The Eye Has It...again

October 14

Some of you know this already so you can ignore it and go back to peeling that grape. For those who don't...

I had a recurrence of my eye problem a couple of weeks ago. As fate would have it, a visiting ophthalmologist happened to be at the hospital here on the island and provided a diagnosis of vitreous hemorrhage. I won't go into what that is...you can look it up...but I am being sent to Manila on this week's Tuesday night flight for treatment. I am essentially blind in the left eye at the moment although I can see light, colors and vague shapes. But I am told I will not lose the sight permanently. It's just a matter of getting the fluid to subside and that requires treatment by an experienced specialist. The hospital in Manila is cutting edge so I'll be in good hands. The PC is taking care of everything for me, as they did in Bangkok. I can't say enough about the support given to me by Dr. Ulle Drame and her colleague here in Micronesia, Dr. She.

When I had the first eye problem in August, I signed an agreement with the Peace Corps that I would be given a "medical separation" if it happened again. I was to go to Manila in Nov for a check up. So I'm going to Manila a couple of weeks earlier than planned. But after I'm treated in Manila, that separation will take place and I will no longer be a Peace Corps volunteer. I will, however, still be considered part of the PC family, which is a worldwide community of current and past volunteers.

Normally they send volunteers back to their "home of record" but, since I do not have one of those at the moment, I asked to be sent back to Yap. I plan to stay here for awhile longer and will continue working with the Yap Visitors Bureau and the marketing committee of the Micronesian Games as a freelance consultant. There are other organizations -- Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Center, the community college, etc. -- that also want to use my marketing skills. The upside is that I will now be able to drive...something the Peace Corps does not let volunteers do...and I will be able to work with other organizations without getting the PC's permission. I will keep my apartment and simply transfer the lease to my name.

When I started this journey, it was my plan to stay in various places for a week or a month or more; places that offered very different cultures where I could experience things that I would never experience otherwise. Yap is the first stop on that journey. As of now I am thinking I may stay here until the end of next year...Dec 2017. But, as with everything, I will remain flexible and see what fate has to offer up next. Kammagar.