I, along with all of the PC Senegal volunteers, are very sorry to be saying goodbye to Gretchen, who will be officially terminating her service at the end of this week.
Gretchen was an agroforestry volunteer at a site where trees don’t grow and the lone female volunteer in an area where Peace Corps only sends men. She weathered the death of her village mom, caring for orphaned triplets, the loss of multiple pets, a flooded pepiniere, a broken foot, sand storms and 120° heat, and had just returned to Senegal from her grandmother’s funeral.
Gretchen had ample reason to ET over the past twenty-one months, but she stuck it out because of her dedication to why she came here and to the work that she was accomplishing. She has our respect for that, and our best wishes for the future, as well.