Staging

I only have a few minutes to update so pardon the inevitable bad grammar.

It was a really long day! After a three hour drive to Philadelphia, a little sight seeing (the Liberty Bell and the outside of Independence Hall), and a Philly Cheese Steak it was time to officially say goodbye to Mom and Pops. When they left I checked in (to the Peace Corps--took an hour!!!), met some volunteers, and officially moved in status from invitee to trainee. This was followed by four long hours of orientation. It was nice to finally meet some people who have been going through this incredibly lengthy and tedious process. I am anxious to see what friendships form! The night concluded with dinner and drinks on the town.

As I type, I am avoiding sleep because in two hours we have to be checked out of the hotel and on a bus to JFK; we depart at 10:40 AM tomorrow! Hooray--I am super excited! Everyone I have interacted with thus far has been nice, though, I am a little overwhelmed by the volunteer 'over-the-top' thought out mentality. To clue you in: several volunteers are saran wrapping their backpacks to avoid being robbed. Creative?

This quote was given to us during staging, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, if I have lived through this challenge, I can take the next thing that comes along." (Eleanor Roosevelt) Appropriate?

Side note: I learned Chris Matthews is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer.

If you never ask, you'll never know!

I am a breathing violation of all things: dress code.  The Peace Corp informed me sometime ago that I would be required to wear a skirt or dress (mid calf to ankle length) everyday to work. Great, because I own so many of these!   Not to mention, avoiding the working world dress code is why I wanted to be a Park Ranger or establish a "career" in rural Africa!  I will see to it that that statement is a joke!  Despite Pops arguing that there has been numerous studies to confirm that people are more productive in professional dress, it's not for me.  And especially not for me in Africa.  I understand dressing conservatively and not offending the locals.  I am 100% on board with that.  

Ask anyone who knows me, they would tell you I am dressed up if I am not in t-shirt/long sleeve t-shirt format. I am most productive in my jeans/hoodie/chacos or running shorts/t-shirt/tennis shoes.  Comfort breeds productivity in me.  It allows to me study my plants hard, whiz in and out of meetings, get messy painting while hanging out with munchkins, and clean the house.  As long as I am not disrespectful, my traditional clothing will allow me to be the best secondary math teacher I can be. 

And we all know I like my opinion heard... we shall see who wins this war!    

A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad packer

I am going to go ahead and whine and complain and tell you packing was the worst part of this year long Peace Corp process. I have yet to determine why packing posed such a challenge. Was it the fact that I am a naturally light packer and usually dependent on over-packing friends (who won't be traveling) if I forget something? Not knowing how much (OF EVERYTHING) to actually take? Or was my materials-do-not-matter-mindset throwing me off? All are probably contributing factors. I thought I would include a few pictures to clue you in on the madness.   

We get to bring a 100 pounds (including carry ons), which I think is pretty generous. Someone, somewhere along the way highly encouraged bringing a backpacking backpack. Check, I own this (thanks to a friend). Purchase a L.L. Bean XL bag and along with the pack you are good (my little brain thought). Of course not! Each bag can only contain 50 pounds (only God knows why--probably stupid airlines!). Therefore it makes perfect sense that I have a XL bag with plenty of space to spare and only 82 total pounds packed... leaving 18 pounds left behind because the XL bag is maxed out at 50 pounds (and my considerably small backpacking backpack is full).

If nothing else, it was a start to my new patient lifestyle. Packing, unpacking, repacking. Repeat four times. I do not care if all Peace Corp experiences are different, surely someone could recommend a number of skirts to bring, how much toothpaste to pack, or tell me if a $100 solar charger is actually worth it. I am going to go out of my way to help the PC issue a more number friendly packing list. Making changes... it's what I do best.

After two full days I have come to the conclusion that less truly will be more in Lesotho.

My Rocks

I really wanted to recap the fabulous trip to my alma mater, but the more I got to typing, the more I realized what I did while I was gone was not nearly as important as who I did it with! At the risk of being terribly cheesy, this statement is so incredibly true.

We laughed, cried, listened attentively, and counseled tenderly.

• C.J.R.--You are not afraid to change your mind! You are so fun and full of life. You always come prepared with a good story.  Your ability to maintain relationships is admirable!  
• H.C.O.--I am so proud of you!  You have the ability to take lemons and make lemonade. You are always thinking, planning, and preparing for the next thing... yet somehow remain in the moment.  
• J.L.W.--You truly are one of a kind!  We are very different and much the same. You are a great counter to my loud personality.  You are an amazing listener, chef/cupcake maker, and incredibly intelligent.  I envy your ability to live and let go.
• J.M.S.--You are not afraid to follow your heart.  You are more motivated and determined than anyone I know.  You are always incredibly put together and you have a heart of gold!  I truly believe you know who you are and have not let society sway you!
• K.F.A.--You are an incredible friend!  You are organized and on top of life!  I love our shared envision for change in this world.  Stay level headed!  You are going to be a doctor for all the right reasons! 
• K.N.K.--There will never be another person who shares my obsession with planet earth as much as you do!  You are extremely self confident, so down to earth, a regular Miss Independent.  Your relationship with your family is desirable!  
• M.E.S.--You have the biggest heart of anyone I know!  You have an uncanny ability to make others happy!  Please, do something for yourself when you graduate!  

I get by with a little help from my friends (John Lennon)!  I am anxious to see where the next two plus years of life takes them.  Hopefully it will take a few of them to Africa!  One can dream!

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think!" (A. A. Milne) 

I'm (mentally) Ready!

All last week I spent hanging out with close friends at my alma mater.  Being back in a college setting with all my friends who have managed to either pick up an extra year or were behind to begin with was a blast!  Talking on the phone and emailing does not do justice for being in the presence of my favorite people!  In all of the fun I still felt out of place.  People have moved on and even if things are still mostly the same they felt different.  Instead of being the girl who crashed on their couches, I was a guest.  I felt like even if I put on a backpack and cruised around the campus on foot people would still be able to tell I did not belong.  I enjoy being comfortable in my surrounding.  That place used to be comfortable.  How can all that change in a matter of months?

Post-college is a strange time to say the least.  I currently live at home where food is cooked for me each night, bathrooms are cleaned regularly, and everyone is settled into bed by ten each night.  For the past four years I was totally independent (from my family) and completely dependent on friends and professors.  I ate dinner with friends anytime between five and nine, studied with them into the wee hours of the night, laid on their couches when I was sick, help them through trouble or was helped through trouble myself, and traveled with them (to new destinations or various hometowns).  My friends were such an integral part of my life.  Do not get me wrong, they are still very important to me... but distance takes its toll on people!  

Walking across a stage to receive a degree should be such a proud moment, instead it left me feeling empty.  It was time for change.  I am not ready, I do not feel prepared, I am so content with where and who I am.  Living in secure limbo (oxymoron?  definitely not!) the past five months and taking a final trip to a now seemingly uncomfortable place makes me more than positive I am ready for the challenge Lesotho is going to offer.  While my friends are busy finishing up their undergraduate and masters degrees or working desk jobs I will be in a hopefully more than perfect place for me.  I have been nothing but satisfied with my life so far, but it is past time to give back to someone else what so many have given to me.  

I can't really capture the exact emotion I am feeling.  More words will just dull the point.  

Goodbye Georgia

In order to say goodbye to C.D. I made the ten and a half hour drive down to potential graduate school number five, University of Georgia.  The long weekend was wonderful... football, hiking, friends, late nights, movies, and irregular eating schedules.  Oh to be in college, without the work!  Bliss.  

As always it was incredibly good to see him and be back at one of the best colleges around.  Even with zero dollars in his bank account I am planning to expect him in Lesotho around June 2010.  Thank you World Cup for playing in South Africa in 2010.  Thank you Peace Corp for placing me in Lesotho.  Much appreciated.  

The greatest part about C.D. is there is no plan or order for anything... and while his friends may think I have my life together, in my opinion the day-to-day lifestyle C.D. flows with seems a lot more appealing.  

I miss you already and I have not even left.  This is bad.  See you in Lesotho!

Happy Halloween

Of course I wanted to post about Halloween on October 31, but spending time on the internet in the presence of good friends made no sense at all. Posting now. 

You would be shocked to know Halloween definitely falls at the bottom of the list when it comes to holidays worth celebrating--right next to Christmas and Birthdays. Mentioned earlier, I was visiting close friends over the Halloween weekend so there were no excuses, a costume was in order. I was going to go with my favorite idea: a ceiling fan. It's funny, it's comfortable, it's classic, it's cheap, and it's inanimate. The explanation: Write ceiling on the front of a white shirt, a name (of an athlete or yourself) on the back, along with a number... and voila! You're a ceiling fan. If you are into spending money props and want to complete the outfit, carry a pom pom or a megaphone--go Ceilings!   

This year I was not a ceiling fan. Either my friends lack the intelligence to understand the costume or they do not think it is funny. I can't understand. Instead I went as Bookface (thanks to E.J.R., a dedicated Office fan). Similar to the ceiling fan this costume is funny, cheap (copying always is), and comfortable. I got to wear a tshirt downtown(!!!) and Chacos. The costume was a huge hit. My dear friend, K.F.A. even made me a real wall to carry around! People were signing it all night. Oh to be popular!  

All other 364 four days of the year people tell me I am different and unique, so yet another year goes by where I fail to understand why if I am 'one of a kind' I can't just be myself on Halloween. I also fail to understand why I am the "only" one who seems to have firmly planted my foot down when it comes to purchasing a costume for one night, decorations for one day, or one hundred pounds of candy. Ehh... consumerism.

One Week

After all this waiting it is hard to believe one week from today I will head to Philadelphia for Staging.  My itinerary for Staging includes checking in at 1 PM on November 10, 2009, orientation and more shots from 3-7 PM, sleeping until we leaving for John F. Kennedy Airport (New York, New York) at 2 AM, and departing JFK at 10:30 AM for a nonstop (!!!) flight to Johannesburg, South Africa arriving at 8:30 AM on November 12 (South African time)!  Details, details.

There are only a few other mini-updates from the last time I wrote.

I officially said goodbye to all my friends and distant family (plus C.D.).  There will be no more travel, just a week of rest and relaxation.  Saying goodbye was a lot harder than I imagined.  My friends are all incredible people.  Not seeing them for 27 months seems like torture.  I have faith in our friendships (and bets on who will visit)! Thank you guys and gals for everything. You mean the world to me!

I had my first press release. Semi-exciting?

Packing: I might have mentioned I get to bring an extra 50 pounds (total=100 pounds) because Lesotho is considered a cold weather country! That is good news, although the task still seems a little daunting.  In the words of the Peace Corp the mail in Lesotho is "fairly reliable," leaving loving parents to mail whatever gets left behind.  Obviously, the ideal case is to fit everything I need into a suitcase.  Along with my faith in my friendships, I have faith that my minimalist self(s?) ability to pack two years of life into a suitcase.  I have said it once, and I will say it again... things truly are a burden.     

This week I will be mailing out my blog address to those who might be interested, I will update Facebook to contain my address and other important information, and write letters to each of my dear friends... along with making an uncountable number of phone calls, one last trip the free clinic, and one last night of babysitting.  

That is it for updates!  Peace.