So me being me (hyper, pro-active, slightly OCD, REALLY excited about the Peace Corps and Benin!, too much time on my hands) I decided that it would be a good idea to try and pack the things that I already own before I went out and bought more stuff (good plan? right?) and this is how it went. I have included pictures because I wanted to try and put them on my blog (which I haven't done) before I was in a developing nation with dubious Internet. Enjoy.
&nbs
Picture #1-The Problem This is all the stuff that is on "The List" that I already own. So roughly about 3/4 of the stuff that I believe I want to take to Benin. ("Do I want to take it? Do I need it? Can I get it there?" Blog is probably coming soon) Everything is laid out (or in the case of the cloths thrown from the closet into a pile) on my double bed. I was dubious about this plan from the beginning... who's plan was this anyway? Oh, wait. It was mine.
Picture #2-The Solution These are all of the bags that I am taking with me: my "big bag", the Osprey Porter 90- basically a duffel bag with backpack straps; my smaller bag, the Kelty Redwing 2500W which I took around Europe for 2 months; my trusty "large" Timbuk2 messenger bag; and, my guitar case. As far as I can tell these bags will pass all airline, airport and Peace Corps guidelines for luggage and such (the guitar is the only questionable part, and I have researched it enough to put myself at ease).
Picture #3-The Miracle at Summit Place! That's it! All packed! And there is nothing but my guitar in my guitar case (I plan to pack some cloths around it for added protection) and "wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles" good ol' Tammy (my Timbuk2 bag) is COMPLETELY EMPTY! Not only that, but I didn't really even have to try to pack my other bags, no sitting on them, no straining the zippers, not even the layering of cloths and less squishy stuff to maximize space efficiency! I think packing for two years like this might be a possibility! Even a pleasure and joy! I can't believe my good fortune! I hope that I still think so when I have to pack for real!
The next challenge: Is it too heavy? But I would have to have a scale for that!
I'm at home, in Port Townsend for the holiday this weekend and I am glad that once again the weather forecasters were wrong once again. It's beautiful outside! The sky just has the wispy remnants of clouds and the sea is its azure deep blue. The wind is cool, but not so cool as to cool the sun's rays overmuch and my soul aches for the beauty of it. My surroundings are perhaps more heightened by the fact that I know I will be leaving soon and that I will long for this glorious panorama. Even more piqued is the fact that I am cherishing every moment that I can spend here with my family. Cooking and singing along to classic rock with my mom while we cook. Talking about old movies with my gram. Teasing my step-brother about everything. In a way I don't ever want to leave, but as I look for the tell-tale signs of spring around me I also know that it is time for me to leave, and in the leaving, change and become a better, stronger person.
It is with this contemplative air that I am approaching this new period of, you guessed it, waiting. I have submitted all of the paperwork that the Peace Corps needs for now, and now I have to wait for my staging packet- which will arrive sometime in late June. Oh well, at least I'm practicing patience!
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!
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!)
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?
Friday, February 20, 2009
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!
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!
&nbs
