An Even Bigger Loss: December 18

None of us slept much that night. One of our friends awoke early in order to replace her stolen bank card, per PC request. We took this as another good sign as there is no need for a card if you are getting sent home. The four of us had a meeting with the country director scheduled for 10 am, but due to long lines at the bank, we all agreed to begin the meeting with only three of us.

The meeting began with the country director asking us to describe the previous day’s events. Our friend gave a detailed description of our hike, the theft and our rescue from the mountain. The country director then asked us why we had left early and not informed the PC office. We explained that there was no excuse for our actions and that we deeply regretted our poor decisions. The country director and accompanying staff member (the same one who had helped us the previous day on the phone) listened politely before dropping the bomb.

The country director informed us that not only were we the hot topic for debate at the morning staff meeting, but that she had decided to initiate the administration separation process. What!? We sat there in complete shock as she explained the details, none of us fully comprehending what she was saying. As Kelli sobbed, forced to use her t-shirt as a tissue, Joe began to analyze the situation, asking the country director if there was anything we could do to change her mind. When she curtly replied that her decision was final, Joe concluded that he was free to speak his mind and voice some of his frustrations with Peace Corps and our reasons behind the decision to travel early.

The conversation quickly turned emotional as the country director took many of our comments personally and we were shocked and exhausted. The meeting concluded with the country director asking us not to speak to the other conspirator (who was still having trouble at the bank replacing her card) and requesting another meeting for that afternoon.

We blew off some steam by walking to Hatfield (a section of Pretoria that is similar to a college town in the states) in an attempt to enjoy some ice cream. Just when we were pondering what to do next, our other friend called asking us to meet her at the backpackers. We expressed our apologies for her having to hear the heartbreaking news by herself and we spent the rest of the afternoon brainstorming for our afternoon meeting.

Although we were well-prepared and brought up several relevant points in our defense, it soon became clear that the country director had no intention of reversing her decision and was actually persuading us to resign. She confided in us that she actually had no idea who we were or the projects we had been working on and because our supervisor was on vacation, there was no one involved that knew anything about us. Furthermore, she was well aware that unauthorized travel was a huge problem, and that many of the PC staff were absent for most of our training. However, she went on to state that it was her decision whether or not to separate us (in the PC handbook unauthorized in country leave is not one of the offenses that necessitates dismissal) and that because unauthorized travel was her personal pet peeve and that it had been awhile since anyone had been dismissed for it, it was time for a reminder by using us as an example. Although it was apparent that nothing we said would change her mind, we still held out hope that our written rebuttals might change our outcome. She informed us that we had until Thursday at noon to submit our written responses and that we could resign at any time, even after receiving her final decision on our separation.

Feeling as if our worlds were falling apart, we were surprised by a phone call from Amphitheatre backpackers. Apparently some of our hiking friends had searched the mountain top after our departure and had found some of our gear. They then convinced the Amphitheatre staff, who were up top on a day hike, to carry our stuff down and inform us of the discovery. Wonderful people! The only obstacle now was retrieving the gear. Upon informing PC, they sent a wonderful driver down to get it and we were soon reunited with 2 backpacks, camelbacks, miscellaneous toiletries, our friends ID’s and a few clothing items.

That evening, after unsuccessfully trying to distract ourselves with a movie in Hatfield, we began receiving our first SMSes, e-mails and phone calls from other PCV’s who had heard about our story through the rumor mill. We were not only shocked that so many people had heard the news, as we had not informed anyone outside of our families in the U.S., but also surprised by the magnitude of misinformation. Stories ranged from us being arrested to traveling outside of the country to being rescued by the military. Gotta love gossip.