I had my first actual shower in seven months a few weeks ago,” said Jess with only slight exaggeration.

Their house also comes with lizards, which aren’t such a bad thing once one realizes the lizards eat the roaches and mosquitoes, Adam said.

Despite lacking in creature comforts, their South African experience has been “fantastic,” Adam said. They still have about a year and a half left to serve in the country.

While in South Africa they are overseeing a café and local craft shop that will cater primarily to tourists. Jess explained the revenues generated by the shop will support the Peace Corps’s humanitarian efforts in the area and the business will create local jobs.

Along with discussing their experiences, Jess gave a short primer on the more interesting aspects of the Siswati language, one of nearly a dozen spoken in the country. The students were most interested in the non-English clicking sounds incorporated in the language.

Students also had the opportunity to try blowing a vuluzela horn – made infamous recently for the loud, droning tones the traditional South African horns produced during this year’s World Cup matches.

Still, not all is well in the country, which explains while the Peace Corps continues to send volunteers into South Africa.

The Rev. Robert Pondant, O.S.B., questioned the couple on a recent report of human trafficking in South Africa.

“There is a massive amount of human trafficking in our area,” Adam said, noting that the problem appears to be on the rise.

Jess said HIV and AIDS continue to be a serious problem in South Africa, as well. In some areas of the country, especially within the immigrant population, the rate of people testing positive for HIV/AIDS is staggering, as much as 62 percent in some cases, she said.

One senior student questioned them on what the Peace Corps does to address such problems.

“What Peace Corps drills into you as a volunteer is: you don’t go in a country and say, “I’m going to do this for you,’” said Jess.

Instead, Adam explained, volunteers work with local organizations to help them build and strengthen their internal infrastructure, thus increasing the organizations’ abilities to grow, increase revenues and perform necessary functions.

The couple also provided information for students who may consider applying for the Peace Corps in the future.

“Over the past few years the Peace Corps has become a very competitive program to work for,” Adam said.

A bachelor’s degree is almost required, but just as important is experience volunteering.

“They want to see a history of volunteerism in your past,” Adam said, adding that St. Bede students, who are required to perform volunteer service hours throughout their high school careers, have an advantage in that area.

He also said students don’t need to worry about having a particular major in college in order to be accepted into the Peace Corps.

For more information on the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov.

Home for the... Holidays?

Jess writes:

Adam and I are enjoying some incredible time with friends and family at home, including presents to honor "Christmas in August"! Ha! There will be plenty of updates to come, but for now...

...it's Home Sweet Home!!

Salani kahle!