A good year

Here I am. I'm sitting in an air conditioned office with wi-fi. I think I've made it, become a "grande", even though I'm a little nervous my money's going to run out this month. I'm going on my 3rd year as a PCV in Cameroon.

It's kind of hard to believe that I ever made this decision, especially where I was coming from. The city life is hard; the work is undefined and almost unbearable. I lived in an up-and-coming slum, and people would shout at me (often obscene words) multiple times a day.

But, here I am. I recognize that I am still in the honeymoon phase, but I can tell this is going to be a good year. This is what two years of suffering were for.
a) I live 15 minutes from a tropical beach. The water is warm, but cooling from the day's heat. The waves are gentle, and the small sand particles remind me of a spa treatment rub. I have to walk past my friend's house to get to the beach, and I am inevitably offered food. Fresh fish or fresh legume dishes, it is all delicious.
b) I no longer have the stress of dealing with raising a dog. Here there is no pavement, so cars and motos can't go fast enough to pose a real threat to my dog. This means he runs off leash all day and scavenges. Which also makes my life easier when I travel. He's self-sufficient. He also loves the beach, and although he doesn't like swimming in the ocean, his separation anxiety causes him to join me frequently in the water.
c) Work. Oh, what it means to have the support of other staff members, a present supervisor, other people who are interested in what you're interested in. I will never take that for granted ever again. Here, much like in Ebolowa, I have ideas. Only here I have the means and the capabilities to improve on ideas and implement them. This is partly a result of the fact that my town here is a manageable size. I have not been thrown into a big city and asked to work wonders. I have a specific job, with a specific geographic zone. The limitations are sight-giving. I am brimming with ideas and am excited to see where they can take me.
d) My job is not dependent on who I know and how many people I know. Having the structure of the WWF means I can access people through this, rather than through my name and my contact list. This means I don't need to have a bazillion friends. I can have a few friends and enjoy spending time in my house, on the beach, in my future garden. This is what I always thought Peace Corps was all about. I finally have it.
e) I go to the office in the morning and come home in the afternoon. I don't have to feel guilty about not working when I'm not working. I can leave work at the office.

This is as far as my analysis goes for the moment. I'm stress-free. I think this is going to be a good year where I'll (for once) get a lot accomplished (or at least look busy doing so).