Two New Angels

I had been at site for about two weeks.  It had been tough, emotional-roller-coaster filled weeks of self doubt and lots of free time.  Erica and I had been trying to keep busy painting our house, buying necessary items so we could live with almost zero resources, trying to make this house feel more like a home.  Though it had only been two weeks, we were both excited to get away from site for the holidays and meet up with some friends for Christmas and New Years.

On December 21^st, I and three other friends had literally just arrived in Nametil to visit Adam and Kevin when we received one of the most shocking messages from Peace Corps.  “Dear PC: There was a road accident in Macia, Gaza province on 12/20 involving five PCVs.  Three PCVs sustained and are stable but being med evac’ed to South Africa.  Sadly, Lena Jenison and Alden Landis passed away from their injuries last night….”

At first we thought it must not be true, that it must be some kind of horrific joke.  Only two weeks prior had we all been together, excited, nervous, anxious, and enthusiastic for ourselves and for our friends to begin our adventures at site.  For ten weeks, we had been through an intense training, but nothing can even begin to prepare you for news like this.

The five of us sat stunned on the front porch, at a complete loss for words and unsure how to feel, searching for more information.  We contacted other friends around the country and slowly the reality of the situation began to sink in. Two of our dear friends, two people from this new family we had created here in Mozambique, were gone, just like that, in a single instant.

How do I even begin to describe these two girls.  Lena and Alden were some of the most energetic, beautiful girls, always lighting up the room with their positive spirits.  Though I was not super close with them, I still shared many memories with them.  Never will I forget Lena’s wit and incredible sense of humor, her enthusiasm for making hand turkeys on Thanksgiving, that “growly” face she makes in almost every photo, her spunky glasses, her nack for story-telling, her passion to begin teaching.  I was always so jealous of Alden’s  style and clothes, she had traveled and seen various parts of the world, she was always laughing or making you laugh, I don’t think I ever saw her without a coconut in hand, she was incredibly easy to talk to and made you feel comfortable in an instant.  These girls were, plain and simple, living, living their lives to the fullest and following their dreams.  As a friend put it, there is so much to be said for the fact that they died not just wanting to make the world a better place, but actually taking action to make it one.  Though they were taken too soon, the world is a better place because of them, just as we are better people for having known them.

On December 26^th, we held a memorial service in Ilha de Mocambique to remember these amazing girls and the moments we shared with them.  Over thirty people attended, mostly the northern Moz 17ers, but also volunteers from other earlier Moz groups.  The memorial could not have been more perfect, perfect setting on the beach, beautiful sunset, we shared stories and remembered Alden and Lena how we knew them best, energetic, enthusiastic, always lighting up the room and living their lives to the fullest.

On the beach, we found an old boat on which we placed Alden and Lena’s photos surrounded by seashells and flowers.  We created an infiniti sign out of seashells, rocks, and coconut shells and placed it in front of their photos.  We read aloud quotes taken from Lena’s blog and quotes Alden had underlined in a book she had just finished reading.  We said a short prayer.  We took turns sharing stories and memories, amazed at how close you can get to people in such a short amount of time.  We wrote personal messages and put them inside decorated bottles for each girl.  We made wreaths out of flowers and leaves.  We had a moment of silence.  While singing the song we had written for homestay celebration, “Tudo Bom Para Nos”, we let the bottles and wreaths go out to sea.  We made a slideshow and revisited those images and memories we will never forget, two girls whose memories will live on.

It is still all extremely surreal. On Jan 6th, all the Moz 17ers are being flown down to Maputo for a memorial service there.  Thank you to Peace Corps for arranging this very necessary meeting so quickly.  We have been provided with both formal and informal means of support and assistance, but I think the best support comes from us all being together during this difficult time.  Everyone here is like a family and it is comforting having so many others to lean on.

It has been a rough week and something no one was prepared for.  Several volunteers are returning home for 45 days to reconnect with family and re-evaluate their decision to be here.  Many others are seeking site re-placements, hoping that a new scenery may help them begin again.  I hope not to lose more friends who decide to go home, but everyone deals with grief in their own way.  This has definitely brought our group closer together, we were close before but now are even more so.

I think a friend put it best, LIFE IS FRAGILE.  For me, that is a huge reason as to why I decided to do Peace Corps in the first place.  We have a limited time that could end at any second and we have to take in every moment and live it to its fullest.  I still look forward to this incredible opportunity I have been given.  Thank you to all of you for your support, it means more now than ever before.

My thoughts, prayers, and heart go out to both Alden and Lena’s families and friends, as well as those of the three other victims of the accident.  Mary, Mark, and Derek, we wish you all a quick, healthy recovery.  You have many here who will miss you and we think of you every day.

Alden and Lena, you will never be forgotten.  Rest in peace girls.  Estamos juntos.  Sempre.