My Mail Came!

A not so exciting title to a VERY exciting post! You also might have noticed my new blog title! That's right! I'm heading to Benin! (Google it if you need to, I promise I won't judge you, although the map I can make of Africa with my hands is pretty kick-ass) I'll be leaving for Staging (the pre-departure training) on the 21st of July. After 2 days of that (I think in Philadelphia-but I'm not sure) I (and the rest of my group) will leave for Benin together. Once I get to Benin, then I will live with a host family for 2-3 months, practicing my French and probably also learning a new, African, language- awesome! Then from there I will get my actual, two-year assignment, and I will move to my own house (or potentially, mud hut) and start working as a TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) teacher at the 7th-9th grade level, to a class of up to 60 kids (scary!). I'm pretty stoked! Yay! I know something! Yay! I have something to do! (even if it is in the form of a ton of paperwork...) Yay! I'm going to Benin... now I just have to call and tell the Peace Corps that!

I'M INVITED!!!!

Yay! I am officially Invited today! I got an e-mail telling me that my Peace Corps profile had been updated and that excellent news was awaiting me. Unfortunately, my profile doesn't tell me WHERE or WHEN I'm going- I now have to wait anxiously for the mail to come- which will be made more difficult by the fact that school is out for Spring Break so I am not working this week. I will probably just end up re-arraigning and power-cleaning my apartment (sometimes the jitters work for good!)

Some Good(ish) News

So today I had a phone interview with the my Peace Corps Africa Placement Officer. I think that the interview went well, and that's the good news. The "ish" news is that I still don't get to find out where (and when) exactly I am going. Because of some Medical Issues (nothing serious), they have to make sure that I can be close enough to get checked regularly and also get my medication; I'm not really sure what this entails, but apparently it takes 2-3 weeks. At this point I hope it ONLY takes 3-4 weeks. In the meantime, I thought I would give everyone an idea of the time line that this has taken (and it will also remind me that 2-3 weeks is NOT a long period of time).

February 2008: Begin On-line Application
April 2008: Submit On-line Application
April 2008: Submit On-line Medical Application
May-August 2008: Compile and Submit Medical Application
(June 2008: Graduation)
October 2008: Peace Corps In-Office Interview
October 2008: Nominated with Medical Hold
January 2009: Submitted Final Transcripts
March 5, 2009: Phone Interview

So that is my complete (up to now) Peace Corps Experience, paper work can be fun...right?

OK, I need some help. I have here a detailed packing list (complied by reading the Official Peace Corps packing list, plus several blogs of Peace Corps Volunteers, plus what I think will be good for me to have). "The List" is split into two sections, the "HAVE NOT" and the "HAVE". Being rather broke (and cheap) and knowing that I have a ton of friends and family out there with full garages and keen eyes, I have decided to post my list and ask for the things that I "HAVE NOT", and all of you would search your homes and your heads and your hearts and give me some of what I need (I say give because I cannot promise to bring it back safely and in one piece), or tell me where I might get a good deal on it, etc. So, here goes:

HAVE NOT

Solar Panel (Sunlique? or Brunton?)

Solar battery charger

Rechargeable batteries

Small (pocket size) shortwave/fm/am radio

Red Cross emergency shortwave radio

Ipod armband

Extra Memory Cards

Skype Phone

Handheld tape recorder (+tapes) or Ipod recorder?

Extra Camera Battery

Gorilla tri-pod

Lantern/Flashlight

Travel vacuum bag for pillow

Sea Pearl Tampons or Diva Cup, reusable pads

Hand Sanitizer

Dr.Bronner’s Magic Soap (Tea Tree and Peppermint)

Prescription Sunglasses

Glasses Repair Kit

Glasses Cleaner

Razor that takes replacement blades, razor blades

Pepto-Bismol Tablets

Sunscreen

XS Timbuk 2 ($60ish-more durable) or le SportSac Deluxe Everyday Bag($40ish-less durable)

Guitar Case (Gig Bag?-can probably carry-on or Hard Case?-would be OK to check)

Seal Line Case/Pouch

Sleeping Bag Liner (silk or cotton)

Bug Hut ($39, REI.com)

Hammock (travel/backpacking- lighter)

Thermarest Pad/Chair thing

Carabineers (2?3?)

Aluminum Water Bottle (have one, want another-with wide Nalgine top, for water filter)

Camel Pouch

Headlamp

Small Wallet (that will fit weird bills)

Letherman (Surge?$53.49, futurepowerpc.com or Wave)

Thermometers (outdoor and medical)

Macabi Skirt (one black, one stone)

Cotton Pants

SPF shirts

Running Shorts

1 piece swimsuit

Chacos? (PCV 50% discount)

Cotton Pants (3 pairs)

SPF sun hat

Cotton Slips

Long and Short Sleeve SPF tops

Buzz Off bandanas

West African Bird Guide

Appropriate Star Charts

National Audubon Society African Wildlife

Compellation of Favorite Songs for Guitar (Make)

US map (one pocket, one wall)

World map (one pocket, one wall)

Parmesan cheese

Koolaide

Uncle Dan’s

Powdered Cheese (like in Mac&Cheese)

Popping Corn (also figure out how to do this)

Taco Seasoning

Instant Oatmeal

Scissors (2-3 for paper/sewing, 1 for haircutting)

US Stamps

3 Moleskin Journals

2 Moleskin Pocket Notebooks

Photo Albums (one personal, one to share)

Plastic Document/File Folders

Solar Calculator

20 Passport Photos

Stickers

Pens

HAVE

Guitar

Playing Guitar for Dummies

Diver’s Towel

Water Purifier

Sleeping Bag

External hard-drive

Ipod (and 3 sets headphones)

Otterbox

Ipod speakers(Sonic Impact iF3)

Analog watch (Solar)

Pack – Osprey Porter 90

SPF hoddies (green and orange)

SPF skirt

North Face Windwall

North Face Shell

SU Sweater

Timbuk2 Large Messenger

US to French Power Adaptors

Bible

6 Tank Tops

PJ pants/shorts

Hiking Boots

Running Shoes

Bandanas

Laundry Bag

Umbrella

Spatula (both kinds)

Non-stick frying pan

Can opener

Sharp Knives (2)

Ziploc Bags

Duct Tape

Pocket Knife

Frisbee

Uno (National Park Edition)

Cards (one red, one blue)

5 Crowns

Glasses (2 pairs) (+cases)

Glasses Cloths

Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss

Hairbrushes, Long Tooth Comb

Accordion Folder

Moleskin Planner

Moleskin Address Book

Moleskin French Notebook

Moleskin Pocket Notebook

French Dictionary (Le Petit Robert)

French Grammar Book

Pens, Pencils, Paper Clips, Stapler (+staples), Scotch Tape (the tare kind)

Camera (get it cleaned!!!)

Aluminum Water Bottle

Kelty Redwing Daypack

Spices(comboIndian, Mexican, or Chinese spices and things like lemon pepper, seasoned salts

[e.g., garlic salt], cilantro, dill, and rosemary)

Jane Eyre

The Feminine Mystique

Blank CDs (CD envelopes)

Hand Crank Flashlight

Battery Flashlight

Combination Locks (2)

Sewing Kit (Make)

Index Cards

Postcards, Posters (to decorate)

Deodorant

Ear Plugs

Echinacea

Hand Towel

Washcloth

Lotion

Nail Clippers

Passport Holder

Wire Train Lock

Gram’s “Family” Calendar (it wouldn’t feel like home without it!)

Jeans (2 pairs)

Capri Pants (2 pairs)

Belt

Socks

Underwear

Stationary and Envelopes

Full Size Sheet Set

Potato Peeler

Nesting Tupperware

Sharpies

Pillow (vacuum bag for transport)

Chapstick!

Collapsible Steamer Basket

English Dictionary

Thanks for reading, and if there are any Future PCVs or RPCVs out there tell me what you think!

Welcome 2009!

Hey all- thought I would write a little update if anyone out there is reading this at the moment.

I am still anxiously awaiting any and all news that the Peace Corps is willing to send me, and in the meantime I am trying to see all of my friends and spend as much time with my family as possible. I just read my last post and realize that when I wrote it I was still working at Lochner. I have since quit there and am currently working as a substitute instructional assistant (teaching aid and/or assistant) for both general education classes and special education classes. Other than being a lot of fun ( I can't believe they pay me to do it!) I am also learning a ton of things that will be really helpful to me both when I have my own class in Africa and when I teach in the future. Subbing has really been helpful for me, in that it has helped me figure out that teaching really is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Subbing also gives me the flexability to NOT work when I want to. For example, this weekend my step-brother Brian and I took a little roadtrip to California, so that he could look at a school that he is going to there and so that I could see my good friends Nikki and Camille. With a "real job" there is no way that I would be able to do that and having that kind of flexability when I am planning on leaving the country for such an extended period of time is really excellent.

Speaking of my friend Camille, she is also going to Africa with the Peace Corps this February. She and my friend Chris are both leaving next month and seeing them gearing up to go has really started to make the whole thing closer to reality for me. While at times leaving still seems like a pipe-dream, when I am talking to them (even about things as mundane as the endless paperwork) it somehow comes closer to fruition in my mind. I am really excited that I will be able to share (as much as anyone can) this totally amazing experience with two such amazing friends. As both of them will also be writting blogs (Camille in Senegal in West Africa and Chris in French Guyana in South America) I will also add links to them here (as soon as I figure out how!).

I am also trying to put together a list of what to take, that I will hopefully be posting here soon!

Hopefully...

So this is a "hopefully" blog that I am starting because I'm pretty sure I'm going into the Peace Corps in June 0f 2009. I wanted to start it so that I could put the info in my Thank Yous for graduation. So if that applies to you Bookmark this page and check it in a couple of months, as I will post more when I know more.

Where I am in the process:

I am in the midst of completing the medical file (which is just the thrill of a life time- haha), which is apparently the longest part of the process and 2-3 months after the Peace Corps get my medical file (it takes that long to review it) I will get both a specific country that I will go to (probably in Africa) and a hard leave date(probably in June 2009).

In the meantime:

I got a job at H.W. Lochner in Bellevue, as a receptionist. Not my dream job, but it pays the bills and it also enables me to stay in Seattle, so it will do for the moment. I also have to get 6 months of ESL experience at some point in the next year, I haven't figured that out yet, so if you have any ideas let me know!

On Graduation:

So I just graduated from Seattle University on the 15th and while I am glad to be done it is also bittersweet as I watch many of my friends leave Seattle for ports known and unknown and I really want to go with them. At the same time I can rationalize my staying put really well (save money, stick close to home, take a break) so this leaves me in a space of the "in-between" which I hope will lessen when I am more settled with what I'm doing right now.

Anyway- toodles for now, talk to you later!- Glenna