Disillusionment. Extreme curiosity. Frustration. Crazy ass dreams.

All symptoms of Peace Corps Restless Applicant Syndrome, or RAS for short. Of which, I've self-diagnosed myself as having a moderate to severe case. Please, allow me to elaborate.

Unfortunately, not the prescription.Disillusionment: Between waiting for the Office of Medical Services to clear me, frustrations at my job, and desire to embark on a career of sustainable development, it feels as if the sky is falling every day I don't hear from Peace Corps and I have to deal with vocation shenanigans. Regardless of the rational thought that my September departure I was nominated for is a mere four months away, even m aking it through an eight hour work day is laborious. Every day that passes without communication from PC, is another day I'm convinced my medical information is just rotting on someone's desk and that I'm going to have to wait another four months to depart. RAS is sucking dry my ability to always be positive and know something better is always on the horizon. With the Peace Corps, it always seems that the light at the end of the tunnel moves back three feet for every two you advance towards it.

Cry more, right?

Extreme Curiosity: How many of you can quickly point to exactly where Togo rests on a map? Or know the official language of Cape Verde? Or study the political stability of Francophone Africa? Well, I can supply you with the answers. If I'm not working or sleeping, there is a good chance that I'm researching Peace Corps, PC blogs, Peace Corps Wiki, and/or any news pertaining to service. Given enough time, RAS will likely infuse me with enough knowledge to be a genius when it comes to African trivia.

Frustration: I feel like my late Grandma Geri, lately. If you don't know the unwritten rules of the world, I have little time for you. Working at a behavioral facility for kids does not mesh with this too well. And by "too well," I mean I facepalm innumerable times a day.

The Picard is fully aware of the undignified actions that prompt a facepalm.I imagine my patience as a big tank that dwells inside me. It starts full every morning and as I make it through the day, drama, pettiness, racist remarks, things being thrown through the air, being called a "dickbag," having little authority in my own classroom, being disrespected, and openly being mocked all tax it. Being afflicted with RAS, it appears as if the tank size is steadily shrinking and there is a direct correlation to an increase in facepalming.

Crazy Ass Dreams: Seeing as how my days are permeated with thoughts of Peace Corps (research, daydreaming, waking up at 200 am to see if I received an application status update), it's understandable how I've begun dreaming about it as well. RAS is like a combination of obsession and depression. It infiltrates your thoughts and actions and demands your obedience all day every day. However, it is debilitating and immobilizing, ensuring your dutiful frustration and negativity, convinced the process will never end.

The first Peace Corps related dream [that I remember, at least] starred Craig and I wandering aimlessly through an airport. We were totally lost, unsure of the gate to which we needed to go because PC never told us definitively the country we were serving in! For some reason (beer, likely), I wasn't freaking out; I only began harboring negative feelings towards PC (perhaps indicative of reality) for putting us through such inanity. I recall thinking that we were serving in Greece due to their economic crisis and then making our way to a flight that was destined for Athens.

My second dream involved myself with a number of very good friends and various dream people populating a very rural farm for staging. I had dream knowledge that it was Peace Corps staging, but there was otherwise nothing that would indicate it. People were all dressed as country bumpkins- red long-sleeve Ts and denim coveralls. Everyone. We definitely shucked hay and boozed the entire time (and from what I gather, this isn't actually too far removed from most PCV's staging experiences). Even Kaitlin Olson, Sweet Dee from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, arrived and apparently had the hots for me. Not only that, courtesy more dream knowledge, I understood she and I had been engaging in adult relations (sorry, Mac) long before this farm hoedown and while this dream remained PG, I did at least get a handful of ass, which is shocking because Kaitlin is... Well, skinny is an understatement. Regardless, as soon as Kaitlin arrived, dream conversations changed pretty rapidly from Peace Corps related talk to naughty talk. Go fig.

The Nominee Toolkit is an online application-checking interface that Peace Corps uses in order to communicate progress to its nominees.

Every time Peace Corps changes something or receives something from me, they update the information in the Nominee Toolkit. Everytime the toolkit updates, I get an e-mail at around 5AM the next morning, which always gives me a happy little surprise when I wake up.

Today's Toolkit reads like this (as it has since the end of March):

FORMS required to become an invitee

Medical/Dental Forms Peace Corps mailed you a Medical Kit on March 27, 2012. Be sure to schedule your medical appointments immediately so you can submit your medical forms as soon as possible. TIP: Some medical forms, reimbursement forms, and samples of correctly completed forms are available in the Download Center.

Physical ExamPeace Corps has not yet received the results of your physical exam. Please make the required medical appointments and submit your physical exam, along with any other required documentation, as soon as possible. (Note: Notification of receipt of dental information may precede notification of receipt of physical exam. Allow for a 2 to 3 day delay.)

Evaluations required to become an Invitee: Dental Peace Corps is currently reviewing your dental documentation.

Legal There are no legal holds on your account at this time.

Medical Peace Corps is currently reviewing your medical documentation.

Place There are no placement holds on your account at this time.

----

By the way, I just sent off my dental packet today and I am not even finished with my physical, so those last couple of circles are kinda wrong, lol. I believe they are just place-holders until they actually receive the information (which should be soon!).

I finally finished all my medical paperwork/ tests/ X-rays/ vaccines/ etc. It's in the mail back to D.C. and needs to be reviewed by their medical office. After (hopefully) a quick approval, my Placement Officer (whom I have not met) should take a final look at my application and skills and match me up with a country. Then they should send me an invitation kit with all the details. I am so excited and ready to find out where/when I'm going and what my mission will be! It's been a quick turnaround so far, so let's see if that continues.

Last week I was playing blackjack with some kids at the dar shebab (Darija, or Moroccan Arabic, for "youth center"), where I spend most of my time volunteering as a Youth Development PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) here in Morocco. Thinking about how Moroccans so enjoy drinking tea, and how we weren't drinking tea as we were playing "21," and how I've heard some Moroccans facetiously call their tea "whiskey Berbere," I suggested, "We need some whiskey Berbere!"

One of the boys playing the game retorted, "We are not Berber! We are Amazigh!" There's not only one Berber tribe; there are multiple kinds of Berbers, including those who are Amazigh. So it seemed to me that this boy was taking pride in his particular strain of Berber heritage. Also, more recently I learned why he may have such a strong sense of pride instilled in him: Amazigh means "free man."

It is somewhat surprising that I waited this long to make this update… nearly 6 months of waiting and hoping, and the big news finally came! Last week, I accepted my invitation to serve as a Health Extension Education Agent in Cambodia, departing July 9th! It is certainly an understatement when I say this came [...]

Inadvertently, I began training for the Eugene Marathon in August 2011. I was merely trying to get my feet back under me. I had grown fat and sloth-like. Desperate to lose weight and improve my mental and physical health, unbeknownst to me, I started down a life altering path.

Now, perhaps you have already perused my post on running. In mid February, my best friend Craig and I decided to begin training for the Eugene Marathon. Aforementioned, he had already run in some half marathons and was eager for a new challenge and to share the experience with me. I was capable of running around twelve miles at the time, so it's not as if we were totally starting from scratch at that time. This prompted us to think about the potential reality of adding an additional fourteen miles to a single run in two months time. We figured we'd see how training went and if we hit appropriate benchmarks along the way, we'd run it.

The Eugene Marathon means a lot to me. After finding so much purpose and passion within running, I feel honored to have honed this ability in Eugene, aka Tracktown USA. Literally, following in the footsteps of some of the worlds best runners is completely humbling and motivating.

Could not be more true. Thank you, Pre.

Alas, April 29th. The big day. Craig and I had trained so hard, strengthening our friendship even more than our legs, and excited to demonstrate our abilities. Butterflies abound, but we attempted to let cooler heads prevail. "Let's run our race." We didn't want to get sucked up into the excitement. We knew our 8:30/mile pace should be sufficient to meet our goal times. Even then, we just wanted to finish, and time was allegedly on the backburner.

"We'll do this smart- Keep our pace, be injury free, have fun. Caballo Blanco said it best- easy, smooth, light."

Oooooh boy, hah.

We identified the 3:35 pacer and thought, completely contrary to everything I just stated here and two months of conversations about running our race, "Hey, let's follow him. Maybe even aim to beat him and be sub 3:30."

The race starts and we're away! We stay true to our word for the first few miles and keep the pacer within sight, but aren't killing ourselves to do so. Also, if you're ever in need of free, albeit used, running gear, follow behind marathon runners on an ambiguous weather day. It was about 48 degrees at start, and people were shedding and throwing their clothes onto garbage cans, yards, cars, etc. immediately.

I digress. Craig and I were our usual selves- We were chatting with other marathoners, cheering the crowd on (to get them to cheer us on), making quips, and having fun. You can't dedicate yourself to running twenty six point two miles without having fun. It's just impossible. We had a number of other people thank us, noting our ability to incite the audience and leech energy from the cheers. One even noted, "You guys are working twice as hard, but I love running behind you!" We just thought it was a blast and wanted to help others out.

Over the first eight or so miles, our splits were way below our aimed 8:30 at 8:08 or so. Red flags are an understatement. It should have been a fucking full blown alarm. We were crusin'. Loving every moment, having a great time, doing what humans were born to do- run. We passed the 3:35 pacer and "even though time didn't matter," it did. We loved our progress come hell or high water, we were going to keep it. As we were looping back past legendary Hayward Field, I asked Craig our mile nine split. The dialogue went exactly as follows:

"Hmm, what was that last split?"

"<nervous laugh> Um... 7:55.""Oh SHIT."

But we don't stop. We cut it back a bit again to our 8:08 pace, but not our gameplanned 8:30 pace. We tear up the worst part of the run through Springfield and cross the halfway point at one hour forty seven minutes, maintaining a 8:05 pace for the first half of the marathon. We're still loving our pace and feeling great.

Mile seventeen rolls around and I ask Craig, "Hey, how you doin'?" I had noticed that the both of us had pretty quickly backed off the horseplay and crowd interactions and I had become a little concerned. Additionally, I felt as if my pace was backing off and he was having to run down to me, and I felt bad. "This sucks," is Craig's response. While I felt some relief to hear that it wasn't only me who was struggling some, I noted that there was certainly no high water, and this was definitely hell at this point.

We were both miserable. Around mile eighteen, the question of walking was posed. I was opposed to the idea, but could not see us running for another eight consecutive miles without stopping. We relented, and thus began a monumental cascading downward of our pace. By mile twenty, our pace had dropped seventeen seconds to 8:22. We were thoroughly destroyed and it was hard to even imagine finishing at this point. Mile twenty two came, and I distinctly remember thinking that an additional four point two miles might as well be another full marathon. This was devastating.

Just beyond mile twenty three, some awesome dudes were offering shots of free beer! It perked me up in the moment and cut across the path to take advantage. After spilling a majority of it on my face and hand, I got some down and felt empowered. This feeling faded after no more than a half mile, yielding to nausea, farting, and a general desire to die. I should always remind myself: If Craig doesn't do it, I probably shouldn't either. I'm positive there are innumerable times that I could have applied this rule and been better off because of it.

3:45 pacer passes us and at this point, we just don't care. Finishing, and running together, was our only goal at this point. My legs were so tight, I could barely bend them. I looked like a damn robot. Poor Craig had his calf cramp on him at mile twenty five and we had to stop to stretch it out. "We're doing this together and not to injure yourself. Take your time." I'm sure he had slowed down for me at some point and now I was just paying it forward. Running without the other was never an option.

While we hit mile twenty six and knew that the last "sprint" towards Hayward was all that remained between us and our first marathon, it was crippling. It felt like forever. Even the thought about finishing, on historic Hayward no less, could not push our legs any quicker.

Three hours and fifty three minutes later, at 8:55 splits and with plenty of support from both Craig's and my families, we crossed the finish line. We were blindly herded through the end of the race to obtain our bounty of medals, chocolate milk, pancakes, and strange reflective capes.

She knows what's up.We did it. Craig and I laughed at how ridiculously we performed, but were still proud of the culmination of two hard months of training and completing something together that less than one percent of Americans have accomplished. More, we had grown closer, and in my opinion, became better people for it.

Lynette, Craig's wife, asked immediately after we finished if we would want to do another. Of course at that moment, feeling like total shit, we both barked an emphatic "No." However, we both knew how stupidly we ran and couldn't help but think we left a lot of potential performance on the racetrack. But isn't that life? We make mistakes. Hopefully we learn from them. We apply our lessons and be better the next time.

Yes. There will be a next time.

Oh, what was the hardest thing about the day, you might ask? I dropped my pancake fork on the ground and let out a completely defeated sigh. Figuring out a way to get to the ground to pick it up was agonizing. Actually completing the task was nigh impossible. Doubt I have ever eaten a better pancake.

I've been doing lots of research on Ethiopia the last few weeks, though not as much since I've been in Florida fighting through theme park crowds lately. I found out that Ethiopia is pretty much the birthplace of reggae culture, and that the word Rastafarian is based in the Ethiopian language Amharic. It makes me wonder if the Peace Corps could have put me any place further from my interests. But then I get excited, because I know that I'll be able to take an interest in and understand a culture that has never been in my path, in my line of sight. Maybe it also means that my family will be less likely to understand and empathize when I get back, but that's something that I'll have to prepare to deal with. Reverse-culture shock made me confused and miserable for six months after I got back from Japan, and I'm hoping that experience will help me deal with it in August of 2014.

We've been sent loads of Amharic material that will help us transition. Turns out Amharic, while difficult to learn for English-speakers, is not as difficult as Japanese (officially, nothing is) so that is somewhat of a comfort. The language sounds beautiful, but there are over 200 characters that I'll have to learn. I'm starting today with five, and just learning five characters and 10 words a day until...well probably for a good long time.

My first semester in Japan consisted of 10 weeks of intensive, 5 hours a day of Japanese study. Amharic lessons, as far as I have seen, will be around 4-5 hours a day for about a month, then we'll all have a second language to add to it. So, I'm thinking I'm not going to be very good in either language. At all. But I'm really really really excited to try!

Anyway, mostly positive feelings, some overwhelmed feelings. Departure is coming up really fast, and I still feel like there's so much purchasing and saying goodbye that I have to do yet. Most of it will have to wait until I get back to Michigan on Monday. Until then, I'm going to bug my family by trying to speak in Amharic to them! They have to learn this shit too goddamnit!

:)

One week.  Dang.  I leave Denver a week from tomorrow and head to New York to visit my lovelies for one last time before I leave for the Peace Corps this fall.  I haven’t updated in a while again, so here’s the rundown: I’m supposed to have my final phone interview with the Peace Corps next [...]

Please forgive my most recent hiatus from the ole' blog. My laptop's power supply finally took its final breath and I finally relented and purchased a new one. I have some stories to catch you all up on over the next week or so.

Three years ago, I returned to the United States, ravaged by depression and feeling worse than I ever had about myself, my future, and my chances for normalcy and happiness. I was lost, confused, ashamed, and had no idea what to do next.

I'm happy to report none of these things is true any longer. I know what I want and why I want it. I don't know every step on the way to achieving it, but I have an idea. I have direction.

I've moved on from shame to candid acceptance and understanding. I'm open about my time with depression and my concern about its reemergence. I'll never be totally protected against falling into it again, but I'm confident that I can recognize it when it comes up, and deal with it appropriately.

While I do find myself making some of the same mistakes as before, I am aware of it as it's happening, and I feel like that's an important step on the road to self-improvement. I don't have the unreasonable expectation that I'll never make the same mistake twice, and I look forward (more or less) to all the new mistakes I'll discover as I grow.All in all, I feel good about myself again. It's been a long time since I could say that.

____________In just under two months, I will return to Africa – Togo, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I am of course nervous, but I'm so excited to finally begin my life. That's really what it feels like: a new beginning, an actual fresh start.

The nervousness I feel is largely related to the difficult work I'll be taking on, and not the concerns I had in Guinea. The temperature will be high, the insects and spiders large and numerous, the potential diseases serious, the food unknown and probably inordinately spicy, and the people and customs initially different and strange from what I've known. But these things don't worry me too much.

My job is described as English and Gender Education. I'll be in a large village or small town, working with a school to increase gender equality in the curriculum and in the community. Including prep time and grading, about 10 hours per week will be spent teaching English to a class of about 80 12- to 20- year olds in their first or second year of English. The rest of my time will be spent working with the other teachers to create an environment that fosters gender equality through after-school groups, events, additions to the curriculum, and (hopefully) a plethora of other ways, the mixture of which will depend on the needs of the particular community to which I'll be assigned.

That's what worries me: coming up with creative, effective, culturally-sensitive ways of improving girls' education in a culture that doesn't value its female members as equals. Becoming part of any community is hard, more so when it's a different culture. Becoming part of a community in a different culture and then advocating change in that community is quite the challenge. But here's the point: I feel ready for this challenge.

Three years ago, I wouldn't have been felt ready for this. Three years ago, returning home after failing a similar challenge, the prospect of a such goals laid before me would have driven me into a panic attack. Three years ago, I couldn't conceive of being capable of contemplating such a conundrum. Today, I'm alliterating about it.

Today, I feel prepared (as much as I can be). Today, I'm antsy to begin the work – even frustrated at the delays. Today, I feel ready. Bring it on.

Friends, in case you weren't sure how I felt about you... this should clear things up. I love and miss you all -- already. Continue reading →

Yes, I said it.

On recommendation from a fellow Peace Corps nominee and friend, I went to a dentist that is currently a Fellow with the International College of Dentists (USA), an organization that offers to complete the Peace Corps dental x-rays and diagnostic examinations at no cost.

The place was wonderfully chipper, and everyone seemed genuinely interested to hear my story about Peace Corps. In fact, the woman who worked on me has a son who is currently a volunteer completing his first year in Mongolia.

She gave me some "motherly advice", and talked a great deal about that 20/20 interview. She was pretty honest and told me she wasn't sure how she would feel if it was her daughter traveling abroad.

I think my mom'll be fine :)

The entire shabangabang took about 2 hours (partially because I went to the wrong address across town), but at the end of it all, I was good to go! No bruxism, no periodontitis, no gingivitis -- and most importantly for me -- NO CAVITIES!

Another dentist came over to sign the paperwork, and after, gave me advice about dentil floss:

"Just...buy a whole suitcase of it. And don't use it to fly kites!"

I laughed, partially because the joke was way too corny, but also because I was relieved nothing serious was going on with my mouth.

Now, all I need to do is complete my last battery of tests on May 21st and May 22nd, and I will have this devil-packet mailed!

Go, Diplo, go!

After I talked to placement last week, I kept biologically waking up around 2 a.m. every morning to check my phone for an e-mail that said “Peace Corps application status update” (talk about anxiety). I had a gut feeling I … Continue reading →

This morning I met up with a fellow PCV who happened to be passing through the town where I live down here in the Sahara. I mentioned to him that earlier that morning, I had been recalling how I'd recently been in the Moroccan city of Errachidia. I related how I showed up to catch an early morning bus there and was told that it had departed a half hour before it was scheduled to depart. I explained to him that because it had occurred to me early this morning that that might have happened to him this morning, I'd sent him a text message asking him to appraise me about how his trip was going. He arrived here when he'd planned. Similarly, on that recent morning in Errachidia, I got on a bus leaving a couple of hours later than the one I'd originally been planning on catching.

Considering both of these journeys, that of my friend this morning, and my recent trip out of Errachidia, and how neither of us were all that much delayed, since we both got to our destinations when we wanted to arrive, I pondered that sometimes we can make things into a bigger deal than they really are. We can think that things matter more than they really do.

I got confirmation of this realization in another way today. When I finished washing my bedsheets this morning, I began to squeeze the water out of the sheets, since the spin compartment of my washing machine recently stopped working.

First, I acknowledge that I am fortunate even to have a washing machine at all. I am conscious of, and often note, how most PCVs around the world don't have a washing machine at their disposal. I thank God for this and the many other blessings in my life.

To further explain, once I had squeezed the water out of my bedsheets, had hung them, and then retrieved the sheets from the clotheslines on my roof this afternoon, I noted that it didn't matter that the spin function no longer works in the washing machine. The sheets dried in just as much time as they would have dried had I still had the spin function to use. I had despaired when it stopped working. But it turns out, now that it's gone, that it doesn't really matter that I don't have it to use anymore. It leads once again to the question, which can apply to so many things in our lives, "Is it really necessary?"

"Good Evening,

I am writing to inform you that you have been selected to take part as a Language & Culture Assistant in the BEDA Program with Escuelas Católicas Madrid and Universidad de Comillas in 2012/2013. Congratulations!

Further information will be communicated to you by email this week with dates for the course in September and details of your school and the hours."

Nice to see this, finally, even though I will not be participating in the program because of the Peace Corps.

Perry and I both received the same email notification this morning: "Peace Corps has updated your Application Status." The new check mark today is the one next to "Place." Needless to say, we were both quite excited about this....but I became even more excited when I received the following email:

Hello Elizabeth and Perry, I hope you are both doing well. I am the Placement and Assessment Specialist responsible for conducting a final review of your applications for placement. Below you will find questions that will help with my review. Please email your responses or contact me by Friday – May 11th to schedule a time to talk through your responses.Holy cow...getting more real, right? The list our placement officer sent includes many of the questions we were asked at our recruitment interview, but there are a few new questions -- how have we been preparing for our Peace Corps service, have our motivations changed, and have we spoken with any returned couples. Near the end of her email, though, is the real attention getter: The program to which you were nominated to has closed. I would like to consider you for the following program: Africa region placement – departure in July 2012: Perry would serve as a primary/secondary level English teacher and Elizabeth would serve as either as a Primary level Teacher Trainer or primary/secondary level English teacher. Please let me know if you are open to being considered for this program.Holy cow, tangibly real! So close you can taste it real. Freakin' out a little real. Engaging in a little rank speculation, I visited the Peace Corps Wiki, which lists South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia as African countries staging in July. Africa would be very cool, but July is so soon. We emailed our placement specialist and asked whether she believes it possible to find us a placement with a post-September 2012 departure date. We'll see how she responds. Meanwhile, Perry and I decided to break it to the co-op president that there is a distinct possibility we'll be leaving soon -- and for 27 months. Her response was incredibly positive, so at least we have the weight of breaking that news off our shoulders. Feel a little bad about leaving so soon after moving in, but we can make it up to them when we return...this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

-- Elizabeth

A majority of the population in Watts now is Latino. Therefore, Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated among our students. On Saturday, I ventured out to Markham with a couple of other teammates for an event a couple of teachers … Continue reading →

Today I ran into one of my favorite people. He's named Sala. He runs a shop on my way into the center of town. So on most days, whatever I'm walking into town to do, whether it's just to buy bread, or also to go to the post office, or pay a utility bill, or come here to the cyber, I usually run into him.

Today I crossed paths with Sala when he wasn't at his shop. He was around the corner, on the next street. As usual, he grinned at me and greeted me enthusiastically. Literally I have never seen this man unhappy or discontented. He genuinely seems to be both the happiest and most contented person I have ever seen. Sometimes I think of him as being like a Moroccan version of Santa Claus: he's tall, big, burly, with a big beard, and he is incredibly and indefatigably jolly and friendly. After exchanging our usual brief greetings, I continued on my way to the bakery, where I bought my bread for the day.

On my way back to my apartment, I saw Sala sitting outside his shop. Given how I seem to always walk away from interactions with him with a big smile on my face, I was pleased to get to joke around with him a little in an effort to try to amuse him. I remarked to him in Darija, that is, Moroccan Arabic, "There's a man back there who looks just like you!" Sala continued the jest, explaining that it was his brother. (I do know that it was him, both because he would have to have a twin to have someone look so much like him, and because he was still dressed in the same fairly distinctive jillaba, or long robe, which I had just seen him wearing.) This morning I parted ways with him happy to have run into him yet again since he's one of my favorite people, and also pleased that I had seemed to amuse him with my jocularity.

This is too funny not to share. The fact that this exists makes my life that much better.

http://www.fmpcl.com/

I truly cannot decide how to begin this post...typing seems such a poor way to express my excitement! I would rather be dancing and laughing and shouting from rooftops... I'M MOVING TO NAMIBIA!

Just after I had given up hope of my invitation arriving for today, UPS came through and delivered my beautiful packet, and I just finished officially accepting my invitation :) I will leave for training on July 25th...just 77 days from now. I can hardly believe it!

I've made a number of frenzied phone calls over the past few hours, delivering the news about my destination. The number one reaction has been: "You're moving where?" Admittedly, I hadn't heard of Namibia until I began reading Peace Corps blogs... so I'm not far removed from having no idea where in the world this country is. Here's a map so you can get your bearings :)

Here is what I do know... It's a fairly large country in southwestern Africa. Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990, and the Peace Corps sent their first round of volunteers there just 6 months later. It's mostly desert, with temperatures ranging from 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to below freezing in the winter. It's a predominately Christian country. English is the official language, but I will also receive language training in at least one (probably several) native languages. I will be teaching science in an upper primary or secondary school (so in the range of 6-12 grade) with class sizes of 50-65 learners. My in-country training will take place from July 27th to September 20th, at which point I will be sworn-in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer.

So hold on to your hats, ladies and gents! It's going to be an incredible ride... and I can't wait to get share it with you :)

PC communications through this week have finally convinced me that I am medically cleared except for my last two rabies vaccinations. The results of my routine medical procedure of April 25th have now not only been approved by the physicians on my end but also by PC Medical. Polyps don’t kill people, cancer kills people.

The PC toolkit (connected to my PCV application) apparently is not relevant to Response volunteers, so there are no fireworks or visuals for me to display here. And no official letter of invitation will arrive on my doorstep (or so I assume).

Today I received a syllabus of a methods course at the institution where I am to be teaching. It will prove very useful as a template. My pre-trip homework has started. Tomorrow I will UPS the yellow fever documentation with my Liberia visa application back to Washington.

While at the travel clinic today, they gave me some reading material on each immunization (most are for viral sicknesses) and about Liberia. These descriptions of health, safety, and security in Liberia make the country appear to be Satan’s antechamber….a much sterner version of reality in this country than that written in the Peace Corp Welcome Book.

So has the other shoe dropped? I keep waiting for an unknown problem to suddenly appear, so will not feel content until flying over the Atlantic. The extensiveness of the medical examination has made me paranoid.

Until then:Tasks to complete – sell one of my vehicles, finish landscaping projects out back (especially renovations of my bamboo grove and dry stream bed), arrange financials in my absence, decide what camera and computer configurations to purchase for Africa, stay healthy, attempt to network, lesson plans and more lesson plans.

There’s also an upcoming Peace Corps event at Mizzou on the 17th. And barbecue……….

Although I’ve lived in Los Angeles for nearly four years, I don’t care much for the entertainment industry or celebrity sightings. However, working for a nonprofit in Los Angeles has its perks: You can fundraise through the entertainment industry! On … Continue reading →

This past weekend, I was up in the city that's about an hour north of the town where I live down here in the Sahara. In the morning, I was at Bible study with some friends who are also expats living here in Morocco. As our Bible study was starting, I sat down on a ponj, which is like a long sofa without a back. It appeared to me as if I had taken the last place in the room. A moment later, one of the young children entered the room and was looking for somewhere to sit. My friend, who was sitting next to me on the right, and I seemed to have the same idea at the same time. She called to the child as I scooted over to make some room for the youngster. A little while later, another of the kids entered and sat in the small space between me and my other friend who was on my left.

I was immediately reminded of how I've had to adjust my conceptions of space while I've been living here in Morocco, in different ways, at various times. We pile into taxis here, cramming them more full, with more people, than many US citizens would expect to be in such a vehicle. I've considered that I should not be hostile to sharing space, for many reasons. For one thing, I made a conscious, voluntary decision to come here. Therefore, I decided to submit myself to the customs here, including those which demand that I handle space differently than I typically did in the USA. Insofar as I invited such external changes in how I conduct myself, implicitly I further chose to explore what internal transformations might occur. How am I going to allow these experiences here affect me? How am I going to change as a result of living here? Surely change is a necessary by-product of being here, including by aspects of life here which I've found uncomfortable and which I haven't liked. Otherwise I run the risk of merely complaining about what I haven't liked here, of not learning anything about myself and others. And if I go down that road, then I'm traveling down the road toward being the arrogant and closed-minded American who comes here, criticizes the people and the culture here, and leaves, not having gained anything, and consequently, likely not having given anything, of lasting value. So at this relatively late stage in my Peace Corps service, I've been thinking about what I can take back to the USA with me, not just in terms of physical, material goods, but also, and far more importantly, in terms of what can help me conduct myself better, what can help me be a better human being, and treat others better.

Hey everyone! Just a quick update. I received a phone call from my recruiter last Wednesday and he basically told me what i was thinking he would. He said that he looked over all my forms and such and everything looked good for now, but all the programs for 2012 are full..... which i was sure would happen. He told me that he cannot look at the programs and positions for next year until starting next month (June), so he told me to email him at the end of this month to let him know i am still interested. Im not really bummed because i had an inkling that this was what was going to happen. In a way i guess it worked out well because i knew i was at least a year away from leaving to serve. My recruiter also told me that the PC wont start sending volunteers out till April 2013 for next year anyways.

In the meantime, i have begun the job search for a full-time job hopefully in the science field, so i can put my degree to good use. I also have been looking for a 2nd part-time job to work at along my current job just until i find a full-time job.

Also, WOOOO HOOO!!!! I can finally say i am an official college graduate with a B.A. in Biology. Man does it feel so amazing and crazy. I cannot believe i am finally done with college forever. But as my dad always says ( and he will probably read this so, Hi Dad!) learning never ends!! Anyways, I'm off to be productive and hopefully work on updating my resume a bit either tonight or tommorow.

Once again, thanks for reading my blog :)

-Courtney

I've been reading a lot about the medical clearance and what a pain it can be (literally). I started all of that today and, surprisingly, got quite a bit accomplished. The family doctor and dentist were checked off the list today. Missing some lab results and X-rays, and then my vision will be checked Thursday. I hope to mail it all back Friday. I think I deserve a gold star for speed of completion and also for not crying due to numerous needles today. :) I can't stand needles.

After this, the waiting game continues. Fun times...

...and man, does it feel good!

You see, I'm the type of girl that gets excited by discounts. I'll ring up my items in a Kroger U-Scan and clap my hands gleefully as the price lowers when I've swiped my Shoppers' Plus card. I'm a thrift store drifter ($2 pants? yes, please!). I'll wait for a new movie to come out in the Dollar Theater before I shell out the nine dollars Lennox wants from me.

Okay, I take that back. I'll spend good money on any Christopher Nolan flick, and on The Avengers. Which I am seeing. Again. You should see it, too. Actually, stop reading this post and go see The Avengers if you haven't already. I'll wait...

Are you back? Okay, good.

Anyway, as I said before, I like discounts. So, imagine my supreme happiness when, after completing the female exam portion of the Medical Packet at the local community health clinic, I was told they would also be able to complete all of my other labs (and test my titers) at no cost.

Remember my recent post about the dreaded medical packet and the battery of tests (and horrific upfront costs) that awaited me? Well, as I was explaining this, a Nurse Practioner took my medical packet, looked through the list of required labs, and decided that because of my income, the clinic could complete all the labs for me on the spot.

And by all, I mean all of the labs. And by on the spot, I mean they actually drew my blood today, even though I didn't have an appointment. Yes, they had to take blood from both arms because my left arm vein was acting all uppity and wouldn't work for them, but other than that (kinda painful) hiccup, it went as smooth as a baby's bottom.

I was half in shock when they signed me up to get my Varicella titers, and even moreso when they did a TB test and scoured through the PC Medical Packet to make sure they weren't missing anything. That packet passed through so many hands, it was like they were looking at photos of a newborn.

The Peace Corps medical packet must be formalized by a Medical Doctor ("which, like, makes no sense", one NP whispered to the other), they scheduled my varicella and general health exam in 2 weeks (when the Doc is available). Still, I'll take having to wait two extra weeks in exchange for getting this medical packet completed virtually without having to touch my pocketbook.

My lesson has been learned: seek out a local health clinic if you are like me and have little to no insurance.

If you live in my area, here is a link to the community health center I used. Here is another link to the County Health Department where I am getting my (extremely cheap) immunizations!

Good luck and may the Peace Corps Gods show you the mercy they have granted me!

I’m going to Paraguay in September! I just found out today, the week I graduate from college! So much stuff going on! More info to come soon!

A few days ago the eleventh grade had their Last Bell ceremony or graduation. I was expecting it to be similar to an American graduation. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was really refreshing. It was short and held outside instead of in a stuffy auditorium. It was a really gorgeous day. I don’t think I’ve made it clear before now, but spring is here in Ukraine. The flowers are out, the sun wakes me up every morning, and the grass is so green. Everything feels so alive. After months of thinking it would never be warm, I am so grateful and often incredulous about the weather.

What was most striking about the ceremony was how teacher focused it was. Instead of the students receiving flowers, they gave them to their teachers. Eventually, the students all moved forward and started dancing like a flash mob. They threw off their caps and gowns and started dancing in their jeans and traditional Ukrainian shirts. Afterwards, there was a party for the teachers and a handful of parents. The parents gave the teachers gifts and toasted to their commitment. It was so different than an American graduation. Later this month there will be a “prom”, but it is really more like a play and dance than a prom.I’m not really sentimental. I haven’t been here long enough to feel sad that a group of students are leaving. However, it was one of my favorite classes to teach because they were so enthusiastic. We played Simon Says and not only did they understand “Simon says pretend to be an airplane” but they actually did it. Some of my other classes have a “too cool for English” attitude but these students don’t. I think I will miss that.

I’ve been gone for a while, physically and otherwise. Traveling always seems to force introspection. I always seem to find myself asking, “How did I get here?” It started last week with a Peace Corps event. I found myself alone in a fancy hotel room. For a moment, I forgot I was in Ukraine, I forgot I was a volunteer. For a moment, I felt as if I could have been just another guest on business travel far from home. It turns out that hotel rooms with modern amenities are just as lonely as my small and empty apartment. I’d like to write about all the fun things I did like making tortillas and tacos and American brownies, but those aren’t the things I’ll remember. Big Peace Corps events always leave me feeling anxious and lacking. It is so easy to compare experiences at these events and I end up feeling unbalanced and uneasy. I feel this way at site quite often. I think it is probably some kind of anxiety, but really it is hard to say. The feeling of being off center is what I’ll remember.While hotel rooms can fool me into thinking I am elsewhere, traveling on hot crowded mini buses and slow moving trains remind me that I’m in Ukraine. This was the first time I wasn’t traveling alone. J and C and I went to visit K in her village. K’s village is really gorgeous. Climbing trees and sitting on her roof is what I’ll remember. The people there are so friendly. We celebrated May Day and had a picnic. It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had since moving to site. Trains are one of my favorite things about Ukraine. It seems that whenever I ride the train, some friendly stranger starts a conversation. People heard J, C, and I speaking English and sat down to talk. I’m pretty sure someone thought we were part of a dance troupe and another lady gave us a history lesson on the Russian rulers who vacationed in Crimea. While I am struggling to connect to people in my community, there never seems to be a problem on trains. With my Ukrainian and C’s Russian skills, communication was easier. If only I lived on a train, like a hobo, I’d be so integrated. Trains are also a prime area for people (usually young women) to practice their English skills. On more than one occasion, someone who knows English seems to find me and ask if I need help. I think at first glance people think I am a student or tourist and thus feel the need to help or talk to me. Trains are a really good example of Ukrainian hospitality. Sometimes I feel so lonely and isolated at site that I need strangers on trains to remind me how pleasant Ukraine can really be.

Around a year ago, I started the Peace Corps application process. Now that that year-long gap is finally closing, I’m closer each and every day to receiving an invitation to serve. I was never worried about it not happening (a … Continue reading →

One of the many tasks that I was given with my invitation packet was to write an aspiration statement. This is an important document because it becomes a part of your Peace Corps file and if you die in service, Peace Corps officials uses it to write your death notice. Oh my gosh you guys calm down. Its primary purpose is to introduce you to your future employers and coworkers in country. (I wasn’t joking about the other purpose though; they do that. Google it if you don’t believe me.) It turns out this writing exercise was really good for me, too. It is one thing to be asked why I want to join the Peace Corps, but it is another thing entirely to write a document detailing why I think I am qualified to be a Peace Corps volunteer. Oh, wait. I don’t really feel qualified to teach people how to use mosquito nets and condoms. Then there were the questions about how Peace Corps will change me…really? The only thing I do know is that I will change, but I have no idea how!  After many days of contemplation I just sent in my updated resume and aspiration statement to the Peace Corps desk in Benin. I hope by posting my aspiration statement here I will help out some other future PCVs in their quest to understand why they are accepting their invitation to serve. Aspiration Statement Marjorie Wilson Benin June 24, 2012 A: The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service.Having studied international development as an undergraduate, I am eager to work in the health field designing and implementing projects that my village needs and supports. My community will benefit from the knowledge I gained as an elementary educator and an HIV tester and counselor. These experiences will be useful in providing health education on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and nutrition. My previous work with water projects will also be useful in promoting water conservation and sanitation. I have studied several foreign languages and although French is not my strongest, I am always eager to practice my language skills to better connect with my community. I also hope to study a regional language and be able to speak it proficiently. As for my professional aspirations, I hope to gain a better understanding of the realistic practice of international development. One can only learn so much in a classroom until it is necessary to get out and witness the real life application of these ideas. I also hope to improve my leadership and communication skills.B: Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs. Open communication with my Beninese counterparts and members of my community will be vital to my success as a volunteer. I expect to have many conversations and ask many questions in my village, which will help me gain perspective on the health and sanitation needs in Benin and its rural communities. This will allow me to ensure these projects are supported and sustainable, and that they will continue to function long after I am gone. I look forward to collaborating with the Beninese government or NGO I am assigned to and working together with fellow Peace Corps volunteers on secondary projects. Along with cooperation, it will be essential to remain flexible when working with others. I understand that projects are not always going to work out the way I envisioned. There will be times when I will need to change plans, but also times that I will lead my coworkers to support and believe in new ideas. The process to become a Peace Corps volunteer took me over a year and was an excellent exercise in patience. In Benin, as well as many other places around the world, the pace of life and therefore work schedules and timelines are at a more relaxed pace than in the United States. I will learn to be patient with and have respect for this different pace of life. I understand the importance of undertaking this commitment with an open mind and compassionate heart. C: Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.   Drawing from personal experiences living and studying abroad, I recognize the importance of communication, mutual respect, and patience when developing relationships with host community members. Living with a host family in Argentina at the age of 15 was an eye-opening experience. It was difficult to learn how to live with a new set of parents and new siblings, but my experience there, including going to high school and interacting with people in my community, was life changing. Opening up to my host family often took me out of my comfort zone, especially since I was just beginning to speak Spanish, but it was those moments that fortified the relationship I have with my Argentine family. Studying abroad in Morocco presented a new set of challenges I never faced in Argentina. Although I did not live with a host family, I was invited on multiple occasions to stay with a Moroccan family. I adjusted to Islam-inspired customs such as modest dress, segregation between the sexes, and the fast during Ramadan. Living in a Muslim country fostered in me a deep respect for Islam and its followers. I thrived in this new cultural environment. Living and working abroad can be stressful and challenging, but my experiences studying abroad and living with host families have prepared me for this challenge. While I admit patience is not my strength, I am aware of the slower pace of life that is practiced outside of the United States and hope to learn to relax into this new life style.I look forward to living with a host family during the pre-service training period and would readily embrace the opportunity to live with a host family once I am appointed to my post.D: The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project. First and foremost, I hope to improve my French language skills so that I may be able to communicate with my host country partners and community members. I also hope to gain other language skills in a regional language so that I may better reach and connect with non-French speaking populations. Using my regional language will lead to more respect in my community. Although I have worked in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention, I am interested in continuing my education about this disease.  I also hope to learn more about Malaria and other health issues that I will address. Beyond that, I hope to learn about how these diseases have affected my community and Benin.   I have high expectations for pre-service training based on wonderful things I have heard from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. I expect to learn “technical skills,” but I admittedly do not fully understand what that entails. I hope to learn about what other kinds of projects have been implemented in the past by other volunteers. Finally, I expect pre-service training to teach me cross-cultural adaptation, recommended safety precautions and personal health maintenance. E: How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends.International development and issues in international health became passions of mine after spending time in Honduras installing bio-sand water filtration systems in 2008. It was my first introduction to real poverty and consequently one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had. This experience led to my decision to study International Development as an undergraduate. I hope Peace Corps will be a good introduction to a career in international development and/or health. After completing my time as a Peace Corps volunteer, I hope to attend graduate school to continue my studies in international development and/or public health and later pursue a career in the field.Personally, I will most likely change in ways I cannot begin to expect. I hope to meet many people, American and Beninese, who will open my mind to new ideas and challenge me in ways I could never imagine. I hope to learn alongside them as we work and live together. As a Peace Corps volunteer, there will be good days and bad days. Some days may be long and boring, others busy and chaotic. It is during these times I will grow to become more patient and flexible. My experience in the Peace Corps will undoubtedly have an indelible impact on my life.

Maybe this godforsaken medical packet will be defeated after all, thanks to another FPCV in my area who decided to call up all the local labs and list their prices.

I am so stoked that I just might be able to afford all these labs without having to get a second job (she says, dripping with sarcasm).

Through Lab Corps' Lab Access Program (for poor folk like moi) , my prices look something like this:

Complete blood count (CBC) = $19 Hep B surface antigen = $42Hep B surface antibody = $43Hep C serology = $47G6PD = $105Urinalysis = $17Totaling $273 + a $10 lab fee = $283

What's even better is that I just received a message in my inbox about free Hep C tests, and my job offers free Hep B vaccinations ( I wrote a letter to PC OMS asking if this could take the place of the antibody/antigen surface tests) so my final tally might look something like this:

Complete blood count (CBC) = $19 Hep B surface antigen = $0Hep B surface antibody = $0Hep C serology = $0G6PD = $105 (whyyyyyyyyy is this so expensive?!) Urinalysis = $17Totaling $141 + a $10 lab fee = $151

Even with these discounts, I still cannot believe Peace Corps only reimburses something like $160 of these costs, because I still have to get my immunizations:

1. Polio = $26

2. TD = $20

3. and unless I can prove my immunization, Varicella= $168 (each shot is $84 freaking dollars!!!)

Totalling: $214 + $14 nurses fee and $5 dollar out of county fee = $233

All of this means, at the end of the day, I will have paid a whopping $348 for lab and immunization fees, $30 for my physical examination, and $30 or so for my TB skin test, of which Peace Corps will reimburse $160.

Thank Allah I found a County Public Health Office that was willing to throw me a bone.

It's hard to be a volunteer, y'all! Let's hope I can set up a finance plan to get through all this (or maybe ask my mother to take out a 2nd mortgage, lol), because I have yet to get started on Dental...

I thought I would take the time (that I should be using to write up my aspiration statement and do other pre-departure paperwork) to introduce to you to my new home and job for the next 27 months. I was invited to serve in Benin, a small country in West Africa. Over 1,500 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Benin since the program opened in 1968. There will be about 100 volunteers in my group leaving at the end of June with about a quarter of them serving my sector, Rural Community Health. Other sectors include Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Small Enterprise Development, and Environmental Action. Volunteers in the rural community health project are assigned to government health centers, government social centers, or local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) where they work closely with host country counterparts to promote Malaria and HIV/AIDS education and improve maternal and child health care. With an annual gross national product (GNP) per capita of U.S. $1,100 (est. 2005), Benin ranks among the poorer countries in the world. The economy of Benin remains dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Currently, about a third of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. French is the official language of Benin (Thanks,colonization!). However, over 51 African languages are also spoken in Benin including Fon, Yoruba, Baatonum, Mossi, and Fula. Benin is the birthplace of Voodoo! Beninois may practice these local traditional religions, Christianity, or Islam and it is not unusual for members of the same family to practice different religions or a combination of all of these. I hope this gives you a clearer understanding of my upcoming adventure in Africa.

After yesterday's exciting nomination news, I woke up today with an online application update that said I was already done with my legal clearance. Plus the fact that my medical kit was mailed to me as well. Talk about a fast turnaround!! Now it's time to make my medical appointments and get poked and prodded. :-/ Then to top it off, I was reading about the fact that one can actually receive an invitation to serve up to seven months in advance. That was news to me. I had read originally that you only get notified 6 weeks-2 months before. It would honestly make it so much easier to get the invitation kit earlier, so all the arrangements can be made with some sort of peace of mind that it won't change (natural disasters and wars excluded). Interesting morning- now off to take the Spanish CLEP exam.

Yesterday as I was walking to the dar chebab (Darija, or Moroccan Arabic, for "youth center"), where I do most of my volunteering as a Youth Development PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) here in Morocco, I ran into one of the boys here in town who's especially warm and hospitable. I've eaten lunch with him and his family at their house. He said that his family has been asking where I've been. I explained to him that I'd been traveling for a few weeks, since I'd been working at Spring Camp in northeastern Morocco. He said that I should come over to their house again soon.

Moroccans seem to enjoy having me over for lunch. So we started talking about me coming over for lunch. So I said to him in Darija, "Waxa, l-gda?" meaning, "OK, lunch?" However, given that my pronunciation in Darija is not the best, it occurred to me that perhaps he thought that I just meant sometime the next day. The word for lunch, "gda," is very similar to the word for tomorrow, which is "gdda." You use the same letters when you say each word, but when you say "gdda," you're merely stressing the letter "d" more than when you say "gda." Wanting to be clear, I figured I would just see if lunch the next day would work, so I said, "L-gda, gdda?" He agreed that lunch the next day would work.

After we parted ways, I soon arrived at the dar chebab. There's been less activity at the dar chebab since I returned from Spring Camp last week. Moroccan schools follow the same academic calendar year as schools in the US, starting in September and finishing in June. Thus kids are starting to spend a lot of time studying for their exams at the end of the year, and with good reason. They have to do well enough on them to be qualified to continue on to universities. If they don't pass these baccalaureate examinations, they won't be allowed to enroll at universities. I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with their decisions to spend less time at the dar chebab, and more time studying for these exams, since these tests greatly affect the course of the rest of their lives!

Given how relatively few youths were at the dar chebab, it was fairly good timing for the renovations being done at the dar chebab yesterday, including on some of the flooring. Once the floors had been fixed, the dar chebab moudir (Darija for "director") was getting ready to close the dar chebab for the day, since he wanted the floor tiles to set and not be disturbed by people walking on them until the next day. As he was about to close the dar chebab, he asked me if I wanted to join him for a beverage at one of the cafes in the center of town. That seemed like a nice idea, so we walked for a couple of minutes to the cafe. On the way, he said in English that it was seven o'clock. Since his English is not the best, and since he therefore doesn't always say the correct words, I thought that he might have been giving the wrong time. I thought it was six o'clock. I looked over at his wrist and his watch indeed showed that it was seven o'clock. I suddenly realized that he had in fact given me the correct time. I told him that I'd forgotten that we were supposed to set our clocks an hour ahead. He reminded me that because we've jumped forward an hour, here in Morocco we're now one hour ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). So, we're now on what Moroccans often call "New Time." When someone has forgotten to switch his or her clock ahead, or is simply operating on the old timeframe, often we say that that person is operating on "Old Time."

Soon after we discussed the time, he told me that he wanted to go to a shop on the far side of the square in the center of town. He told me to go to the cafe and wait for him there, so I got to the cafe first and got us a table. When he arrived at the cafe, he gave me a chocolate-covered wafer which was the size of a candy bar. He'd also bought one for himself. When the waiter came to see what we wanted to drink, the moudir ordered a "nus-nus," which is a glass half full of coffee, and half full of milk. Since it was so late in the day, and I was concerned about caffeine keeping me up, I ordered a glass of hot milk. The moudir and I sat for a while, enjoying our beverages, speaking about past PCVs who had lived here in town, and a little about the PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) here in Morocco who soon are going to become PCVs. When the time came to leave the cafe, I reached for my pocket to get some coins, fully expecting the moudir to gesture to me not to get my change, which is exactly what he did. I didn't press the point. I knew that when a Moroccan invites you out to a cafe, he intends to pay. Indeed, it would be bad etiquette to try to insist on paying for the drinks in such a situation. While I felt somewhat uncomfortable about him paying not only for the candy, but also the beverages, given how little money he probably has, I also appreciated that one has to respect the local customs where one finds oneself.

Later, pondering our time at the cafe, and how he paid for the food and drink, and how I felt a bit uncomfortable about it, I considered that we should let others give to us, even when they don't have a lot. I don't want to stifle people being generous. The real issue is not whether I am getting something, and, if so, what I am getting. Truly it is important if someone feels in their heart the need and desire to be generous. It's also important how we respond when they try to give to us. We want them to feel that they should be giving. We want them to feel that they are living at their best when they are being magnanimous.

It also occurred to me that I can not only reciprocate his kindness by continuing to bring food to the dar chebab to share with him as I've done, but that I can also simultaneously share a little of the culture in the US by sharing some food from the US with him. It pleases me when, after an interaction has made me uncomfortable in some way, through it I find a way to try to help people. I love helping others to give, and giving to others, thus hopefully bringing them joy.

Yesterday and today can only be described as an emotional roller coaster. As a quick summary, I received my nomination for a Computer Science position with a health ministry starting October in Africa! I'm very excited, but a nomination can still change, so for now I am focusing on my Spanish test tomorrow, and then waiting for the medical kit to arrive so I can start making all the appointments. A placement officer can still contact me later (after medical and legal clearance) to suggest other positions in other locations with other staging dates. So don't schedule any good-bye parties just yet. :-)

I just registered for June 8th! I am extremely excited to begin this process again. I cannot believe it has been a year already! I guess it's time to dust of the old books and get to studying! With one month until "go" time, I've get to get in gear!

Best morning news ever! I have been waiting to hear some news about my medical review for a couple of days now. Last week I sent in some requested medical information (proof of an adult polio booster shot). I was … Continue reading →

I have been nominated to be a Health Extension volunteer in Central/South America with a departure date of February, 2013. Within Peace Corps, there are 14 countries in the Central/South America region where volunteers may be placed.

Central America:

Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama

South America:

Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname

Luckily, because I know my volunteer sector and regional nomination, I can narrow down those countries by using the Placement Calculator located in Peace Corps Wiki.

My sleuthing has given me this data:

Central America:



South America:

However, by cross-referencing my tentative departure date of February, 2013 with the staging dates from 2011 and 2012 using the Peace Corps Wiki timeline, I can narrow down my odds to these countries:

Ecuador (32% of volunteers in South America ended up here last year)

Paraguay (18% of volunteers in South America ended up here last year)

Peru (36% of volunteers in South America ended up here last year BUT I see no past staging dates in February)

Honduras also looks possible, however the 2012 February staging date has been cancelled because Peace Corps paused its volunteer operations there to figure out the security situation (it has done the same with El Salvador and Guatemala).

So, where would YOU like to go? Me? I'd prefer Paraguay (or Ecuador) :)

A RPCV who had served in both Fiji and Botswana (he actually became a volunteer in his 50's) interviewed me. It was quite funny, because he pulled out this grey little tape recorder and asked me to speak into it.

"I can't type fast enough for this," he said, and we laughed together.

There was a poster on the wall with the Peace Corps Core Expectations listed, and he literally went down the list, asking me questions about each one, and how I might manage my life abroad.

The exact questions he asked me can actually be found here. He didn't really deviate at all.

After the interview (which lasted around an hour), he went over my qualifications and asked me to speak more about my Spanish and French level, as well as my community development and TEFL skills.

After that, he gave me some information to send to my parents and it was all done!

My interview was roughly an hour and a half long and we laughed throughout. It was pretty relaxed overall.

I received my medical packet on April 7th.

As of today, May 1st, nothing has been completed. I just cannot afford it right now.

Of course I am frustrated, but there is light at the end of this medical packet tunnel.

I have my dental examination and my physical examination next week.

Hopefully the VA hospital will take care of my labs up in my hometown.

Updates on all the will be posted as they come in...sometime I wish I ate ice cream -- I am pretty sure I'd feel much more relaxed and less stressed out about all this after eating a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ;)

Less than 24 hours ago I was despairingly considering the fact that I might graduate without being any closer to an invitation... which made me feel very directionless, very much like I was just going to turn into a wayward drifter.

However, this morning as I rubbed my sleepy eyes and checked my email, I was propelled into a victory dance at what I found.... Medical clearance! Yes!

So... everything is done. The next time I celebrate it will be the rejoicing of a woman with a placement :) And hopefully not very far in the future...

Today, May 1, is May Day. It's being celebrated in many countries around the world. In fact at least two separate holidays are occurring today. In one sense, in certain festivities today, people are consciously ushering in the season of Spring. Others, in recognizing today as a holiday, seek to support workers and their struggles for their rights as laborers.

For centuries people celebrated the beginning of Spring and the end of winter, partly by taking part in banquets. It has been in this sense of celebrating May Day that Swedes have made bonfires on May Day and the Irish have crowned a May Day queen. Throughout Western Europe and the US today, persons celebrate May Day as the start of Spring by dancing around a maypole.

Insofar as May Day is known as International Workers' Day, it has more recent historical origins. International Workers' Day was borne out of events in the late 1800's, when American laborers organized for an eight hour working day.

In recognizing International Workers' Day, many people are recalling the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, which occurred after someone--it was never discovered who--threw dynamite at police who were breaking up a gathering of workers striking for an eight hour workday. The police then fired at the workers, killing dozens of people.

Several years later, riots broke out on May Day in 1894. US President Grover Cleveland was concerned that if Labor Day was celebrated on May 1, some would see it as endorsement of the riots which had occurred. Thus the US now celebrates its analogous holiday, Labor Day, in September. However, unions in many countries were urged to agitate on May 1 for an eight hour work day, and to refrain from working on May 1, in efforts to work toward that goal.

Today in many countries, working people still honor the labor movement on May 1 in recognition of efforts made on behalf of employees. Accordingly, here in Morocco, people are celebrating May Day in honor of the struggles of working people. The post office and the city hall here in town are closed today. Kids have the day off from school.

Here’s a glimpse of the community members that we’re at the South LA Community Coalition event I attended on Sunday. Very powerful indeed. Go South LA! We’re trying to help rebuild you now at Markham!

I took a break from blogging last week because: 1) I’m sick of writing about my students right now because of the way they’ve been acting and treating me. 2) I had a sub for three weeks. What could I … Continue reading →

With graduation looming and my placement underway, it's been getting down to crunch time. I've been having fairly regular dreams (and by that I mean actually every night) about my invitation and service. One had me going to a brand new country in Africa, which was called Mazimbia (a combination of Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia) that I actually thought was real...until I woke up and checked my email. Last night's was also pretty vivid and realistic, with me getting invited to serve in the Dominican Republic doing health education in the middle of the country. It could have totally been a real trip, except for the fact that we all had to parachute to our placement sites before we even had in country training. Guess this is what I get for obsessively checking my toolkit, peacecorpswiki, and the prospective volunteers Facebook group before bed every night.

But down to the real struggle - what to do with my summer. It's nearly impossible to plan what to do without an invitation. At this point, all I really know is that I'm leaving sometime after July 1st. Awesome. Keeping in mind my original nomination, I had planned to stay in Baltimore at my current internship at CCP until the first weekend in August, and then head home to go on vacation to Wyoming with my family and hang at home until I left. But more and more, I have a feeling that I may be leaving earlier than I anticipated. There are people getting invited for health extension leaving at the end of August in Dominican Republic, does that mean I could end up there too? Or are they going to take my ability to learn Spanish and place me somewhere completely unexpected, like Mozambique, and have me learn a new language entirely? And what about the need to swim as my nomination stated, does that mean I'm going to the Philippines? All of this has been stressing me out to the point of exhaustion and that's when I finally realized...I should just go home and de-stress for a bit. So, for the first time since 2009, I will be in New York for an extended period of time. That's right, the overachieving ball of anxiety that I am will be taking a major vacation from, well, everything. I'm getting a one month sublet, working full time through the end of June at my current internship, and will be spending ALL of July chilling at home doing absolutely nothing.

This is gonna be interesting.

The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind. I had become nervous and disenchanted with the idea of doing the Peace Corps, mostly because I thought I was going to fail medical qualifications due to my crazy allergies. After a rough 8 weeks of radio silence, RAS (restless applicant syndrome) kicked in full force, and I called the medical office begging for some news on my status.On top of that, I got offered a well paying job with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs, where I currently intern, and applied for a job in Nicaragua that despite paying next to nothing, seemed perfect for me. And minutes after I turned in my resume and cover letter, the Peace Corps called. Divine intervention.

Of course, my medical paperwork wasn't perfect (but let's be real - does anyone go through medical in one shot?) but it was damn close. All I needed was a polio booster and an explanation of some abnormalities in my bloodwork. Being the neurotic, anxious applicant that I am, I had it all taken care of within 24 hours. And just a mere 48 hours after that initial phone call, I got my clearance. I don't know if I've ever been so ecstatic in my life. Of course, I have a find a country that can accommodate my asthma...but I don't care. I can still go somewhere!

Monday morning brought even more surprises. There's nothing better than waking up to the "Peace Corps Application Status Update" email...except maybe an email from placement themselves. The Health Desk emailed me (which confirms that I'll be a Health volunteer!) asking for some supplementary information - updated resume, transcript post graduation, etc - and also let me know that I'm still being considered for programs that depart as early as JULY 1, 2012. A full TWO MONTHS earlier than my nomination stated! Does this mean I'm going to be moved up? Who knows. Maybe they're just keeping their options open. But having options as early as July doubles the number of possible countries I could serve in, since my nomination is still worldwide. Who know's when I'll hear from them next - people have been saying that it takes an average of 6 weeks to hear from a placement officer before nomination - but what I do know is that the next time I hear from them, it will probably be for a placement interview and final review!

I have never been so excited in my life.

Fall 2004- Heard two RPCV’s and old ECC counselors talk about the PC at camp and decided that day that I wanted to join the Peace Corps after college. March 2011- Start seriously researching the Peace Corps and attend online seminars. May 2011- Begin online application. July 2011- Submit application along with recommendations. August 2011- [...]

I submitted my application to the Peace Corps on August 1st, 2011. The past six and a half months have been a whirlwind of fingerprints, waiting, interviews, waiting, doctors appointments, waiting some more, and forms upon forms upon forms. Despite being told in my interview that I would probably not be leaving until December 2012 at the earliest, on December 9, 2011, I received my nomination to serve. I was presented with the following assignment:

Health ExtensionSeptember 2012WorldwideProgram NameTentative Departure Date

RegionExtra Program Information: Applicants must be flexible to serve worldwide in isolated, rustic areas (This is a pool for programs in many different countries). They require that you do not smoke. They prefer applicants have experience with teaching, youth, nutrition education, and gardening. They prefer that you can walk 5k and swim.

Worldwide. Worldwide? My recruiter told me I would be going to Latin America! But how could I say no to an opportunity like this, especially since I would be leaving months earlier than I had expected? Plus, the mystery intrigued me. I accepted the nomination and began the medical review process.

Instead of spending my winter break lounging on the couch, letting my brain relax from one of the toughest semesters I've ever had, I spent it shuffling between doctors and dentist appointments. In the course of the three weeks I was home, I had 3 dentist appointments, 4 doctors appointments and one appointment for lab work. My teeth were x-rayed, poked and prodded to measure my gums, cleaned, scaled, and cavities were filled. I got 4 shots, a full physical exam, body measurements done, my entire clinical history printed out, and about 30 different papers signed by my doctor. Not to mention having about 6 vials of blood drawn.

I flew out to volunteer in Honduras before I had the chance to send in my medical forms. This week gave me my first taste of what life as a Peace Corps Volunteer would be like - living in an isolated community, spending my days speaking only Spanish, working to build latrines, showers, floors, and water storage tank for members of an extremely low income rural community, and developing and running a health education program for the local school children. Oh, and how could I forget the lack of hot water? Cold showers are something I'm probably going to need to get used to. It was an amazing experience, and completely renewed my interest and desire to serve. All of the paperwork and waiting had gotten me down, and this trip back into the real world was exactly what I needed.

After finally getting my last papers in order (the school health center messed up my vaccination records - surprise, surprise), I sent out my medical packet on February 7th, a little less than 2 months after receiving my nomination. And as of this morning, February 15th, they have received it. Let Restless Applicant Syndrome (RAS) kick in. I've spent all of my free time since sending in my packet researching what countries were leaving in September (so far, only Nicaragua, Rwanda, and Peru have been announced) and what countries were possibilities. Since the Peace Corps usually only reviews medical forms for those leaving in the following 4 months, I have up to another 2.5 months to kill until I could be getting any form of contact. Coincidentally, that's around the same time as graduation. Let's hope for a speedy review, and fingers crossed for a nomination by graduation!