The Start of Something New

Two days until my birthday. Three days until I take an oath to swear in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. Four days until I break from the only familiarity I have come to know the past two and half months and move to my permanent site. Some day soon the reality of being here will hit me.
The unknown can be a very unsettling prospect to many people, present company included. Heck, embarking on the next stage of my Peace Corps life scares the daylights out of me. But, if history does in fact repeat itself, then I know things will be okay. I remember being absolutely nerve wracked to leave Junior High and go to High School, in the same building nonetheless. I was fairly confident of the safety net of my home town when I left for college and it turns out I did not need it that much ( I couldn’t quite leave the state though). And I cried unashamedly when my mother and sister left after dropping me off in Washington, D.C. for my internship. So needless to say, I do not feel ready to leave Pre-Service Training and go to my village for the next two years. I may be prepared, but I definitely do not feel ready. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with these last two months akin to that of eating a whole package of Oreos. I was hesitant to start, had highs and lows throughout, and felt pretty accomplished afterwards. The strength of the relationships I have forged with both Americans and Azerbaijanis is something I will forever cherish. And I do not have to worry about getting too sentimental yet, because most likely neither group will be going anywhere for the next two years, so our friendship can keep growing. But it is a frightening prospect to leave what I now consider familiar and comfortable for something new and foreign. I know it will work out. I know I will continue to make new memories and friendships and have ups and downs and days in between. But it is the start of something new, and that can be just as intimidating as a new package of Oreos.

Picture This

As promised, I would try and add a few pictures when I could get compliance from the beloved internet cafe. With about 15% battery life left, and an influx of Americans to slow things down, I at least accomplished this much...

This is in Gobustan at ancient cave paintings. It is my beloved cluster, Tagiyev 19, and our "Mama" Lale, our LCF who gets us through everything!


Mud Volcanoes



Our Trip to Baku:


Some Horses outside my window of my host family's apartment building:

The Blue River

November has been full of multiple big events in Azerbaijan. First and foremost, site placement was announced! I know now where I will be going for the next two years of my service as a Peace Corps volunteer… Goychay (Goyҫay – translates as the Blue River)! I am extremely excited about placement. I was a bit apprehensive before our program managers announced the sites because I had not really expressed any huge desires one way or the other about what I cared about for a permanent site. Of course there were some ideas I had formed about preferences, but I was not sure if they were valid or reasonable. For instance, I had hoped I would be placed somewhere that was not ultra conservative. But I also did not want to be in a city. Well those two sort of cancel each other out. However, I have heard now from multiple people that Goychay is not too conservative, so I can keep my head up about that. Also, I did not know whether or not I cared to have site mates. That would include having other volunteers in the same region as me, meaning they would be approximately within fifteen to twenty minutes at the farthest, and living in the same city as the closest. I rated my preference on sitemates as a three on a scale from one to five (I really dislike arbitrary scales). But as it sometimes pays off not to have too high of hopes, I ended up with not only four other sitemates, but some of the best. Two of the other men from my cluster that I am currently in for Pre-Service Training and I are all getting sent to Goychay together! Matt and I will be in two separate villages in the region, and Alec will be in the actual city center. Taḡiyev 19 will live on forever! My mouth and jaw hurt a reasonable amount from smiling so much by the end of site placement day.
We also had our two preapproved (and only) trips to Baku for training so we could see the city sites and learn to navigate the public transportation system a little. What an absolutely gorgeous city! I was not really sure what to expect from Baku. However shocking this may or may not be Azerbaijan is just really third world. Therefore when all of the locals told me about how beautiful Baku was, I sort of just attributed it to “Azerbaijani Pretty.” I figured it probably looked really good in comparison, but was not sure if I would feel the same way about it had I been looking at a picture while sitting at my desk in America. Well I was dead wrong. Baku is really gorgeous, full of oil money, and clean. That is a rare combination for the country. As always with big cities, there are drab areas, but that is to be expected. And my favorite part of the informational handout the Peace Corps gave us before we left explicitly stated, “Please be careful while in Baku. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way, even if they are in the crosswalks. Some cars will drive on the wrong side of the street to get ahead of other cars or stalled traffic. They will also drive on (wide) sidewalks so please be vigilant while you are sightseeing.” Ah, yes, this is a way different city than the rest of the country, but at the end of the day, it is still Azerbaijan. I do not have any regrets about being prohibited from driving for the next two years. Traffic laws are virtually non-existent, respected sides of the roads are arbitrary, and everyone drives about 90 mph at all times. And reason number 65 why I would not want to drive in this country: My twelve year old host brother is one of the drivers on the road (He sits on a pillow to see over the steering wheel).
This month I also finished a two week practicum to get experience teaching which was really beneficial, will have another Language Proficiency test in a week or so which I hope will go better than the last, celebrated a big Azerbaijani holiday with my host family, am getting together will the rest of Taḡiyev’s trainees to have a Thanksgiving bash, and am meeting with a representative from my new school in a couple of days.
Ideally the Peace Corps asks for an English teacher to come to the “Counterpart Conference” where they discuss a few of the finer logistics regarding having a volunteer for the next two years, showing us around the community, and preparing the school for us to come co-teach. I am already getting nervous for the conference. I am going to be living in a really small village for the next two years, and my school only has 200 children (equivalent to K-12), and therefore only two other English teachers. In contrast, one of the men from my cluster is going to a school with over 1000 children and ten English teachers. So he will be able to observe for about three weeks before deciding who to work with for the remainder of the year. I, on the other hand, will by default work with these two teachers all year. The reason I am nervous for the conference, though, is because if they are the only two English teachers in the entire school, there is a chance they will not have been able to leave to come to the conference. Instead, there could be a Director, Assistant Director, or some other teacher sent in their place. Meaning, for the two hour lunch set aside for us to jabber away, I am going to be able to showcase my broken Azeri as a good first impression. But this is all speculation. Some schools have all women teachers who are not able to get away because of children at home, tutoring after school, or other commitments, so it is not foolproof in any situation.
As for the next few weeks, all of us are buckling down on language for the final test, and anticipating our move on December 10th. My current host family is already really sad when we talk about my departure. In fact, every day they tell me how many days left until I leave and then get really sad faces. But they are excited because Goychay is the pomegranate capital of Azerbaijan and even has a pomegranate festival every year, which they swear up and down they are going to come see me next year when it happens. Apparently I just missed this year’s festival as it is always in October. I am anxious about moving to site, though. Right now we have an extremely structured and busy schedule. Every volunteer talks about the atrocious time you have on your hands once you get settled in and on a school routine. Every school runs from about eight in the morning until one in the afternoon, but there are not any teachers that actually teach for that entire time. Meaning there is a chance I will go to school from eight until eleven every day and have to figure out what to do with the rest of my time all day long. If anyone has some good ideas on an easy hobby for me to pick up, please throw them my way. I guess for the next two years I cannot say I did not have the time to learn.
**I tried to add some pictures of our trip to Baku, my house, Tagiyev, etc, but I just couldn't get the internet to comply. I promise they will come one day though!

Life in the Fast Lane

One month down, 26 more to go. Holy shannigans it has been a busy couple of weeks. I went on a little trip to visit a current Peace Corps Volunteer down in Beylagan, a region in south Azerbaijan. The Peace Corps has everyone visit a volunteer to see what their site is like, check out actual classes, see the community development they have been working on, whether you prefer village life or city life, and of course.. to have a little vacation from the grueling hours of PST. Then this week we have an interview to see what our preferences are for our permanent site placement, another interview to determine what our language ability is mid way through our training, and the biggest thing of all, practicum has started.
So far I have had one class go really well, one class go mediocre, and two classes completely fall on my face and bomb. Both of those were really horrific. However, I think everyone needs a couple of those to figure out what to do better and learn. It can only go up from here, right?
I forgot to add some captions for my last pictures I posted. One is a picture from "The Dove" in Sumgayit. It's a really pretty area right on the Caspian, that has a couple of restaurants where all of the trainees hang out year after year. Also, I added a picture with another volunteer, Stephanie, (the one and only other ND volunteer) and our host grandmother, and also her mom. For clarification, her mother and my father are brother and sister. Also, we are related to two other volunteers, so birthday parties are a hoot.
Everything else in between these crazy times have been fun and frustrating and busy and sad and crazy and every emotion under the sun. I am currently using another PCV's computer right now to write a quick blog and update you, so I have to keep it short. But once I can figure out a way to get my jump drive hooked up to the internet cafe computers, I'll have a lot to tell everyone. Everything in Sumgayit is in Russian, though, to cater to Foreigners, so it's hard to navigate. Hope all is well in the States!

Culture Shock

I’ve been here about two weeks now, give or take a few training days. Things have really been amazing so far. We are definitely really lucky as far as trainees and volunteers go. The weather is pretty nice. It is warmer than North Dakota for the fall, and also brings rain (and lots of mud!), but it is not exceptionally hot, nor cold, and keeps the mosquitoes at bay. Some of the other volunteers have already dipped into their long underwear though, and I think it is going to be a long winter for them.
At first I kept thinking, “I wonder when culture shock is going to hit me?”. And then it did… in more than one way. It sort of crept up on me, like a spider in your sleep, and then I got smacked right in the face with it. First it started when I realized all of the cultural things I was doing wrong, like sitting in the back row of the bus that is apparently only for men (who knew?), forgetting to put on my house shoes when I have socks on, and dropping my sugar cube into the tea instead of holding it in my mouth while I drank it. But then a couple of the people in my cluster (there are six of us per cluster, about eighteen per site) started getting sick, and for the first time since I have had my tonsils out, I got a terrible cold. Now, normally this wouldn’t be much of an issue. However, there are some odd things that go on in Azerbaijani culture related to colds. Basically, almost all things (besides germs, bacteria, and viruses) give you colds, except for the few “remedies” that make you better. For example, walking out of the house with one strand of hair wet even if it is eighty degrees out gives you a cold. Drinking cold water gives you a cold. Sitting on the floor gives you a cold. On the other side, drinking your tea with jam in it will help cure you. (While I don’t adhere to this principle, it is mighty tasty and I don’t turn it down). And then there is this odd practice of “sucking” the cold out of you with a hot jar on your back. And that’s when it hit me. This is “Culture Shock.” It’s not this big defining moment in your life when you realize you are out of America, but more of a series of events leading up to your body completely rejecting everything going on around you. So currently my body is rejecting Azerbaijan in the form of being constantly tired, coughing up some weird stuff out of my lungs, being perplexed on a daily basis, and just saying over and over and over again, “What?! Where am I?!”
But cold and all, things really have been terrific here. I love my host family and leaving for site in ten weeks is going to be really tough. I am not picking up on the language as well as I would like, but that seems to be the same phrase coming out of all of the trainees’ mouths. The people here are so patient when it comes to learning it because they are so excited a foreigner is attempting to learn Azeri and not pushing Russian upon them. Although most of us get asked if we are Russian and/or spoken Russian to when we are walking down the street. And for the next two years, I am resigning myself to being followed by a mob of children yelling “Allo! Allo! Vhat is your name?!” I think it’s going to be really good.

Land of Fire

I made it to Azerbaijan! I am here, and loving it. Things are really going fantastic, and it just feels so surreal being here. I'm in the Peace Corps... what?! My host family is awesome in so many ways. I have a dad, mom, 17 year old sister, 14 year old sister, and 12 year old brother. I think my host dad is a mechanic, but that might be one of those "lost in translation" things. My host mom teaches piano lessons, and my oldest sister speaks some English. So I am definitely one of the lucky volunteers because my basic needs are easier to be communicated. Everything is a process though, and patience is more than a virtue.
We live in Taghiyev, which is a suburb of Sumgayit. It is a really neat place in many respects. The man who founded it, Tagiyev, started the first school for all girls in Azerbaijan, and also commited the town to clean water. So I am drinking out of the tap, and have not been sick at all since I have been here. So much of the country has influences of the USSR, but it also has such a rich history of its own. I'll be corrected on a word that I have learned in school to use the Azerbaijani form, and not Russian.
Every single day I go to school just two blocks from my apartment complex. We do four hours of language training and then four more hours of technical/professional training. And then on to home for another approximately four hours of family time before bed. I am exhausted! The language is hard, but as with so many things, it will come in time. I heard a volunteer talking the other day about how the "Idealist" doesn't survive in the Peace Corps. The people that come thinking they will change the world, completely transform the country, or even bring about massive change in their community. It is really about the small accomplishments, and if you can get those down, you are doing well. So I'm doing one small thing at a time. Yesterday, I said a full sentence without hand gestures or my host sister interpreting. It felt really awesome.
I think the best part so far is that I have only been here less than a week (it feels like two years already), but I feel so much apart of the family. I am telling you, this culture could rival Italians any day for how much they eat, talk loudly, and laugh. The amount of food they eat is outrageous. And the women are absolutely stunning and thin. I need their secret. Although, we were at my host mother's brother's house the other day and one of the women told me I was fat because I eat too much fast food. That's another thing I appreciate. Everybody says what they think here. There is no beating around the bush. It is more fact, and less judgement. And I appreciate that. She also told me, 'You would be prettier if you wore your hair down.' Well that's true. It wasn't mean, it wasn't judgemental, but just simply stated. Fair enough.
So far, I really like it here. Some of the other trainees are having a tougher time. So maybe when the culture shock and homesickness kicks in, it will be really hard for me. But until then, I joined the Peace Corps and love it.

It's finally real

I made it! After some long, gruelling hours on the plane, we finally made it to Azerbaijan late last night. It was approximately eighteen or so hours of traveling by bus and plane, but it spanned thirty two hours if you were adjusting your watch through all of the time zones. We are now staying at a hotel in Sumgayit for the next couple days before we are taken to our host families. I like to think of it as a nice little transitioning point because after trying to practice my new highly intelligent "Thank You" to the staff serving us supper (after which he smiled and made me repeat after him two more times), I feel glad this won't be my first impression on my host family. So far things are going well though. We had our staging event in Philadelphia, where I checked out the Liberty Bell.
Then we had a day long staging to get to know each other, talk about logistics of departure, and go over some final rules and regulations. Then 60 of us boarded a bus to NYC, took a plane to Frankfurt, took another plane to Baku, and then a bus to Sumgayit. Now we are finally here. I don't think that thought has quite hit me yet, but then again, I might be too tired to comprehend much of anything.

And so it begins...

Tomorrow is the big day. I'm leaving, on a jet plane, to start my Peace Corps journey. I checked (and re-checked) every list, ticket, email, letter, and handbook I have been sent. And heck, on paper, I look ready. In real life, I feel extremely unprepared. Although, as my wise father has said once before, when exactly would I be prepared? Certainly not any more than I am right now. In fact, if I would be leaving any later, I would probably be less prepared because I would have for sure procrastinated multiple things. So tomorrow is the big day. I'll be in Philadelphia for a couple days and then off on my first trip overseas. I should arrive in Baku sometime Friday and then we'll be in Sumqayit for training. According to letters and previous/current volunteers, I should probably have internet approximately once a week to once every other week. So here I go. I'll keep this full of information whenever I can. Thanks for the support everyone!

Bittersweet.

Part of my whole journey of going into the Peace Corps is made possible (by viewers like you) because of the other adventures that are coming to an end in my life. For example, this August was the first time that I didn't start a new year of school since I was about six years old. I will be starting a whole different type of school when I start teaching English in Azerbaijan, but until then, hearing all of my friends and co-workers talk about classes, quizzes, massive accruing debt, and activities, I feel a little sad over missing out on it all. Another big thing in my life coming to an end is my career as a Barista at Starbucks. Like the P.C., getting a job at Sbux was my sister's idea because her friend was the manager. After the first two weeks I probably would have told I wasn't going to last. Three years later, it's going to be one of the hardest things for me to say good bye to. What keeps me coming back to the smell of old syrup, stale coffee, and moldy milk?
1.) The customers. Some are awesome. Some provide me with entertainment on continuous basis. Some make me so made I want to scream (Instead I smile and "politely" tell them I would be happy to do whatever I can to make their visit better).
2.) My co-workers. Laughter, Tears, Getting accepted into college, getting rejected from college, deaths in the family, births, moving away, daily jokes.. really, I feel like I've been through it all.
3.)Applicable life skills. Being able to adequately wash a window (because coffee filters work waaaay better than paper towels). Making a dang good cup of coffee. Not having pizza burn my mouth anymore because I've worn it away with too much hot espresso. Being able to take apart a grinder, coffee machine, dishwasher, receipt machines, fridges, floor drains, freezers, etc (and most importantly, putting htem back together.)
4.) Making really awesome, but only funny to coffee shop workers, jokes. Like Raw Sugar being the popular kid school.
As you can, it is like one big, wonderful dysfunctional family. And while saying good bye is good because I am starting on such a great adventure, it is going to be really difficult.

One Month

I leave town in exactly one month from today. I received an email from the P.C. regarding preferences for living with my host family. The email confirmed that I will for sure be at my staging event on the 23 of September in Philadelphia. One month from today is not all that much time. In fact, it feels like very little. The problem is, the more I check off my multiple to-do lists, the more I can think to add on to them. Along with still trying to make some moola at work, making the most of hanging out with friends and family, and fulfilling prior commitments, my one month fast approaching deadline to get stuff done includes some of the following:
-Get appropriate gear and clothes such as luggage, wool underwear and socks, a headlamp, a good kitchen knife and other various odds and ends (I have to remember I can only have two suitcases, and one carry on, but I also have to be able to haul it all over).
-Make my mother Power of Attorney on my bank accounts
-Set up a time to check out of my apartment. Also, pack, clean, and move out of my apartment.
-Make Travel arrangements to get to Philadelphia
-Close out contracts with my phone, satellite radio, Wells Fargo, and tie up loose ends regarding my student loans
-Change my address and contact information
-Get important documents ready for my parents in case anything should happen while I am gone
-Get life insurance and personal property insurance for traveling
-Upload my Nook with lots of books, take many pictures to have and to show my host family, update my Ipod, and if I can figure it out, burn some movies to my computer.
-Most importantly, Learn some of the language!!! The PC gives 23 lessons online of various key phrases to try and get a grasp on so you can at least say, "Hi, my name is Emily." to your host family. So far I have gotten, "Salam" (Hello) conquered. Eek!***

Also, I have already sent in an updated resume in specific PC format, written an 'aspiration statement' that gets sent to my host country, sent in an application for a passport and visa, and notified work and my apartment of my dates of termination.

Thankfully I take after my mother and am good at making lists...

***This list is not exhaustive

Bağışlayın

I googled the word for "I'm sorry" in Azeri language and came up with "Bağışlayın." I feel like this is one of the first phrases I should learn for instances like my last post when I said I was going to Azerjaiban instead of Azerbaijan. I'm sure I will have a lot of these blunders... much worse than some misplaced consonants. And no one around to comment on them. Probably just confused, angry, amused, among other, kind of looks. I'm starting to get really excited about this whole thing. It feels good to finally have set plans, but definitely overwhelming to get to that point. All of the blogs online say to quit buying stuff to bring over with you. Most of the equipment/clothes you will need can be bought over in Azerbaijan, at a much cheaper cost than in the states. However, I keep thinking about things I would like to get: A backpack, a watch, universal adapter. I just bought a new computer after mine crashed last month, and updated my pairs of glasses. Cha Ching. For trying to minimize my life into two suitcases for two years, I sure manage to spend a lot of money. But I also have realized how much stuff I carry around that just doesn't matter a whole lot (like half my closet I haven't worn in a year and will throw away a quarter of the other half). Also, besides my kitchen table, I'm pretty sure I will be able to pack up my belongings I want to keep in approximately four boxes. The rest will be thrown away, donated to the Dakota Boy's Ranch, tried to pawn off on friends, etc. But four boxes? It's almost exhilarating.
This weekend I went kayaking at my parents lake spot. My dad said he was looking up facts about Azerbaijan, and found that the capital city, Baku, is considered one of the top 10 nightlife cities in the world. Maybe it won't be so mud hut/rural village as I thought.

Azerjaiban

I received the welcome packet in the mail yesterday informing me of...everything. Where I would be going, when I would leave, how to fill out a visa, how to get personal property insurance, etc. I am being placed in Azerjaiban. A country located between Russian and Iran bordering the Caspian Sea. A country I have never heard of and can barely pronounce. A country that is not recognized by spell check. A country relative to the size of the state of Maine. And I will be leaving in six weeks. The booklet said that my "staging" will be September 23, 2010, so I would assume I would probably depart from Fargo on the 22nd. Which is also one of my best friend's birthdays. Nice gift from me, huh? In the past 24 hours, I have learned much more about this little country than I ever thought possible. I've started the process of figuring out what to do with my apartment and car and such. And it has definitely started to hit me. I always feel a little bit torn when I read all of the information the Peace Corps puts out. They make it seem so...easy, normal, average. Then I talk to friends and family and it seems so scary, overwhelming, foreign (no pun intended). I think it will be good. The language will be hard but not impossible, and I have high hopes for the local cuisine. I will be placed in a more rural setting, but that does not mean it is unsanitary or that I won't shave my legs for two years (thankfully for both you and me). Communication back to America will vary but won't be impossible. And even though my mother is not thrilled about my living so close to Iran for two years, I think geographically it's going to be a good fit. Also, the suggested packing list includes long underwear and being from North Dakota, this almost comforts me a little bit.

Your Application Status has been updated

I was medically cleared for the Peace Corps! I got the call last week from the lady at the Office of Medical Services saying they needed just one more form in order to medically qualify me and place me in the program I was applying for. Five hours later...placed. SO Exciting! The Office of Placement called to say I just had to fax my final school transcript and they would send out the letter "inviting" me to my country of service. So within the next week I will know the exact date of my departure and exact country I will be Teaching English as a Second Language. I have read on a lot of other blogs that the packet a volunteer receives in the mail can be overwhelming. It contains all the legal information required to leave our country and enter another (passports, visas, etc), and information on the country itself (climate conditions, culture, language). Even reading all of the information on the Peace Corps website can be a lot of information. I got the coveted email I had been waiting so long for "Your Application Status has been updated."

Peace Corps sent you an invitation kit on August 9, 2010. Within 10 days of receiving your kit, please call us regarding your decision to accept or decline our invitation. If we do not hear from you within this period, the assignment may be offered to another applicant.

Now I really check the mail a lot. It has become more of a final plan in my life. Instead of saying, I'm trying to get into the Peace Corps, I can now say, I'm waiting to leave for the Peace Corps. Now this means I have approximately a month and a half to get my life in order. I already made a list of "contracts" I have to take care of: Student Loans, car, apartment, bank accounts, satellite radio, and work. I'm sure the list is longer, but my mind is on overload trying to think of all the things I'll have to do to get ready. And the mixed feelings have also started.. happy, sad, relieved, anxious, nervous all bundled into one brain. Uffda.

The Abyss

With my medical portion submitted, I now have nothing to do for the Peace Corps but sit and wait. I obsessively check my online application where it lets you know your status. However, if anything with your status changes, you get a nice little email from the Peace Corps saying, "Your online application has been updated." Even without that email, I still check. So while I wait ever so patiently for that one potentially life changing update, I think every so often about the things I'll miss. Some are obvious, my family, friends, my dog, Starbucks. But other things come up here and there, like how my computer completely crashed and died the other day, so I just went to the Public Library a few blocks away and used theirs. There is a good chance I won't have that convenience in EurAsia. Or how I will miss driving in my car belting out "Rocky Raccoon" by the Beatles. One other thing about this whole process is the complete uncertainty of it all. I could go to Europe. Or Asia. In two Months. Or six months. Or Not at all. I could go somewhere rural, with no running water, or electricity, or paved roads. Or I could go to some capital city with internet cafes and cell phones, and advanced transit systems. So I guess I'm not entirely sure what I will and what I won't miss when I'm gone. Of course, no matter where I go, it won't have my family and friends and Scout.

"What's new in your life?"

I went to a wedding this weekend where I had to explain over ten different times what I was doing in my life. And over ten different times I explained to people I'm a recent college grad, working at Starbucks, trying to get into the Peace Corps. I just a little bit cringe to the question. I am proud of applying, and it is practically the only thing I really want to do in life, however, the barrage of questions that follow telling people I'm applying are interesting, to say the least. The reactions to this statement vary from some people not having ever heard of the P.C. and trying not to look like they have no idea what I'm talking about, the majority of people who assume every single person who would ever apply would be accepted, and the remainder of people who think it's a terrible or great idea.
Unless people have no idea what I am talking about, almost every time I hear someone else's "Peace Corps story." You know the kind of story, the person they knew five years ago who had a sister with a roommate who one time lived in Africa/South America/Asia in the Peace Corps. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate hearing about the stories. It's refreshing to know there are people out there. Real people who went into the P.C. and loved it and led successful lives afterward. On the other hand, half the stories are these horror accounts of Early Termination/Illness/War/General Discontent. Of course all of these are a reality, but I don't necessarily care to hear every single one. I was telling my aunt, Jeri, about how I hear everyone's "story." I think she came pretty close when she said it's just like being pregnant. Even though I haven't been pregnant, I've been around enough women with child to hear all of the "pregnant stories." Sure, it's possible to have something go wrong with pregnancy, but it's not as if you really care to hear e.v.e.r.y. personal account about it.
Despite my cynicism, I do appreciate people reaching out to me over something I care so deeply about. It sure beats the "'Oh that is so generous of you,''Wow how amazing and courageos,''What a fantastic and selfless opportunity,'" Etc. Because I never know how to respond besides Thanks, and after four of those statements, Thanks only gets you so far. Ideally though, I'll be hearing these my whole life if this whole process becomes a reality and by then I hope I have a few more responses.

Medical Packet

I sent in my Medical Packet! I was sighing with relief, oozing with excitement, and anticipating even more anxiety to start as I stood in line at UPS ready to send it off. The Medical Portion of the Peace Corps is one of the most involved sections. I didn't really understand the full applying process to become a volunteer when I started, but I'll give you a brief synopsis. There are three majors steps involved. The first is to fill out the online section (financial info, references, essays, resumes, education, etc, etc), get an interview and be nominated to an area with a special focus. My nomination ended up being Eastern Europe/Central Asia teaching English as a Second Language. The second major part is filling out the medical portion properly and being cleared. The third is making deadlines, being placed, and being "Invited." So until an applicant receives the letter in the mail saying, "You've been invited. To accept an invitation to East Jesus Nowhere with no pay for the next two years, please respond in the next 10 days" you cannot say for sure whether or not you are going.
So I am considered in the Medical portion. I can either be cleared, be cleared with restrictions, or not be cleared (which would result in the end of my Peace Corps application). To put a timeline on how everything went for me:
5/28: I received the packet in the mail with all forms and directions
6/03: Saw my Primary Care Physician.. first round of shots and sheets filled out
6/15: Picked up all completed Dental Forms and X-rays from Dentist
6/17: Appointment with Cardiologist
6/21: Second round of shots and lab work with Clinic
6/28: Stress test with Cardiologist
6/30: Email from Peace Corps Medical saying if you wrongfully indicated something on the Health Status Review you MUST have a personal written statement signed by your doctor.... of course this applied to me... aka, back to Cardiologist
7/7: Dropped everything off with eye care professional
7/12: Picked up Eye Care forms and Sent in EVERYTHING

What I learned from the process:
*Just because the directions to a form say "All blanks must be filled out completely with NO Exceptions" does not guarantee your health professional will be able to follow them
*I am more organized than I thought I was
*I am the first adult my Clinic has ever given the Polio vaccine to, and the only person with a slight allergic reaction to it
*After all that poking and prodding, reviewing my forms, going back to the clinic four times, receiving dirty looks from receptionists when I say forms aren't filled out, and checking and rechecking, only 15% of Peace Corps volunteers fill their packet out completely the first time.
*With a deadline of August 11th, that doesn't leave much room

So like I said, what a sigh of relief. However, now I get to worry again. I've heard waiting on medical clearance/an invitation to volunteer is one of the most patience-testing times of the application process. If you did something wrong, you hear back from the Office Of Medical Services. If not, you just wait. Wait to be cleared. Wait to be placed. Wait to be invited. Perhaps with knowing very little about where specifically You are in the process.
There is one thing for sure I know.. if I wasn't young, with few responsibilities, I have no idea how I could pull this off. For some reason, it is completely acceptable for me to go on with my daily life, knowing that potentially I could have six weeks notice to get rid of my apartment, cell phone, car, and student loans. Uffda.

Give Peace a Chance

Welcome! I decided to start a blog of my experience for the Peace Corps. I felt prompted to do this after reading what feels like hundreds of blogs of current or returned P.C.V., but all of theirs start when they get to their host country. None of them answer my so far most burning questions...How long did it take to fill out the online application? Hear back from your recruiter? Write the Essays? Get the Medical Packets? Reactions from Family/Friends?... so on and so forth. So here I am starting to blog a little about my experience so far applying for the Peace Corps. At this point, I am into the Medical Portion. That means I have filled out a treacherous online application, had an interview over the phone with a recruiter in Chicago, was "Nominated" for the Eastern Europe/Central Asia area for Teaching English as a Second Language, and received a thick packet in the mail to fill out and return to the Office of Medical Services in Washington, D.C. Up to now my journey has been approximately six months. If I hit the deadline of August 11th, for completed and cleared medical, I am looking at being placed in "EurAsia" towards the end of September. The anxiety I have over that deadline may require another blog entirely at a different point in time. If I end up being placed in a country with no internet access, that will be the end of my Peace Corps blogging Journey. If I end up not being medically cleared, that will be the end of my Peace Corps Journey. Both of these would result in the termination of my blog. However, until then this will chronicle my experience. I'm a 22 year old recent college graduate. I've never been away from home for more than six months. I have a Norwegian accent and white legs that could make any Norsk laugh. My diet is a kind of bland meat-and-potatoes variety. I could do crosswords and read books until my eyes go crossed (which is not just a saying because it really does happen). I call soda, pop. I say lunch and supper because dinner being used for both confused me when I was little. I like hot tamales and swedish fish. But mainly at this chapter of my life, I'm a Peace Corps applicant. Welcome to my Journey.