A Quick Hello

Hi everyone! Okay, I'm silly...I had a really long blog typed out on my laptop so that when I came to the internet cafe I could just copy and paste it from my flash drive. Great idea except that I forgot to put it on my flash drive, so here I am blogging a quickie. Nothing terribly exciting yet except that my permanent site is called Noordoewer, right on the border of Namibia and South Africa. I'll be teaching English, social studies and possibly math, plus creating a school library. I'll also be working with an NGO called Catholic Aids Action, helping them to write grant proposals, letters and with fundraising, and I also intend to start a girls club. That is all for now. There is more and I promise to blog it as soon as I can! I miss all of you and I hope everything is well at home. Have a wonderful week!

Okahandja

Hello family and friends! How is everything? I have been away from home for about three weeks now and I have a lot to share. Forgive me for not calling you back, writing back or calling you. I have been busy since I left home and also have not had much money to spend. So, I’m sorry.

I will start from the beginning. It might seem like I’m skipping over details, but honestly, while it has been a positive experience so far, it hasn’t been an amazing experience yet. If you want to know any particulars, email me or leave a comment.

On Sunday, Oct. 29 I arrived in DC, where we stayed in Georgetown. It’s a pretty nice neighborhood, kinda like La Jolla in that it’s upscale, historical and charming…cute boutiques and cafes and stuff like that. That night a few of us went out for a couple beers and got to know each other. The next morning another volunteer and I went to the Holocaust Memorial. If you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend it. Despite my bad memory it is one of the experiences I know I will never forget. Anyway, when we came back to the hotel it was time for registration, where we filled out paperwork and all that good stuff…yawn…and then we got to know each other. There is a group of 70 of us so there were a lot of people to meet (and I still don’t feel like I’ve really met some of them). The next couple days consisted of lectures, interactive activities and group work related to topics like culture shock, aspirations, and so on. During my free time I went out with other volunteers for lunch and dinner. What else do you want to know? It wasn’t so exciting, I’m sorry to say. I think we all just wanted to get to Africa.
On the morning of Wednesday, October 31 (Halloween, of course) at 5:00 am we packed up all of our stuff and boarded buses to the federal health center in DC for immunizations, and since I only needed one shot and got it done quickly, a couple other girls and I went to see the Korean War memorial and the Vietnam War memorial. They were both great and I don’t know how to describe them but both are highly recommended if you ever go to DC. On a sidenote, I really liked DC! It was never on my list of places to see and do, but (and this will sound stupid) I had no idea that there are so many museums there, and they are all FREE! Gotta love it. Someday I will go back and see everything.

After departing from the clinic we went to the airport…we got there around noon or one and our flight was going to be at 5. I thought we’d have a ton of time to kill but with all of the international security checkpoints and all that hoo-hah, we didn’t have a ton of time to kick back. However, I did get my final meal of sushi and seaweed salad, which was thoroughly enjoyed and will be missed for the next 27 months. Oh, and for dessert I had a double scoop Ben and Jerry’s cone – Cherry Garcia and Coconut Almond. I enjoyed every bite.

When our plane was boarding and I finally go to the front of the line, the ticket agent said that part of my ticket was missing! The missing portion had been torn off by a different agent during security checkin. So I had to back to the counter and get a new ticket printed, and of course I was panicking the whole time that I’d miss my flight and would never get to be a Peace Corps Volunteer after all!!

But everything was fine and I boarded the plane with time to spare. :o)

The flight was 15.5 hours on South African Airlines. It was decently comfortable. Each seat had a tv screen in front, where you could watch a number of movies, documentaries and tv shows, play games or listen to music. I watched Guru (a Hindi movie) and a bad sitcom called Rules of Engagement. Guru was good, Rules was not. It was so dumb. Not even Full House dumb in that it was funny, but just plain not funny whatsoever. Guru was enjoyable but I wish it had more song and dance scenes. As for the plane food, it was not so good. I had “beef stroganoff” which sucked, and a cheese sandwich (cheese in a bread roll). Toward the beginning of the flight, I asked the attendant for a sparkling water and was handed a little bottle of whiskey. Huh? I decided to keep my mouth shut about it, and stuck it in my carryon where eventually it was confiscated during the security checkpoint in the Johannesburg airport.

Is this even interesting? I don’t know what you want to know but I feel like this just isn’t fun to read.

Overall the flight was not as awful as I thought it would be. I slept on and off and generally it was okay. The seats were fine but not so good for sleeping more than an hour and a half or so at a time. When we arrived in Johannesburg (“Jo-burg” as they call it) we sat around and waited for our transportation to the hotel, which despite Jo-burg’s bad reputation for a crime-filled city, was super nice! It had a huge lobby, free wine and cheese, a wine bar, gift shop, fancy Italian restaurant and nice soap and shampoo in the bathroom. I did not get a chance to explore the city, since we weren’t allowed to leave the hotel (again, it’s a dangerous city), but I did have “peppadum feta spinach cannelloni” for dinner. Peppadum is a bread-like filling, maybe like stuffing. It was good. I dunno.

I didn’t sleep well that night. I think it was the combination of the time change plus the anticipation and anxiety. I slept for about three hours and then woke up for the morning around 3 am, then got out of bed around 5. I went downstairs and ran into a fellow PCV. Chatting and drinking tea ensued. It was fun to get to know other volunteers as they woke up and came downstairs to find something to do. Most of us only slept about three or four or five hours that night. Most people had only slept a teeny bit in DC too, which meant there were a lot of exhausted, anxious people milling around the hotel lobby.

Then we went back to the Jo-burg airport, and after more waiting and standing in lines we got on the plane to Windhoek, Namibia!! It was only a two hour flight but they actually served us breakfast. It was an omelet that was actually pretty decent. As we flew over Namibia all you could see was brown, brown, brown with the occasional road or dry stream running through it. There was really NOTHING there. No joke.

When we got off the plane at the Windhoek airport (it was a field with a couple buildings) we stood in line some more and waited some more. Thankfully, all my baggage arrived. I was one of the lucky ones. A couple of us still don’t have our bags and they probably won’t come. So after more waiting and waiting, we got on a bus to Okahandja, a town about 45 minutes north of Windhoek. During the drive we saw a boar, an antelope, a monkey and a giraffe!! So exciting! Hello, Africa!

We are at a conference center until the end of next week, where we are living and having training. I will tell you about a typical day. We get up around 6:30 and have breakfast at 7. Breakfast usually consists of porridge, oatmeal, bread, hard boiled eggs and sausage. The only kind of coffee you can get in Namibia (apparently) is instant. The first morning I thought the instant coffee was cinnamon and sprinkled it liberally all over my oatmeal.Gross. I forced myself to eat most of it. Anyway, after breakfast we finish getting ready and are in the training room by 8. The trainers (who are all Namibian) sing Namibian songs and we PCVs do our best to sing along. I think we’re doing well so far with the singing. Our training group even has our own anthem! That is rather awesome if you ask me. However, all the songs are in a different language so we have yet to find out what the lyrics really mean. After the singing, we have language training for two hours, then “tea” which consists usually of cookies or bread with some cheese or mayo (or something) on it. Then we have some other miscellaneous training session about safety, diversity, culture or otherwise.

Lunch is at 1. There have been a variety of foods so far but there is always meat, and some starch like pasta or potatoes or rice, and veggies sometimes. I haven’t eaten anything crazy yet but the meat isn’t always so appealing to me so sometimes I skip it. There are veggies maybe 50% of the time and usually they are in some kind of creamy sauce or cooked somehow. Consequently, my diet has mainly consisted of carbs in the past week. I don’t see weight loss happening anytime soon. Anyway, last week after lunches we had medical training. We talked about specific diseases, HIV/AIDS, sexual assault, general hygiene, etc. This week (our second week at training) we have technical training which means we get trained according to the job we’re going to do. Then, depending on the day, we get shots. I have had many shots in the past week while I’ve been here (not counting the shot in DC), and there are certainly more to come. In addition to the shots, we also take a weekly malaria medication called mefloquine, so we’re all definitely pumped up with a zillion disease crime fighters in our bodies. I guess it is good to be armed against diseases but it also feels very artificial to be injected with all of these medications.
Now I will tell you about sleeping arrangements. I share a room with seven other females, but the room is actually split in two with a door in the middle, so there are actually only 4 or us in my room. There are two regular beds and one bunk bed where I sleep on the top. It is such a pain to get up and down that dang ladder every morning and night. We have plenty of space for now but it will be really nice when we move to our permanent sites and can spread out and truly unpack. Right now all our stuff is really in our bags and we just take it out as needed, then mostly put it back when it’s not. The bed is actually comfortable and I sleep pretty well. The mefloquine is known for giving you vivid dreams at night. Last night I didn’t have any exceptional dreams but I knew the medication was running its course because I felt in my dreams as if I was really, actually there…more so than usual. It was pretty weird. Luckily they were not bad dreams because that would have been horrible.

The town we’re staying in is called Okahandja, which is about 45 minutes north of Windhoek, the capital. (Btw, Windhoek is pronounced “Vend-ook” by the Namibians but if you don’t want to be that hardcore about the pronunciation you can say “wind-hook.”) Okahandja is a sleepy little town but apparently by Namibian standards it is quite urban. There are a couple of clothing shops, a few grocery stores, a hardware store, a stationery store, two gas stations, two banks….not a lot there but as we don’t have cars or any form of transportation besides our legs, we end up “going into town” as often as possible to escape the confines of the training center. Don’t get me wrong, the center is pretty nice. It just sucks to be stuck in the same place for so long.

I have no idea when I’ll be able to write again. Internet access is super limited so I’m actually writing this in advance so that when I get to the internet café I can just cut and paste into my blog. I feel like I’m so far away from everything and at the same time I haven’t really experienced Namibia yet. Somebody said that right now we’re in purgatory. We’ve left the US and have begun our training but have yet to actually experience culture first-hand. It’s just a lot of waiting. Waiting in line for registration, at the airport, at the hotel, for meals, for shots…it’s just waiting.

I do have great news though. There are about five or six languages that trainees are learning, and I was hoping to get Afrikaans because unlike the localized tribal languages, it is used throughout most of the country. When I travel, that will be great. Also, even though I know it’s not common, it’s more likely that I’ll be able to use Afrikaans when I come home. It’s definitely not widespread as Russian or Chinese but I’m pretty sure I’ll get better mileage out of it than a clicking language (which several of us are actually learning). So far I have learned to introduce myself, say where I’m from, exchange greetings and pleasantries like “good morning” and “sleep well” and classroom phrases like “sit down” and “please speak louder;” I have also learned how to say things like “I am hungry” and “I have had enough meat.” Haha! Isn’t that funny! Apparently it’s not uncommon for PCVs to become fluent in Afrikaans by the end of their service, so that is something I am aiming for. I think it could happen. There are a lot of similarities between Afrikaans and English, for example “melk” is milk, and “middag” is afternoon (or midday).

I found out today that I’ll be teaching grades 5-7.

My feet are perpetually dirty here. No amount of soap will get all the dirt out, nor will any number of hours scrubbing them with my pumice stone. The first thing I’m doing when I get to the states is to get a super deluxe pedicure!!

The weather here is HOT. Hot and dry, like when I visited Scottsdale w/ Erin. You don’t sweat, it’s so dry. Today was even hotter than it has been…on our walk to town, I felt like I just couldn’t go any further. The sun is so draining. Plus today it wasn’t just my feet that were dirty – my legs were gross too, with nasty black splotches everywhere. I really have no idea how that happened. So, if you visit me, you can look forward to dirty feet and hot weather. Wahoo!
After this week, we leave the training center and go to our permanent sites for a visit. (Nobody knows what or where their permanent site is yet, so that’s driving us all nuts.) After a week at our permanent site, we go to a different place to shadow a current teacher for a week. Then, for one month, we stay with our host families. It is one volunteer per host family, but you stay in the same town as your language group for Community Based Training, or CBT. During CBT you learn about local culture, keep learning the language, and generally interact with the community. I’m nervous about that, actually. It is hard for me to introduce myself to people on my own without the other person trying first. I just get so scared and full of self-doubt. That’s part of why I joined PC though, so I’m sure CBT will be beneficial.

What else do you want to know? Write to me. I promise to try to get back to you as soon as I can, which probably isn’t very soon but I’ll do my best. After I officially swear in as a PCV and go to my permanent site, I hopefully will have internet on a semi-regular basis.

As for a mailing address, I am not too keen on posting it in a public place. Email me if you want it. If you don’t have my email, leave me a comment and show some ID, and I’ll be happy to give it to you.

From what I understand, letters and postcards take three weeks but as the postal workers go on holiday in December, it could take three months right now. AARGH!! If you decide you want to send me some items (thank you!!!) it is best to use a padded envelope (not a box) and address it to Sister Jennifer ___ , and in the return address put that you’re Reverend Somebody from Holy Cross Church or whatever. Then write some religious phrase on the package like “Jesus Saves.” I guess they often tamper with mail here, but are less likely to tamper with something church- or religion-related.

Write me and tell me how you’re doing. I miss everybody. Like I said, I feel so far away. If you think you have nothing to tell me, share what you had for breakfast, what movies you watched recently or what you bought when you went shopping. I want to know!
I miss you all!

I was going to post some pictures of Okahandja but the ones I have are huge, so that picture is of a store. I haven't actually been to this store but it's the most interesting looking one. The rest of the stores are set up like a strip mall that goes down the entire length of the main road. Nothing exciting really.

hi

I had four pages worth of info to share with you, but this stupid internet cafe won't let me use my flash drive, so please stay posted and hopefully I can upload the story soon. In a nutshell, everything is fine. The weather is hot and the food is not bad.
Love
Jenn

Last night in America.

Hi again. Tomorrow we are taking off for Africa after a what-looks-to-be chaotic round of checking out of the hotel and then getting about fifteen shots each. Ouch. I am not looking forward to that. Then at 5pm (DC time) we will fly to South Africa, which is a 15.5 hour flight. We'll stay overnight in Johannesburg and then fly to Windhoek (Namibia's capital) the next day. So there I'll be, happy to finally be accomplishing a longtime goal, excited for a new adventure and very, very sad to be so many miles from home and from you (assuming you're a family member or friend of mine). I'll post again when I get a chance.
(I was joking about the 15 shots. I really have no idea how many we're getting, but I'm hoping it is 1-3.)

If you want to mail me something, please email me for my mailing address. If you don't have my email address, please send me a comment. Normally I'd just post the address here but I'm paranoid about those kinds of things. Also, I should be getting a cell phone shortly after arriving in Namibia so I will be happy to share that number when I have it.

Hello from DC.

Hello everyone!

Here I am in DC. I arrived last night (Sunday). I'm staying in Georgetown and it's a great little town. It kinda reminds me of La Jolla in that it is charming and beautiful with cute little shops. On Sunday night I met up with a group of volunteers and we went out for pizza and beer. This morning I went to the Holocaust Memorial (highly recommended) and then we had our first day of training. It seems like everybody has the same anxieties as I do, which is comforting.

I am happy so far. I would write more if I wasn't dead tired right now, but I promise my postings will be more exciting than this in the upcoming weeks.

Here is a poem I saw at the Holocaust Memorial. It struck a cord with me and I think you'll like it too. This is one of several translations from German, and the poem is attributed to Martin Niemoller.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -

because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -

because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.

FAQ

FAQ about my upcoming Peace Corps service in Namibia:

1. How long will you be gone?

I will be gone for 27 months, returning home in December 2009. See the previous post for my timeline.

2. Will you come home at all during this time?

Probably not. I’d have to pay for it myself and I’d rather spend my money exploring Africa while I’m there.

3. Will you be getting paid?

I will be earning a enough money each month to cover basic expenses such as food and rent, but probably not enough to save much unless I really watch it. However, I accrue just over $200 per month while I'm there, and I will recieve this money at my close of service; approx. $6000.00. This is my resettlement allowance so that when I come home, I do have money for rent and food.

4. What will you be doing?

I will be an English (language) teacher at the primary or secondary level, which is grades 5-12. I will also have secondary projects, to be determined upon arrival and during my service.

5. Are you scared?

Yes. I am scared to death. (I am not being sarcastic.)

6. Is your boyfriend going with you? Is he allowing you to go?

No, Scott is not coming with me but we will try our best to maintain a long-distance relationship. (We have been together for five years.) And no, he is not "letting" me go; I never asked his permission.

7. Is anybody coming with you that you already know?

No, but I will meet my co-volunteers at staging (orientation) and hopefully they will become friends.

8. Will you have to learn a new language?

Yes. Namibia's official language is English, but most people speak Afrikaans or a tribal language as their first language. I'll be learning one of these during my training.

9. What do your parents think?

They are happy, proud and very supportive.

10. Why are you joining the Peace Corps?

a) To help other people. Is it really fair that I have more than a human would ever need? I have never gone hungry and never lacked an education, a job, nor the opportunities to get a better education and a better job if I so desired. I know that by going to Namibia, I will not be saving the world, but I do hope to even out the balance a teeny bit.

b) Adventure. I have never done anything exciting or scary. My world has always been a small bubble with wistful glimpses to the outside. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "do one thing every day that scares you." By going to Namibia for 2 years I will try to make up for 25 years of doing NOTHING that scares me. And by doing this, I hope to break through some personal barriers. More on this later on.

c) My resume. By being able to say "I was a Peace Corps Volunteer," I will be able to earn scholarships for grad school, get super jobs and give myself more opportunities in general.

Peace Corps Volunteer = Ugly Shoes?

One of the benefits of being a PCV is that some companies give you discounts on their merchandise. One of these wonderful companies is Chaco, a shoe company that makes sandals for hard core adventures like hiking, camping and so on. They give us a 50% discount! I decided to buy a pair of these shoes because I think they'll be quite useful, but after trying them on, my superficial side (small, but currently very loud) is unhappy. Check it out:



I am super grateful to Chaco for providing us with the huge discount. But...these sandals are just not flattering. I'm not sure what to do with them but I'm pretty sure I don't want to wear them...

Six-Eyed Sand Spider.

As happy and excited I am to be going to Namibia in a month, there are also numerous reasons why I would rather not leave my safe little home here in PQ. I will share one of these reasons with you now:


The sand spider, resident of southern Africa. Also known as (according to the blog of a current PCV in Namibia) a "hair cutter." It crawls into your bed while you are sleeping and cuts your hair to use in its nest. As stated on the Wikipedia page, it is "very shy and unlikely to bite humans," however, there is also no known antivenom for its bite, and "toxicology studies have demonstrated that the venom is particularly potent...causing blood vessel leakage and tissue destruction. Envenomations of laboratory animals have yielded devastating results, with many of the test subjects developing multiorgan breakdowns."

I am scared. If anybody would like to get me a going-away present, I would like a two-year supply of razors (to shave my head) and a set of steel pajamas. Thank you.

NAMIBIA!

I got my invitation! I am going to Namibia!!!! I will be an English language teacher at the secondary or upper primary levels. That means students grades 5-12.

Here is my timeline:

October 29-31, 2007: Orientation in the U.S. (location tba)

November 2 - December 28, 2007: Pre-Service Training in Namibia

December 28, 2007 - December 28, 2009: Peace Corps Service

YAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A new destination.

Originally, I never wanted to go to Africa. It just seemed like a place I couldn't handle: the sun beating down, me living in a mud hut, riding a donkey to and from work. When my placement officer told me he'd have to find a new location for me, I told him "NOT AFRICA." Then I thought about it for a couple hours and realized how stupid it is for me to pigeonhole the entire continent into an ignorant, stereotypical image. (Orientalism, anyone?) Africa has so much more to offer than that! And if I do end up in a mud hut, so what? One of the reasons I'm joining the PC is to have an adventure, isn't it? So I called up my p.o. and said that if he wanted to send me to Africa, I would give it everything I have.

It looks like I'm going to Africa at the end of October. :o)

PISSED

I called my placement officer today and he said that he's been waiting for my call?! and since I didn't call him, I've missed the deadline for a September departure!

I think it is coming.

I finally spoke to my placement officer yesterday. He told me that being an Asian-American in Eastern Europe would bring me a ton of attention and possibly discrimination, but not to the point of physical danger. Most EE countries are totally homogenous and so any non-white person sticks out like a sore thumb. He told me to think about it and call him Wednesday morning if I don't want to go there after all, and if so he'd try to place me in another part of the world but I won't be able to go until December or January.



I thought about it for five minutes or so and said, screw it! I am going to Eastern Europe in September, period. If it is difficult, fine. I can handle it. That's part of the adventure. It'll be an educational experience for the people in that country.



So tomorrow is Wednesday, and since he won't be hearing from me, maybe that means my invitation will be overnighted to me tomorrow...???

Good news!

I called my screening nurse this morning and she told me that she would be reviewing my paperwork shortly today...and then this afternoon at work someone emailed me asking for my transcript!!...Which is great because that means my file was given to my placement officer, which means that my invitation is coming!!! Wahoo!

Disheartened.

I faxed in my form a few days ago and still haven't recieved medical clearance. I know they got the form because I called to confirm it...so what the heck?! I called the screening nurse just now and her voicemail says that she won't be able to return calls for the next 3-4 days. So...more waiting.

Am I not destined to join the Peace Corps?? This is getting ridiculous. I mean if they were still working on September nominees, that would be fine, but people are getting their October and November invitations now. I am starting to lose hope.

An update.

I got an email (and a phone call and a fedex) from the Peace Corps a couple days ago saying that my Eyeglass Prescription Form is incomplete; in other words, I need to buy some glasses so that they know what my measurements are in case I lose my glasses while I'm overseas. So I rushed out and bought some glasses and faxed in the form...hopefully all is well and my medical clearance is coming soon. It should be, since this is the only thing that they said was missing.

On Tuesday I started my 3-week job teaching conversational English to a group of Chinese students. If you have ever thought that Asian students (not Asian-Americans, but actual Asian-Asians) were demure, quiet and well-behaved, you can just forget it. To put it bluntly, I hate them. Those words usually don't come easily to me, but they do right now. They are rude as all hell and have the attention span of a kindergartner, especially if you put them in front of a computer. That is all I have to say about that.

(Actually, it's not.) So with that said, I am starting to second-guess my upcoming job as an English teacher in Eastern Europe. I'll be teaching high school students. I am not one of those people who loves kids or has so much to say to them, and I am certainly not a fan of teenagers. Do I really want to teach high schoolers for two years??? Can I put up with them?

This is crazy talk, because the point of joining the Peace Corps was (and still is) to help people. I want to make a difference and I also want to do something special and something adventurous. Still, my experiences so far this week have not led me to believe that teaching is something I'll be passionate about, in the long run.

That is not entirely true though. The people that I want to teach are the immigrants, refugees, migrant workers; the people that came here out of necessity who HAVE to learn English for the sake of their families' futures. You know, the ones who actually want to be there. Not some little punks who came here because their daddies made them come...like the ones I'm teaching now. I don't know if it is possible to ever avoid them, though. In the ESL industry, you cannot be picky because there are so many of us who teach it.

More waiting.

Since I've been so frustrated watching everybody get their invitations but me, I decided to be proactive and give the PC a call. I mean, maybe that would get them going on reviewing my medical info so that they can finally clear me and send me the invite, right? Nope. The guy looked up my file and told me it would come by August 1. Oh great. Just four weeks to go.

Peeved.

Even though I had been extremely anxious and jumpy about getting my invitation in the mail, I was starting to calm down and accept the fact that it'll come eventually. So I logged onto the yahoo group today only to find out that more people are recieving their invitations and one person just got an invitation for OCTOBER! I'm leaving in SEPTEMBER! How is this fair?!

On a more positive note (and I do feel the need to put one in here), I have been working long shifts, so now I get 3-day weekends. It is awesome. Great for the summer.

Still waiting.

According to some postings on the Yahoo Peace Corps group, "most" September Eastern Europe nominees have recieved their invitations. So where is mine?!

Anyway on a happier note, I got my dental clearance today. I guess my teeth are Peace Corps-worthy. I can't wait to get to [insert country here] and start putting up pictures of my adventures and interesting stories of what I have seen and done every day.

Working a 9-5 really sucks! I hate to say this but I wish I was back in school. School is a lot of work around midterms and finals, but it is so interesting all the rest of the time. You learn cool stuff and feel your gray matter expanding. At work I am just a robot, mechanically shuffling papers or typing meaningless words. Yay for books, though. At least I can learn cool stuff on my own. But still, the real world kinda bites.

It really happened!

I graduated! After all this time...what a relief. I can hardly believe it. I intend to:

Ants in my pants.

I have become one-track minded. Just send me the invitation, people!!

On a more positive note, I am graduating on Saturday. I do have a final exam due Thursday night...which means I'll get to work on it Thursday evening. Hard work pays off eventually, but procrastination pays off now.

Sent!

I mailed in my medical reports on Thursday. Now comes the waiting. As they say, Peace Corps is an exercise in patience from the very beginning. If everything is fine I should have my invitation by mid-July...and wow, that is really far away from now.

Now I am going to do something that I really should not do. I'm posting pictures of countries to where I might be going.

Above: MACEDONIA!! The picturesque church of St. John the Theologian–Kaneo, built in the 13th century, perches on the rocks above placid Ohrid Lake. The border between Macedonia and Albania runs through the lake, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Courtesy of National Geographic.com)

Above: UKRAINE!! All I know is that this is a church, sorry. But I love churches. That is one of the big reasons I'm happy to have been nominated for Eastern Europe...lots of churches. Religion has played an enormous role in the world's history, which makes churches and other sacred buildings the very cornerstones of history itself. Both Macedonia and Ukraine have lots of churches! Yay! (I said church/churches five times in that paragraph, in case you were wondering.)

Medical procedures are over, hopefully.

I had all my appointments last week. I got two shots, had a tb skin test, had blood drawn, etc. etc. etc. I almost (almost!) got duped into spending $1200 on two pairs of glasses (wtf?!)...but my vision prescription is still the same, thankfully. I went to the dentist and found out that my wisdom teeth are in and look fine (YAY!) but ten minutes later found out I have to get at least one of them pulled anyway (BOO!!). I spent lots of money last week, money which I don't actually have. Yay for the credit cards. It's the American way.

So I get my wisdom teeth pulled three days after graduation. And I still have to wait on lab reports for my...um...female checkups. But other than that I think I'm good, and when I get the lab reports I'm sending everything in and crossing my fingers for that official invite!

Inspected, injected, and hopefully not rejected.

I got my medical packet a couple days ago. It doesn't seem as bad as I thought it would be. I have THREE checkups next week - medical, dental and vision. I only have to get two shots for the medical portion (but I'll get more immunizations at orientation). My two biggest concerns are that a) my vision prescription will change, which would super suck because I just ordered a year's worth of contacts and they are not cheap; and b) I might have to get my wisdom teeth pulled!!! I remember the dentist saying something about it when I was a kid...hopefully the teeth have receded into the back of my head, or disappeared magically altogether. Yeah, that would be great. In the case of that not happening, please pray to whatever gods you worship that the dentist won't want to pull them. Thank you and amen.

Feeling good.

It has been a little over a week since I was nominated, and now I know that the Peace Corps is the right thing for me. I've learned a lot about myself over the past few months, what with trying to decide what the heck to do with my life in the immediate future, and this just feels right. I'm so glad and so proud of myself, not to mention grateful to the people who helped me realize this. How do I know it's right? Because I'll be making a real, honest, sustainable difference. In the end, that's all I really want to do (with a little bit of adventure thrown in).

Now with that said, maybe I shouldn't be so happy quite yet because I haven't officially been nominated yet. I still have to get medical clearance and all that jazz. But assuming I'm healthy as a whistle (is that even a saying?...oh, I mean healthy as a horse), I'm going! I'm glad I was rejected to Fulbright Korea and JET. I never thought I'd be saying that, but it was a sign. A blessing in disguise, if you will. China? Vietnam? Nicaragua? All beautiful places, yes, but it's yet not their turn to have me. They'll get their chance.

I know this is a boring blog so far, but I'll keep you updated on my medical clearance progress. Supposedly, it is a big pain in the rear. That should be fun.

If you're interested in reading some great blogs by previous and current Peace Corps Volunteers, check out www. PeaceCorpsJournals.com. It has been my current obsession.

Nomination!

I had my interview yesterday and it went great. I have been nominated for Eastern Europe, teaching secondary (high school) English, leaving in September.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

China

Okay, so I got in touch w/ the lady from the university in China and I'm sending her my application stuff. I still want to join the Peace Corps (it's still #1, I SWEAR) but maybe I should go to China for six months or a year first. China is most definitely not for the money. I'd probably be saving a sixth (if that) of what I'd be saving in Korea, not to mention I have to pay my own way there. If the PC would allow it, I'd like to go to China for the sake of going to China. I'm interested in the culture, which is a zillion years old and fascinating, in my humble opinion. Since I hope to travel while I'm there, I'd probably save nothing.

My PC interview is Tuesday. I'll talk to my recruiter and see what she says.

Edit: I'm inclined to complain about all of these decisions I have to make, but I know I'm lucky to even have these choices. In a former life, I was just another cog in the corporate wheel, and wondering if there wasn't more to life than adding to some bozo's bottom line.

Edit #2: Actually, "lucky" isn't the right word because while I have certainly been blessed, I did have to GO to school and put forth effort. Nobody is giving me my degree...I'm earning it. So boo-ya! (as they used to say in elementary school.)

I am not a cog! I'm the wheel itself!

F that!

This morning I spoke with an intelligent and trustworthy friend of mine, who said that money doesn't matter and that it can be earned later. In my heart I already knew that, but my head was arguing otherwise. I thought about our conversation all morning and then had an epiphany at lunch. I don't want to be one of those people who worship money. That's not who I am, and if I go to Korea just for money then it goes against my principles and everything that I'd conversely say to somebody else with this dilemma. I'm going to chase what means the most to me, and money is not it.

So I'm sure Korea is a beautiful country with lovely people, but screw it! I'm joining the Peace Corps. And the world will be better for it, 27 months later.

Korea

I've done tons of research over the past couple years about working overseas as an ESL teacher, and one of the places I've been interested in is South Korea...frankly, because the market is huge there and there is tons of money to be had. The starting pay is US$1900 (at the very, very least) and they pay for your flight and housing, and the cost of living there is very low which allows room for savings. I could use some money in my bank account, not to mention the experience is invaluable. What deterred me from going there is that my research told me that it's super hard for non-caucasian people to find a job there because they only want "real Americans."

Today I took a chance and wrote to a public school recruiter (public schools are more accepting of us"non-Americans"...derr) and asked her what my chances are. She said that if I want a job, she was sure she could get me one since I am indeed a native speaker of English. Yay. But what about the Peace Corps? Can I do both?? Maybe I should work in Korea for a year, save some money and then let it sit in an interest-bearing account for 27 months while I'm gone...why are there so many decisions to be made?!

The big reason for not going to Korea is that I'd be teaching kids, whom I don't really enjoy...but then again, I've only worked with them once in my life for nine days (summer camp) so who's to say that feeling couldn't change?

If only God or Allah or Buddha or one of those guys could just send me a sign, an email, a text message or anything, I'd really appreciate it...I'm at a loss.

Some organization of my thoughts:
(and if you're still reading, wow!)

Peace Corps pros:
1. Going somewhere that I couldn't really go on my own (and being taken care of)
2. Helping people in a way I can't really do on my own
3. It looks AWESOME on grad school applications (and scholarships)
4. I've always admired people who joined and I want to be the kind of person I admire.
5. I've just always wanted to do it. Period.

Peace Corps cons:
1. No money
2. Long time commitment
3. Null #1-2. I just really want to do it. Who cares about money, and time is on my side. I'm still young, for crying out loud.

Korea pros:
1. Money!! I need some!
2. Going to another country, fun and adventure w/ all the modern conveniences.
3. I can learn to speak Korean...the language of many of my future students in America.
4. A buttload of money. (Is there an echo in here?)

Korea cons:
1. I want to join the Peace Corps.

Theoretically, I know I can do both. Korea for one year, PC for two. But what if I go to Korea and then don't wanna join the PC? But what if I shouldn't be saying "what if?" Is that how life was meant to be lived??

AAAHHH...naptime. I'm done thinking about this for now. Maybe I'll dream about the solution.

Oh one more quickie. I can easily teach at a university in China due to a school connection. It's a UNIVERSITY...that's the real thing...but no money. Hardly any. But the experience is invaluable. Plus if you wanna talk about history and culture, you can't top China. What's the most important language to learn right now? Chinese. Plus I have an old friend there who loves the job, and she is looking for a traveling buddy. I wanna travel too! Why wouldn't I go to China??


Okay now it's really time for a nap, so I'm shutting up.

interview!

I got a call from my recruiter today! Her name is Melanie and I'm gonna meet her for an interview on Tuesday, March 27. Wish me luck!

The interview is coming up...

Eeeekk!! I got an email from the PC with more forms to fill out. They said to be ready for an interview in two weeks!! It feels like it's really happening now. But then again, I said that when I pressed the "submit" button on my application.

Yikes!

I submitted my Peace Corps application online two days ago. I'm so nervous.

Anyway I should be getting an interview within the next four weeks or so.

Yay!! I joined the world of bloggers!

Hey, my first post! Hello there!

My blog will probably be boring for the next few months, because not a ton is going on. I'm graduating from college in [see countdown below] and filling out zillions of applications to teaching programs. I am also applying to the Peace Corps, which is my #1 choice. The intention of this blog is to update family and friends of my nutty, crazy adventures in a foreign land...which is where I am NOT right now, so check back later if you want to read the really fun stuff.