The bride kidnapping (it was fake). Here's me with the scarf symbolizing the marriage and my fake husband, wearing the traditional hat, the kalpak. We are haning out in the yurt after the festivities.

On the left is my friend Angela and I hanging out somewhere. Don't actually remember where!

All is good. Most of my communication will be over e-mail, so if you aren't on my list, let me know and I'll add you. But I'll try putting pictures up here. Here's a picture of a yurt and the mountains on the way to Talas a few weeks ago for our site visits. They picture of me is at teh manas ordo in Talas. Manas is an epic warrior, and this picture is of one of his warriors, Bakai-ata.

These pictures are from my village. The mountains are the view I wake up to every morning and the donkeys are everywhere! Including Shrek and Shrek II which we watch all the time at my house dubbed in Russian!!

Hi everyone. I'm sitting in an internet Cafe in Northwestern Kyrgyzstan in an oblast known as Talas. We had a 8 hour van ride to get here from my training village but it's so gorgeous here. Let me back up a little. I'm having an awesome time in country, loving the people, the food, the tea, the volunteers. The language learning is going better than I thought it would, and that's awesome. Basically, all is well with me, so no worries. Lots of language classes, lots of shots in my arms (they still are sore), lots of technical training to be a teacher, lots of mushrutka (bus/van) rides. Gorgeous mountains. I drove through two mountain passes yesterday alone to get to Talas!!! Anyway, this has to be quick, but I hope all is well with you and drop me an e-mail or a letter when you get a chance. I'd love to hear from you!!

Carli

I'm here. After many hours on airplanes and in airports. I love it so far. We've had one day of language training (I'm learning Kyrgyz, not Russian) and today we move in with our host families. The whole group I'm with is fantastic and the smaller language group I'm with is fun to. I gotta run but wish I could write more. Hopefully that'll come soon.

I'm in Philadephia!! After a minor disaster of not waking up to alarm clocks this morning (my mom woke up a few minutes after hers should have gone off, at 3:15.....thank goodness she woke up). We ran around like nuts for about half an hour and then headed out to the airport. I said good-bye to Kev and his girlfriend Brit before leaving Pierz....it was nice that they stayed to say good-bye.

No problems getting to the airport. I actually underpacked. We were allowed 100 pounds in two suitcases....I've got 47 pounds in one and about 37 in the other....I sure hope it was enough....it sounds like a lot of people are on the other end of the spectrum with too much luggage. Oh well, I can buy things there if I forgot.

I had a 7 a.m. flight with Megan, getting into Philly around 10:30. No problems, which was really nice. All of my luggage came and then we took a shuttle into the University City area of Philadelphia. Went and grabbed some lunch after checking into the hotel, played some ice breaker game after registering with the peace corps (!), and then had a four hour staging session. Then a group of six of us went downtown to eat at a Cuban restaraunt, which was really tasty. Then some e-mail checking and talking over the day with Megan and bedtime. It sure felt good to sleep after getting up at 3 yesterday!!

Today I get to eat lunch at Cosi. I'm so excited. I really want a sandwhich from there. It was what I ate so, so many times when I lived in DC and I haven't eaten at one since. Nmmmm!!

Now until......

June 30th (Happy Birthday Holly!)

Hamline to say good-bye to the roomies and a few othersBack to Pierz trying to avoid holiday trafficPerhaps a bottle of german white wine!!July 1st (Happy Birthday me!)Movie and dinner with my parentsJuly 2ndNothing planned yet, maybe dinner with friendsJuly 3rdNothing planned yet, but I really want to go mini golfing!Must find time to fix computer and ipodNeed to practice language files sent to me!July 4thFireworks and the Declaration of Independence puzzle!!! (If you don't know about the puzzle, don't ask)July 5thFinishing packingLast Good-byesRe-checking all my packing about 8 zilion timesJuly 6thFlight at 7:05 a.m. from MSP to Philly.....this means leaving Pierz at about 4 a.m.!Arrive in Philly about 10:30...my friend Megan is going with the Kyrgyzstan and will be on the same flightTravel to hotelStaging....pre service orientation to tell us about policies and such....sounds like funJuly 7thMore StagingJuly 8thSee Amy before I leave...yay!Check out of hotel and drive to New York9p.m.ish flight to LondonJuly 9thArrive in London early morningAfternoon flight to Armenia and then KyrgyzstanJuly 10thArrive in Kyrgyzstan in early, early morningSleep for a littleBegin Pre-service training (I'll be a trainee for the first 3 months, not an official volunteerJuly 11-September 22Continued Pre-Service Training (PST) to learn the language, culture, saftey, health and technical skills we will needLiving with a host family to help immerse me in the language...I'm excitedSeptember 23, 2006-September 22, 2008Peace Corps Volunteer after a swearing in ceremonyMove to a new town/vilage with a new host family to begin teachingHopefully some good travelling to neighboring countries, neighboring volunteers, good hiking, good friend making with Kyrgyzstani people and other volunteers, etc.Post September 22, 2008If you know me well enough to read this blog, who knows. Perhaps some travelling. Maybe a move to the East Coast. Perhaps some final presidential campaigning for the 08 election...I'll be back with about a month and a half to share. Catching up with friends and family. Eating good ethnic food! Using lots of high speed internet. Enjoying more hot water and such. Who knows really.....anything is possible!

Everything is coming soon. Good-byes. Final packing. Cleaning up the room I've been living in for the past month. I've got to do it all soon. By Wednesday night. Yeah, yeah, I told you all I would be leaving on Wednesday and maybe spending the 4th in Philly, but the Peace Corps had other plans, so I'll be in Philly on the 6th to the 8th. And there's lots to do between now and then. Including fishing. It's been a good few days, but tiring. I went to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Gray at their cabin in Fairibault. Grandpa and I fished for hours and hours but only caught two worth keeping. I bet I caught about 30 fish altogether! But only two we could keep, and they didn't seem like keeping, so we threw them back in. Other than that, I've been spending time with my fam, I'm in St. Paul for just a day to say good-bye to friends (wow....it's so difficult to say good-bye; it's hard to, because I think of it as a "see you later" but it's hard to convince people to think that way too), picked a gallon of strawberries (num!), have worked on two quilts (one down, just a little left on the second), and had to take one of my cats, who is now my parents cat by default, to a farm to live a more peeing on the carpet free life. It's been intense.

Ok, I'd love to write more, but I need to get to bed. Just wanted to add my address for my first three months in Kyrgyzstan. I'll get a new address around the end of September, but this will work for now. I know it seems upside down, but this is how it goes; country first, name last. Things take awhile to get there, so if you want to send something out now, you could do it and it might not even get there before I do!

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek City

10247 Toktogula Street

P.O. Box 1200

Carli Wulff

So, it's 18 days until I leave....wow. Here are some things I am......things I am experiencing, things I'm feeling, etc.

I am...

Excited.

Nervous. But mostly excited.

Shockingly bad at good-byes. I tend to avoid them by saying see 'ya later.

Afraid of packing. Not a logical thing, I just am.

Ready for an adventure.

Deeply loved. Thanks everyone for showing that to me.

Grateful. For what life has offered.

Appreciative. Of the gifts I have been given, in every sense.

Amazed. At life's opportunities.

Stunned. That this is really what I've chosen to do.

At Peace. With my decisions.

Comfortable. With who I am.

Tired. So much I've done, so much left to do.

Educated. At least I should be. What does educated really mean anyway?

A learner. Forever and ever. I will never stop learning.

Blessed. See many of the above statements.

Well grounded. I know my morals, values, family and friends.

Unafraid of change. It's necessary. My changes will lead to new adventures.

Nervous of others changing. While ok with my own change, hard to accept in others.

Aware of Time. How much time is left. Sometimes too little, sometimes too much!

Anxious. To meet new people, volunteers and residents of Kyrgyzstan.

Honest. I try to be. I strive to be. I want to be more.

Comfortable. In so many places....St. Paul, Hamline, Pierz, DC, etc.

Sore. Helped move friends into a new apartment.

Out of shape. Way, way out of shape. Not excited about that.

Spontaneous. When I want to be. Just ask several of my friends.

Planned. Not always. But if I really need to be.

Controlling. Mostly of my environment, not of other people. Working at it.

Strong. Especially after moving all that furniture, but in a more spiritual sense too!

Weak. There are certain moments I dread.

Scary. Or at least I was freshmen year according to Chris!

Outgoing. I can talk to just about anyone.

Without a boyfriend. And glad at this point. I need my space.

Shy. I don't always like to talk to just about anyone.

Political. There's just no denying it.

Thoughtful. Although it may not look it, my mind is usually going.

A listener. When I need to be. When I'm crabby. When others are crabby.

A talker. When I'm happy. When others are quiet.

Rude and inappropriate. Sometimes. Sorry.

Jealous. Of people who take the easy way out. I just can't do that.

Happy. I can't get aroud this fact. I'm happy.

Leaving soon.

Hello Everyone! Sorry this has been so long in coming. Things have been pretty busy since my last entry. Let's see. I graduated on May 20th....Summa Cum Laude, so I did alright in the end. Graduation went well...It was a beautiful morning, although it did rain towards the end, about when I was going to graduate. But it was okay. My parents, Kev, and Mark's parents were there, so that was nice. We ate a great meal at Buca di Beppos and then I went back and continued to pack my apartment. On Sunday I moved out of my apartment and back to Pierz. I think I left some stuff in the apartment but I'll come back and get it soon, I promise. I built a deck with the family over the days after I got to Pierz and started packing up everything I won't need for the next few years. It's so wierd how much stuff I've collected Iver the years. I'm only twenty one but I own so, so much. And I've already got two boxes that I want to take with me....and I already know I can't take everything. I also spent some time with my mom's first grade class and spent time with some high school friends, getting a drink or two, watching a movie, or just chatting.

Right now I'm in Cleveland with the family and Kev's girlfriend. Things are going well so far. Great flight. Went to church with my grandparents and met or remet some wonderful people. The church gave me a prayer shawl to remind me that I am being thought of as I embark on this life changing journey. It was so kind of them. We've had great meals with family and friends too. Yesterday we went to Cedar Point. My mother and I spent the day together and went on at least 14 rides that we can remember. There may have been others. We've got a great picture of us going down the Millenium Force (which has been voted one of the two few roller coasters in the world!!). Today was a rest day after the long day at Cedar Point. We were supposed to go downtown today but we are all just too tired.

I've got my going away party coming up on Sunday. Hard to imagine I'll be leaving in just four weeks. It really is just four weeks away. I'm getting both more nervous and more excited as the time gets closer. I bought another pair of long underwear today.....I really don't want to get frostbitten!! It's so hard to think about how cold it will be as we are here in Ohio with very warm weather.

Anyway, that's a short rundown of what I've been up to. Can't imagine what the next few weeks will bring. For friends in Minnesota, let's get together before I leave. For those other places, thank you for all of your support so far. From both strangers and close friends, I have been so encouraged through all of the parts of this great journey that will start so, so soon!

Everything is done, except the actual ceremony tomorrow at 11. In just a few more hours I'll be a for real college graduate. But, not before I have a mini-disaster to fix. My dentist called on Wednesday to tell me he hurt his hand and can't do some work peace corps needs. Peace corps needs it at least 30 days before staging or I don't go. So, staging is July 5 and the due date for my paperwork saying the work is completed is June 5. My dentist can't see me until the June 2nd, a Friday. That gives my paperwork so little time to get to the peace corps office. So, my mom has been helping me call dentists, and today will be more of the same. Hopefully I'll find something!!

In other news, the fire alarm went off last night at 3:30. Someone who was drunk claimed they had set it off and another apartment resident said he pulled the alarm. Not sure what happened. I just know that when I woke up I thought it was coming from our room and that maybe one of our roommates had done it. But, it was not caused by my apartment, but we had to evacuate anyway. And the police department came. We were outside for about 15 minutes. Then we go to walk up the stairs. The alarm is quiet on first and second floor, but still shreaking on the third floor. None of us want to go back outside and the noise was too loud for us to go back to our apartment, so most of us just hung out in the hallway for about another 1o minutes.

We got back in at about 4, I checked my grades because they were just listed online overnight. The grades were good, but I couldn't fall asleep after checking them. Ick....so I laid awake for a few hours.

Well, I've been celebrating being done. Not so much yesterday (yesterday I cleaned, moved furniture, etc.) but I went and got drinks with Mel one night and Megan the other. Both good times.

OK, my brain is too tired to think things through. I'm done for now. I'm going to go mentor for the last time and then do more cleaning/packing. Maybe DaVinci Code tonight??

In 47 hours and 54 minutes I'll be done with college! Well, I won't have graduated, but my last paper is due at midnight on Tuesday....thus the 27 hours and 54 minutes thing. Three tests and 1 paper. I think I can manage. Then home, then graduate, then Cleveland, then packing, then leaving......wow, it's gonna go quick!!

Someday I'll look back and wish that I wasn't in such a rush to be done, but I am sooooo ready to be done with school. Our last day is tomorrow and then finals next week. I'll actually be done on Tuesday evening. Two classes (and two papers) due tomorrow, ideologies final on monday, research final on tuesday, policy final on tuesday, policy paper on tuesday...finished. Graduation on Saturday. And between Tuesday and Sunday I need to move out of my apartment. And go to the dentist to get unnecessary cavities filled...blah!

But, then some time spent at home, some time in Cleveland, seeing friends, packing, etc. It'll be a good, but busy time. Perhaps I should sit back and enjoy these last days of college...they might actually be less crazy than June (hard to believe right now...I'm kinda busy!).

In the next few weeks, I'll be doing a lot of things for the last time. Here are some of them:

My last...

Band Concert- Today!!!! (Made my parents promise they wouldn't come; they visited me all day on Thursday for Honors day...thanks guys).

Paper that I'm actually concerned aboout writing- Due on Monday...I'm in the library researching for it now...but, instead I'm writing on my blog!

Cinco de Mayo Celebration for a few years in the U.S.- ended up watching movies 'cause I felt bad!

College Presentation- Tuesday...three minutes long, really not concerned about it

End of the Year Party- Kinda boring this year, mostly because no one could or wanted to go on the giant slide with me!

Full month I'll be in Minnesota for awhile- should be here all of May, but in June I'll be in Cleveland for a week

My last full week of classes- Is done on Friday, May 12!!!!! Just 6 days away, and then finals

Ok, there are more, but that paper really needs to be researched and then I need to get to that band concert.

I want to:

Graduate today or tomorrow...not in three weeksHave beautiful weather from now until I leave so I can remember Minnesota fondlyGo to Cleveland and Cedar Point and go on a roller coaster with a 90 degree ascent and descentHang out with all of my friends and family a lot in the next two monthsMeet the K-14 (short hand for Kyrgyzstan training group number 14, the group I will be going overseas with) volunteersHave my computer working with all of my old documents on it (stupid compters crashing near the end of the school yearHave a kick-ass going away party

I don't want to:

Write the six papers I have left in the next two weeksTake final examsPack up my apartment by the day after graduationPack up everything I own when I get homePack for Kyrgyzstan for two years in two bagsCarry said bags around airports by myself

Say the good-byes that will be hardHave a band concert

So much has happened since my return from New Orleans last month, but it is something that I still think about a lot. And I hope that I continue to think about it. It deserves my attention. We had an event last night to talk about our experieces. One of my group members made a video documented her (and our shared) experiences. It was wonderful and brought tears to my eyes. Even though I saw those same images with my own eyes, it is so easy to comparmentalize experiences and block them out. Although I often think about the intellectual side of Hurricane Katrina, the emotional part is something that is easier for me to lock away somewhere. The video showed the house our group worked on from beginning to the end of the week. It showed all of the family's belonings laying in the house, utouched from August to February. How would you feel if your house was struck by a natural disaster and left to mold for nearly seven months before you got assistance? How would you feel to see strangers throwing away your treasured possessions? How would you feel to know that it is churches and nonporfit orgaizations sending in work teams and not your governmnet, whom you have paid your taxes to since you were probably 16? How would you feel asking what it feels like to feel these things? How would you feel knowing it was inaction at every level, long before, during, and after the Hurricane hit that has caused this to happen? How would you know feeling that some of the very results that materialized had been predicted? And how would you feel knowing hurricane season is only a little more than a month away and the levees will only be prepared to their pre-Katrina levels?

I don't think our government, or the state or local government, took actions to directly and negatively impact people. But I do think they choose inaction instead. They choose not to build the levees well enough. They choose to allow the wetlands on the gulf disappear at an alarming rate. Every inch of wetlands helps protect against storm surges. They choose not to issue evacuation demands soon enough. They choose not to deliver FEMA trailors with any speed. They did make choices and those choice impact people everyday still in very real ways.

Remember Katraina. Remember New Orleans. Remember stories you hear. Remember the actions your government took. In your daily life. At church, if you go. In classrooms. At the dinner table. And at the ballot box.

...is beautiful! More particularly, I love Asheville. It's a great town to be in. Especially now that I'm done with my presentation and don't have to worry about having anything to really do until Sunday night when we fly home. Just hope the flight out of here isn't as turbulent as the one into the mountains. It wasn't very much fun! But, my presentation went really well and so have other Hamline presentations. So, yay for that. Now it's just enjoying the beauty of the mountains and the fun of the town. Hopefully the weather stays beautiful. Gotta run to a presentation!

I'm heading out tomorrow morning to Asheville, North Carolina. Going to NCUR (National Conference on Undergraduate Research) to present my research. It should be interesting. Stopping for a layover in Atlanta. I was in Atlanta for spring break in 04, had a layover there last spring (05) with my sister on the way home from DC, and will have two layovers there this year. Instead of layovers the last few years, I wish I could stay for awhile. It's a fun time there. On another note, next year NCUR is California. That would have been fun. Oh well, I shouldn't be complaining about Asheville before I get there. It should actually be a good time. And my presentation is on Thursday, so I'll have time after I'm done to have fun!

New Orleans...what an experience. Sorry I haven't writen about it yet. It's just taken a long time to process everything we experienced. Plus there's the whole Peace Corps thing keeping me busy and also I'm getting ready to leave for N. Carolina to present some research. On Hamline's bill...yay for universities that pay for things like trips! Anyway, about New Orleans. We had a reflection dinner tonight to discuss the experiences of the new orleans participants, but also to hear from groups that went to other locations (Chicago, Memphis, and White Earth) on service learning trips as well. It made me realize that I needed to write about the experience sooner rather than later....you could argue that I've left sooner long behind, but please don't.

Chaos

Yes, we experienced chaos, but nothing unmanagable. Our transportation that was supposed to pick us up from the airport didn't. Really, that was about as bad as it got. So I spent some extra time at the airport. In the grand scheme of things, it really didn't matter to a great degree. In the mess though, my roommate Angie, who was supposed to spend the week with me ended up at another location with a different group of Hamline students. Angie, if you are reading this, I'm sorry, but it sounds like you still had a good experience.

Leaving for the Airport

Before we left for the airport, I made the Hamline post office dig through mail that hadn't been sorted yet to find my pc invite. I knew it was in and wanted my hands on it. I got my hands on it, but in doing so, wasn't involved in any of the predeparture craziness. We got to the airport later than expected, had to go through group check in, and I literally walked from checking in my luggage (second to last...darn W in Wulff) through the security check point to my gate and walked on the airplane...cutting it a little close! No problem on the flight, except I sat in a back row seat that vibrated almost the whole way!

The City

...looks pretty normal from the outside. There are only a few of the tell-tale blue tarps up on roofs....Maybe about one in ten roofs? This is usually one of the main signs a hurricane went through. But, really, from what city residents said and what I saw, it was not Katrina that devestated New Orleans. Residents say they could have recovered much sooner if it was only the hurricane that hurt the city. But it was the flooding in the days after the hurricane. And this damage is harder to see. Some neighborhoods look very normal (except for how few people are in them) but once you go into a house you can see the damage soooo easily. The mold and the filth. In places like the 9th ward the damage is more visible. Houses, lots of houses, moved off of their foundations. Houses that spent months in the streets, just pushed to the sidewalks in the last few months.

The Work

My small group of 9 (part of a larger group of 31) gutted one house over the week in New Orleans. We worked with the United Methodist Council on Relief (UMCOR)...send the Uptown Station of UMCOR money...they really need it. We started on Saturday. Tony, the owner, couldn't be there the first day, he lives hours away in Houston at the moment. His brother came to tell us what we needed to do; empty the house and take out the sheetrock. We spent Saturday two team members down and a few hours short because of orientation, but we emptied the whole house. This could have been anyone's house. This could have been my house. It is an emotional thing to take away someone's physical possesions. At first I thought of it was throwing away someone's life. But after we met Tony later in the week, I realized quickly it wasn't throwing away a life, but the symbols and rememberances of a life. Tony's family still has life, they just don't have the things that used to be in their life. The house had quite a bit of water in it during the city's flooding, so just about everything had to be thrown away. We saved only personal documents and some pictures. One of our group members found several hundred dollars too, so of course we saved that for the homeowner. The piles of household items was soooo big. Imagine if your life's possessions were piled on a pile. How big would yours be? I'd be embarassed by mine. It really made me thing about what I actually NEED in life and what I just want. They are such different things.

After clearing the house, we spent Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday taking out the walls in the house to the ceiling. On the bottom, the drywall came out easily because it was rotten. On the top, it was harder to remove because it was in better condition, but there was a good chance that if we left it on the walls, the mold would show eventaully. This was hard work, made harder by having a limited tool supply. If you go to the area, be sure to take enough tools...it'll make a HUGE difference.

The Homeowner

In the middle of the week, the homeowner Tony, stopped by to see us. He was so thankful for our work. In our lives, our week was a small commitment, but in his life, it made all the difference. In fact, we found out that homeowners save about $10,000 by having volunteers gut the house. He was so thankful we had found pictures of his children, treasured records, and the money. We left for awhile so that he could walk through his house on his own, without our intrusion. I can't imagine how hard it was for him to return to his home with all of its contents spilled on his lawn. He, and his neighbors and other city residents, are so strong. We talked to one of his neighbors who asked if we could also help him clear his house. We told him we were sorry, but that we couldn't. We directed him to helpful resources. He told us that by helping his neighbor, we were helping him. Where else would you ever hear those kinds of words....they have lost so much, but are thankful for even small acts.

The Group

My group rocked. I loved them. They made the trip for me. They worked so hard. They took what they saw to heart. They were impacted deeply by the experience and so was I. Everytime I see them I smile. It wouldn't have been the same trip without them.

Mississippi

On Sunday, our third day in New Orleans, we had the day off from working. I attended church at the church that was housing us in their parish house. We doubled their congregation. It was so amazing to worship with people who have been through so much in the last seven months. After church, people could do different things. Everyone in my small group and several from another group decided we wanted to drive to Mississippi to see the real hurricane damage. The devestation in Waveland and Biloxi was wind damage and storm surge damage. This is what I would expect from a hurricane. It made me realize there were two seperate disasters along the gulf coast...the first was natural, the second helped along by humans.

What do I mean by this distinction? What happened in Mississippi is natural, it wasn't human action or inaction that caused the damage. It was the wind and the ocean surging on to the land. In New Orleans, there was also wind and water, but the water could have been prevented. I'm not saying the government or individuals took steps to make sure flooding happened, I'm just saying the government and individuals didn't take steps in the last many, many years that could have prevented much of the damage. The levees need work.

The other part of the man made disaster is how minorities have fared throughout the disaster. It was the low income neighborhoods in the 9th ward where houses were moved form their foundations. This is not to say that middle and upper income families weren't impacted....I worked on a house that was owned by a middle class family. It's just that the damage is different. Also, driving through the city, there are so few black people in the city. Where have they gone? Are they coming back? Is New Orleans doing enough (or anything) to encourage them to return? This is really to me an example of institutionalized racism. Black people are not beign encouraged to return and are not being given enough input in the rebuilding of the city (search for an article about the upcoming election in a few weeks....how will those who are living outside of the city be able to cast a vote).

So many thoughts

I would love to write more, but I feel that this is a very long post. I will save some more of my reflections (rather than a retelling of events) for another time. I hope this provides some insights into the situation in New Orleans. Find a way to get involved. Raise some money, send a letter to your congress person to get more money appropriated for the area, travel thre if you are able (ask me how to do it...it's not that hard). And ask me questions. Deep questions. Not the "how was it" but the how did it feel, what did you learn, etc and really listen to my answers or to another person's answers who has been there. The most frustrating thing about getting back to Minnesota has been trying to answer the how was it question. Or better yet, the was your trip good question where the asker expects a one word response. New Orleans deserves your whole attention if you ask the question....and so does the person who travelled adn worked there. Sorry for the lecture...anyone who reads this doesn't fit into the category mentioned above, its just a frustration we are all feeling.

I'm invited! I leave July 5th. I'm excited, but still processing New Orleans. More on that later when I've fully figured out what I want to say.

Here's the countdown:

I'm off in less than 12 hours, well to the airport....I'm about 14 hours from the flight. Thanks everyone for the good wishes.

The thirty of us in New Orleans will be keeping a blog. It's hamlinehurricanerelief.blogspot.com

Shoveling out from all the snow. There was a lot. Our first (and probalby last) snow day at Hamline.

Before braving the elements, we dressed up nice and warm in the apartment.

A few weeks ago when we went to see Kate swim at the U we stopped at Dinky Town and this skyline of Minneapolis was perfect for a picture.

Well, in less than one week I will be in New Orleans. In fact, I'm leaving on Friday afternoon, so it's pretty soon. The nerves have left an I'm very excited for the experience we are about to have. I know it will be both physically and mentally draining, but I feel that it is something that will be very good for me in the long term. I also feel that it will be a great experience for everyone in my group...they seem really interested in what is going on in NOLA.

On a different note, I am officially a peace corps invitee. I've passed the last phase of the application process. Instead of just telling me where I'm going, PC decided to let me choose between the South Pacific and Central Asia. Totally different programs. Different groups. Different languages. Different Cultures. Different opportunies for growth. Different opportuniteis for travel. Different opportunities for travel. Etc, Etc, Etc. On Friday morning I called my placement officer and told her I'd go to Central Asia. She officially invited me to an education program that morning. And I should be getting the letter with the country and all of the other official things this week. I'm so excited. And I'm not wanting to do anything other than think about leaving.

It looks like I'll be leaving July 5th. Usually groups to that area of the world have a few days of staging in Philadephia, so hopefully I'd be able to meet up with some friends there a few days before July 5th. Which means I'd have to leave a few days early, which would be hard. We'll see. I'm hoping to have a going away party at my house either around my birthday or a little behind. Everyone's invited. One requirement. I want a mixed cd from everyone. It's that simple.

Well, I need to write a contemporary ideologies paper. But really I just want to read blogs from the region and shop for things that I'll need. I think senioritis has finally set in. I held it off for a long time. Or maybe I could say that I don't have senioritis, but instead of iwannalearnmoreaboutthepeacecorpssoimnotstupidwhenigotostaging-itis. If that's a better itis to have?!?!

I don't want to finish my honors project. I am sitting in the library where I came to find motivation and its just working for me. I've been reading blogs about the peace corps, thinking about the possibility of Teach for America, and eating food. Why don't I want to finish. I'm so close. I have 40 pages...I only need probably about ten more. That's not that bad. Maybe that's why I'm unmotivated....it's not that bad, I don't have that much to finish....but I really do. Must find some motivation, but where, I'm not sure.

I went to church today and it was what I needed to motivate me about figuring out what to do next year but not motivation to work on the project. The sermon was about finding space (mentally and physically) in your life to figure out what is next and where to go from where you are. I've figured part of it out. I want to serve. But how? Where am I most needed? I know that makes me sound like I'm a fantastic person, that I am needed somehwere. But I think that I do have skills to offer to communities. I just need to figure out the best way to do it, and I think I do need time and space to just think about that and not worry about everything else. Perhaps I'll have that time on the New Orleans trip, but that'll be whole other things to worry about.

Speaking of New Orleans, did I mention we're flying!!! I couldn't be more excited. It was both a saftey and a time thing, I wouldn't have minded the actual driving down part, just the driving back would have been to stressful with the exhaustion we would be dealing with.

I can't believe February is almost over. Just a two and a half more months and I'll be a college graduate. Scary! Then the honors project won't matter anymore and my decision about teh future will matter all the more!

I'm one step closer to the Peace Corps. I just received my medical clearance. I've heard it can take up to six weeks. I mailed all the rest results and such two weeks ago, they got it last week, and they have cleared me. It's so quick. Every step like this gets me one step closer if that's what I decide I want to do. Wow!!!

About deciding what I want to do, I keep on going back and forth and last week actually applied for another position in the states for next year: Teach for America. And I've interviewed for City Year and for *NCCC, two AmeriCorps positions. I haven't decided what I want to do for sure. Every time I'm contacted by one of the organizations I want to do that program more than I thought I wanted to. Except City Year....I was impressed with the person I met who had done it and with them on paper, but they really set a lot of limits on behavior. For example, you can't where headphones while in uniform. I really don't know that I want to have that many rules that seem so arbitrary after coming out of college where I could make my own choices. So, that at least limits my choices to three and I may not be asked to do all three, which might be ok so I don't have to make a choice.

OK, well I need to go get some things done for my trip to New Orleans which is now less than one month away!

My braces came off today. I'm so excited. My teeth look fantastic. And they feel great. And the retainer makes me want to gag...but the first two points make this one worth it. And my jaw is clicking less, which is fantastic! Yay!

In other news, all of my lab tests are completed and I put my medical clearance information in the mailbox last night. Hopefully, hopefully I'll get medical clearance in about 4-5 weeks. And hopefully I'll get an invitation soon after that!

Yay all around!