hello friends and family! in an attempt to retain my sanity, i've decided to streamline and resort back to having one main blog.
this blog will remain visible, but from now on, please visit my longer running blog Marsh Mellow Goodness for all updates on my cambodian life from here on out.
i hope you'll follow me over there, and continue to commenting! especially you friends and FAMILY! a good comment goes a long way! :)
see you there!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
single digits and lasts
we are officially in single digits people. chris and i have been thinking about actually packing for a few days now, and have spent too much hard earned money on deodorant, gold bond and silica gel packs.
along with these ridic purchases, we've also begun the series of "lasts" in america. you know, our "last" five guys burger, our "last" day of sleeping in on our comfy bed, our "last" good pasta and bread.
we captured that final "last" on chris' little brother's iphone last night:
the other night, chris and i were tossing questions back and forth, and he offered "who will you miss most?" after determining that boomer was not an appropriate answer (something about her not being human or some such), i landed upon scott's girlfriend jenny.
it's pretty much impossible to actually choose one person i'll miss the most, but over the last two years, jenny has become my little sister, and we've had so much fun with our marsh boys together. i'm going to miss talking about everything and nothing with this lady, seeing her every few weekends, and hearing about her college experience as she navigates shitty friends, crazy saturday nights, and life with scotty.
i love my family dearly, and chris' family is very much my second family. so, cindy and nancy, don't go thinking you're getting off easy. chris and i are going to miss you both more than you know. we're counting on that visit from each of you!
let's just pause as we realize that we're now at less than 8 days until our departure. annnddd, go.
along with these ridic purchases, we've also begun the series of "lasts" in america. you know, our "last" five guys burger, our "last" day of sleeping in on our comfy bed, our "last" good pasta and bread.
we captured that final "last" on chris' little brother's iphone last night:
 |
| vapiano's serves up delicious italian pasta, with fresh ingredients. yum. |
the other night, chris and i were tossing questions back and forth, and he offered "who will you miss most?" after determining that boomer was not an appropriate answer (something about her not being human or some such), i landed upon scott's girlfriend jenny.
it's pretty much impossible to actually choose one person i'll miss the most, but over the last two years, jenny has become my little sister, and we've had so much fun with our marsh boys together. i'm going to miss talking about everything and nothing with this lady, seeing her every few weekends, and hearing about her college experience as she navigates shitty friends, crazy saturday nights, and life with scotty.
i love my family dearly, and chris' family is very much my second family. so, cindy and nancy, don't go thinking you're getting off easy. chris and i are going to miss you both more than you know. we're counting on that visit from each of you!
let's just pause as we realize that we're now at less than 8 days until our departure. annnddd, go.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
something he'll likely regret...
yesterday, chris and i ended our respective tenures at our places of work. i know, for me, it was incredibly bittersweet.
in my sadness, chris decided a gift may be necessary. what could be better than giving me something i'd had in my amazon cart for months now?
a flip cam! i've been using these for the last few months at work, but chris got me a sleek, lithium battery flip mino (pronounced minnow) and it's SWEET.
i've already turned it on chris, but mostly boomer. case in point.
in my sadness, chris decided a gift may be necessary. what could be better than giving me something i'd had in my amazon cart for months now?
a flip cam! i've been using these for the last few months at work, but chris got me a sleek, lithium battery flip mino (pronounced minnow) and it's SWEET.
i've already turned it on chris, but mostly boomer. case in point.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
7 weeks. 50 days.
today, we hit the 50 day mark until our departure. when we first got our invitation in february, july seemed so.far.away. now, it’s like the days are speeding by. add in the last month of work, wherein i am organizing a very, very intense week that is just over two weeks away, and i’m beginning to do a small amount of freak out. maybe a bit larger than small.
chris and i have pretty much eradicated the major items on the to-buy list, and only smaller things like silica gel packs remain in our preparation. we’ve begun discussing when we’ll write a will and nail down when we’ll sell our cars. when we’ll pack up the house and our bags. how we’ll get boomer to my parents.
and it’s all very real now.
!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
load 'em up
this week, chris and i received a package full of amazingness in the mail from a friend:
so, i figured it was time to talk about something that has been haunting me and causing me great joy each evening:
deciding which books to fill my kindle with before departure.
i am absolutely a self-diagnosed book whore. i cannot read enough. when chris and i backpacked across europe for a month, i brought 6 books. i sacrificed who knows how many pairs of underwear and shirts for extra poundage in paper. and it was so worth it.
once we were invited, i realized that i would require a large number of novels to fill my book whoring needs- fiction, nonfiction, books about cambodia, books about women, books about the peace corps.
so, because of my friend's generosity, i was able to cross quite a few books about my new home and life in the peace corps off my list. i will add that "a life inspired," ten short vignettes in, is quite good.
i've been scouring the new york times bestseller list, npr's "you must read this" and even...yes, even oprah's book list for great reads.
and i've created a list seventy books deep. averaging that most books are between 10 to 12 dollars, we're looking at... far too much money.
the other best part of this special delivery is that as i slowly purchase my stock pile of books, i have been holding myself back from using my kindle at all, in hopes of saving everything for our move. which means, i've had very little to read. and now i have TONS to read! hooray!
do you have any great books that i should add to my kindle? anyone else thinking ahead about books or the like in preparation for service?
so, i figured it was time to talk about something that has been haunting me and causing me great joy each evening:
deciding which books to fill my kindle with before departure.
i am absolutely a self-diagnosed book whore. i cannot read enough. when chris and i backpacked across europe for a month, i brought 6 books. i sacrificed who knows how many pairs of underwear and shirts for extra poundage in paper. and it was so worth it.
once we were invited, i realized that i would require a large number of novels to fill my book whoring needs- fiction, nonfiction, books about cambodia, books about women, books about the peace corps.
so, because of my friend's generosity, i was able to cross quite a few books about my new home and life in the peace corps off my list. i will add that "a life inspired," ten short vignettes in, is quite good.
i've been scouring the new york times bestseller list, npr's "you must read this" and even...yes, even oprah's book list for great reads.
and i've created a list seventy books deep. averaging that most books are between 10 to 12 dollars, we're looking at... far too much money.
the other best part of this special delivery is that as i slowly purchase my stock pile of books, i have been holding myself back from using my kindle at all, in hopes of saving everything for our move. which means, i've had very little to read. and now i have TONS to read! hooray!
do you have any great books that i should add to my kindle? anyone else thinking ahead about books or the like in preparation for service?
Monday, May 16, 2011
women get fat
that was the title of the draft post i jotted down a few weeks back as an idea for a future topic. and i'm leaving it because it's true-
while serving in the peace corps, women are more likely to gain weight and men are more likely to lose weight.
well, shite.
i would like to not outgrow my clothes while living in cambodia, so in preparation, chris and i have been pushing the work out wagon pretty hard lately. we're running an obstacle course 5k this sunday, and a 10k in early june. i'm hoping we can find another race down with my parents in july, and that all of this running will stave off of some of the weight gain- especially if we keep it up during service.
we were having lunch with a friend who is a rpcv from the dominican republic and we were discussing this phenomenon that leaves women hanging (literally.) her thinking? when you live in another culture, where men typically engage in the the higher energy/more laborious activities and women are more likely to be confined to the house or home, male volunteers have more opportunity to burn off calories. she suggested that it's not that women eat much more than men do while serving, it's simply a lack of ability to expend the calories.
which is why, no matter how crazy my host family thinks i am, i'll be running as often as possible in the hot hot cambodian heat.
while serving in the peace corps, women are more likely to gain weight and men are more likely to lose weight.
well, shite.
i would like to not outgrow my clothes while living in cambodia, so in preparation, chris and i have been pushing the work out wagon pretty hard lately. we're running an obstacle course 5k this sunday, and a 10k in early june. i'm hoping we can find another race down with my parents in july, and that all of this running will stave off of some of the weight gain- especially if we keep it up during service.
we were having lunch with a friend who is a rpcv from the dominican republic and we were discussing this phenomenon that leaves women hanging (literally.) her thinking? when you live in another culture, where men typically engage in the the higher energy/more laborious activities and women are more likely to be confined to the house or home, male volunteers have more opportunity to burn off calories. she suggested that it's not that women eat much more than men do while serving, it's simply a lack of ability to expend the calories.
which is why, no matter how crazy my host family thinks i am, i'll be running as often as possible in the hot hot cambodian heat.
Monday, March 21, 2011
a very strange full circle: cambodia
one month ago, chris and i were tossing around the pros and cons of a new departure date. our placement officer had informed us that the old date for the august program we'd been nominated to had been moved, and we now had the choice between a july 1 and july 19 departure.
what's funny is that, all along, over the last eight months of applying, interviewing, medical-ing, and waiting, waiting and more waiting, i had always been slightly preparing myself for the possibility that july would end up being our invitation, and thus, we'd likely be heading to cambodia.
what's amazing and wonderful to me now, just as it was when chris and i sat on the phone debating the choices we had before us, is how genuinely right going to cambodia feels.
it's as if we've come, or begun to come, full circle. you see, each year at the university at which we met, freshman are required to read, over summer, a common book for a college writing or honors course. the text is meant to spark discussion, fling open the eyes of the naive teenagers entering higher education, and serve as a common language as we embark on the great journey of college.
in addition, each year, the author of the chosen text is invited to a "writer as witness" symposium to speak to the freshman class.
the year that chris and i entered college, 2003, the book that was chosen for us was "first they killed my father."
the novel relates the true story of loung ung's survival of the khmer rouge occupation and destruction of the cambodian way of life from 1975-1979 (and beyond, but that's a topic for another day.) loung was just five when the khmer rouge's "year zero" began, and the text, told from the perspective of a child, is remarkable.
when i was just seventeen, entering college, i was enthralled by this woman's harrowing journey that brought her to our little stage at our university. i soaked up her every word, and believed myself changed in world view.
i am not sure if i truly understood, at the time, what changing my worldview would mean or how it would shape my future. but it seems oddly remarkable that here i am, eight years later, about to enter the country that loung escaped in 1980, with the husband that i met in college, who also engrossed himself in loung's words and story in 2003.
i re-read "first i killed my father" over the weekend, and the story, along with a fair few others, are giving me great insight into the culture and way of life that was decimated in 1975, and the scars the likely still run deep in cambodia (though, it seems, hidden from view for many reasons.)
being given the chance to live in cambodia has a feeling of "right," as if the last eight years have been readying me for the extraordinary journey.
what's funny is that, all along, over the last eight months of applying, interviewing, medical-ing, and waiting, waiting and more waiting, i had always been slightly preparing myself for the possibility that july would end up being our invitation, and thus, we'd likely be heading to cambodia.
what's amazing and wonderful to me now, just as it was when chris and i sat on the phone debating the choices we had before us, is how genuinely right going to cambodia feels.
it's as if we've come, or begun to come, full circle. you see, each year at the university at which we met, freshman are required to read, over summer, a common book for a college writing or honors course. the text is meant to spark discussion, fling open the eyes of the naive teenagers entering higher education, and serve as a common language as we embark on the great journey of college.
in addition, each year, the author of the chosen text is invited to a "writer as witness" symposium to speak to the freshman class.
the year that chris and i entered college, 2003, the book that was chosen for us was "first they killed my father."
the novel relates the true story of loung ung's survival of the khmer rouge occupation and destruction of the cambodian way of life from 1975-1979 (and beyond, but that's a topic for another day.) loung was just five when the khmer rouge's "year zero" began, and the text, told from the perspective of a child, is remarkable.
 |
| source |
when i was just seventeen, entering college, i was enthralled by this woman's harrowing journey that brought her to our little stage at our university. i soaked up her every word, and believed myself changed in world view.
i am not sure if i truly understood, at the time, what changing my worldview would mean or how it would shape my future. but it seems oddly remarkable that here i am, eight years later, about to enter the country that loung escaped in 1980, with the husband that i met in college, who also engrossed himself in loung's words and story in 2003.
i re-read "first i killed my father" over the weekend, and the story, along with a fair few others, are giving me great insight into the culture and way of life that was decimated in 1975, and the scars the likely still run deep in cambodia (though, it seems, hidden from view for many reasons.)
being given the chance to live in cambodia has a feeling of "right," as if the last eight years have been readying me for the extraordinary journey.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
working with what you got
a few nights ago, chris and i were discussing the merits of trying to take as many items as possible that we already own and as little as possible in luggage we already own.
make sense?
in this quest, i think i've chosen the bags that will be accompanying me to cambodia. (it still feels so AWESOME to say that.)
first up, i'm hoping to pack thirty five pounds in this baby.
this happy kelty backpack accompanied me from beijing to paris in 2007 and i love it.
then we have this little pack:
i'm still debating on this weekend/day pack. i'm not sure where i'd stuff it and i'm not sure if it'd be worthwhile to have.
i debated buying a new rolling duffel but then figured, why should i spend another 70 to 100 bucks when i have this bag that's made it nearly eight years and is the perfect size for what i need? it's part of an eddie bauer luggage pack that i received when i graduated college in 2003, and it's dirt-showing-proof, being all grey and such.
the best part of figuring this out one random day last week was discovering that i had never fully emptied my backpack since our trip in 2007. what i found was pretty awesome.
that's a language book, really old sudafed, a paper bag that once held some chocolate from switzerland, some wet wipes, very expired sunscreen, pepto, dramamine, kleenex, and some black headbands.
after throwing away the expired medicine and useless paper bags, these are the things i'm definitely taking with me. a happy yellow leatherman the hubs bought me, a bottle for medicine, a small box from container store perfect for holding earrings/wedding ring, inflatable neck pillow, headbands, some chapstick (not this this nasty stuff, but definitely the key chain holder for it!), and the voltage converter.
any one else nominated/invited who has thought through luggage and key tools/needs for your new home outside the U.S.?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
accepting the placement offer and enjoying conflicting information
this weekend, chris and i sent in our placement acceptance emails. it was awesome this morning to log in and see that we finally have a name of a post on our toolkit!
look at that happy little map and link to our specific post on the right! squeal!
the best part of receiving so much information is that you can find conflicting accounts.
to begin with, how you should accept your invitation varies. one document tells us to call the education desk within seven days to accept or reject. another says to email within ten days of receiving the invitation to accept or reject.
we went with the email option because it provided an exact statement for us to prepare, and thus seemed more official.
another wonderfully hilarious piece of conflicting information is whether or not we should bring/wear flip flops in country. in no fewer than three places does it mention that we need sandals with a back strap (no flips flops! it says in bold letters). in another two places, it explicitly recommends bringing 1-2 pair of flip flops.
le sigh. hilarity.
look at that happy little map and link to our specific post on the right! squeal!
the best part of receiving so much information is that you can find conflicting accounts.
to begin with, how you should accept your invitation varies. one document tells us to call the education desk within seven days to accept or reject. another says to email within ten days of receiving the invitation to accept or reject.
we went with the email option because it provided an exact statement for us to prepare, and thus seemed more official.
another wonderfully hilarious piece of conflicting information is whether or not we should bring/wear flip flops in country. in no fewer than three places does it mention that we need sandals with a back strap (no flips flops! it says in bold letters). in another two places, it explicitly recommends bringing 1-2 pair of flip flops.
le sigh. hilarity.
Monday, February 28, 2011
let's go to...
Cambodia! it's official, and i'm beyond excited. i had given up hope of receiving the official invitation before next week, so as i arrived home and found a white package to the left of our doorstep, i had to do a double take. i had stopped betting myself every time my email buzzed that our PO would tell us she had sent the invite along, and betting whether or not the invitation would actually be at our house.
and of course, once i had resigned myself to not receiving it, there it was! i was in a hurry to hop on the metro to meet chris and some college friends in dupont circle for some dinner, but all of that stopped mattering when i saw the big blue packet. all i could say was 'no way!' i took a photo with my phone of the invitation and sent it to chris, who was working late.
two minutes later, my phone rang and chris yelled 'it came! open it! where are we going, officially?!'
wouldn't you know it, those envelopes have that glue that doesn't tear or give at all when you tug. i yanked and pulled and finally i saw the letter and it said:
CAMBODIA!
we're off to cambodia, both of us labeled as 'english teacher/teacher trainer,' with chris' having 'youth development' written in on by hand his, and our official invitation information from our PO stating that i would be doing teacher training. we leave for staging (not sure where yet!) on july 19.
we spent some time this weekend thinking, now that we know for real, what we should pack, which bags we should fill, and which shoes are most important.
it's amazing that in less than five months, we'll be going to southeast asia, embarking on the journey that very few married couples get the chance to experience. sharing our skills, learning new ones, immersing ourselves in a new culture.
today, we celebrated by drinking a bottle of syrah at macaroni grill. it doesn't get more american than that- and we have to get it in while we still can.
cheers to anyone who gets the grace of a big blue packet this week, month, or even, how cool, on tuesday, the official 50th anniversary!?!
and of course, once i had resigned myself to not receiving it, there it was! i was in a hurry to hop on the metro to meet chris and some college friends in dupont circle for some dinner, but all of that stopped mattering when i saw the big blue packet. all i could say was 'no way!' i took a photo with my phone of the invitation and sent it to chris, who was working late.
two minutes later, my phone rang and chris yelled 'it came! open it! where are we going, officially?!'
wouldn't you know it, those envelopes have that glue that doesn't tear or give at all when you tug. i yanked and pulled and finally i saw the letter and it said:
CAMBODIA!
we're off to cambodia, both of us labeled as 'english teacher/teacher trainer,' with chris' having 'youth development' written in on by hand his, and our official invitation information from our PO stating that i would be doing teacher training. we leave for staging (not sure where yet!) on july 19.
we spent some time this weekend thinking, now that we know for real, what we should pack, which bags we should fill, and which shoes are most important.
it's amazing that in less than five months, we'll be going to southeast asia, embarking on the journey that very few married couples get the chance to experience. sharing our skills, learning new ones, immersing ourselves in a new culture.
today, we celebrated by drinking a bottle of syrah at macaroni grill. it doesn't get more american than that- and we have to get it in while we still can.
cheers to anyone who gets the grace of a big blue packet this week, month, or even, how cool, on tuesday, the official 50th anniversary!?!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
ah, the familiar pinch
first up, i broke down and called our placement officer to see if there was an update on the physical hard invitation.
the invitation is still on her desk, awaiting the one final piece of paper. well, poo. keep your fingers crossed that it's miraculously sent this week. i'm not sure i can last another weekend, officially invited but sans big blue packet. egads! patience! patience! patience, how you test me!
although, as long as my nightmares of the invite being revoked aren't true, we're all good.
today, i broke out the glasses in preparation for 27 months sans contacts (most likely.) oh, that awful nose and temple pinching that occurs if you haven't worn anything but contacts for years!
i'm going to try to wear them once or twice a week until we leave, working up to three or so times a week. i'm hoping i might be able to still wear contacts, but also know that if we are sent to cambodia, they have a major dry, dusty season where contacts are pretty impractical.
anyone else out there preparing for life sans-contacts?
the invitation is still on her desk, awaiting the one final piece of paper. well, poo. keep your fingers crossed that it's miraculously sent this week. i'm not sure i can last another weekend, officially invited but sans big blue packet. egads! patience! patience! patience, how you test me!
although, as long as my nightmares of the invite being revoked aren't true, we're all good.
today, i broke out the glasses in preparation for 27 months sans contacts (most likely.) oh, that awful nose and temple pinching that occurs if you haven't worn anything but contacts for years!
 |
| ye olde trusty glasses circa 2008...and husband |
i'm going to try to wear them once or twice a week until we leave, working up to three or so times a week. i'm hoping i might be able to still wear contacts, but also know that if we are sent to cambodia, they have a major dry, dusty season where contacts are pretty impractical.
anyone else out there preparing for life sans-contacts?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
how do you thank a government employee?
over the weekend, i spent some time writing thank you cards to six or seven people that have helped chris and i arrive at being invited- from our recruiter, to our med assistant, up to our PO.
what's sad is that these little cards look so lonely and my normal method of thanking people- sending cookies- has chris looking at me like i'm crazy person.
'you can't mail cookies to a government office' he says.
'i won't cover them in powdered sugar!' says i.
what's a hopeful PCV to do? risk that the cookies could be destroyed upon site? just send the cards? i really want to honestly thank these people (especially our recruiter and PO- they have both been amazing, so candid, and so clearly pivotal in the process!), and my usual idea seems suspect.
thoughts?
what's sad is that these little cards look so lonely and my normal method of thanking people- sending cookies- has chris looking at me like i'm crazy person.
'you can't mail cookies to a government office' he says.
'i won't cover them in powdered sugar!' says i.
what's a hopeful PCV to do? risk that the cookies could be destroyed upon site? just send the cards? i really want to honestly thank these people (especially our recruiter and PO- they have both been amazing, so candid, and so clearly pivotal in the process!), and my usual idea seems suspect.
thoughts?
Monday, February 21, 2011
could it be...Cambodia?!
i secretly hoped we'd get the official invite first for our date (July 19) so we could update Peace Corps Wiki...
BUT!
i'm not complaining because someone did AND it's Cambodia!
EEP! unless crazy changes have happened, that is the date our PO said she invited us to... and that would be phenomenal!
please, please, let our big blue packet arrive this week!
BUT!
i'm not complaining because someone did AND it's Cambodia!
EEP! unless crazy changes have happened, that is the date our PO said she invited us to... and that would be phenomenal!
please, please, let our big blue packet arrive this week!
eep
of course, now that I've gone and said that it's likely Cambodia, something crazy could happen, like being uninvited or the like.
crossing fingers for big blue packet to speedily arrive!
crossing fingers for big blue packet to speedily arrive!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
bummer
no such luck on the invitation-being-sent front.
settling in for a much needed three day weekend.
crossing my fingers for a speedy delivery after it's sent next week (maybe tuesday? maybe? please?)
settling in for a much needed three day weekend.
crossing my fingers for a speedy delivery after it's sent next week (maybe tuesday? maybe? please?)
Friday, February 18, 2011
so very few things...
as wonderful as your toolkit changing from this...
to this...
fingers crossed! fingers crossed! please let the invite go out today! i'm not sure my anticipation can handle a three day weekend sitting on pins and needles...
to this...
fingers crossed! fingers crossed! please let the invite go out today! i'm not sure my anticipation can handle a three day weekend sitting on pins and needles...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
invited... but waiting...
ah, peace corps, how you toy with my emotions.
we woke up to legal clearance on tuesday, and i got emotionally over excited. could we be invited tomorrow, officially?
wednesday, i emailed our PO to see which company our invite would be sent through. after much emailing, she discovers that we're legally cleared and she's mailing the invite tonight or tomorrow!
and now, today, our status says INVITED!
but alas, an email from our PO this morning says our invite is ready to go, except for some updated language needed for a description of one of our placements, as the training has changed somewhat.
we're now waiting 'a few days' for this information, when our invite will be mailed. twisted cruel fates, where at 5:20 am you tell me i'm invited and then sad email at 8:20 tells me i won't know where for a few more days... le sigh.
on a side note, we were asked if we could ride a bike...
lots of asian country researching this three day weekend... especially blogs from Cambodia...
cross your fingers our invitation is miraculously sent Friday!
we woke up to legal clearance on tuesday, and i got emotionally over excited. could we be invited tomorrow, officially?
wednesday, i emailed our PO to see which company our invite would be sent through. after much emailing, she discovers that we're legally cleared and she's mailing the invite tonight or tomorrow!
and now, today, our status says INVITED!
but alas, an email from our PO this morning says our invite is ready to go, except for some updated language needed for a description of one of our placements, as the training has changed somewhat.
we're now waiting 'a few days' for this information, when our invite will be mailed. twisted cruel fates, where at 5:20 am you tell me i'm invited and then sad email at 8:20 tells me i won't know where for a few more days... le sigh.
on a side note, we were asked if we could ride a bike...
lots of asian country researching this three day weekend... especially blogs from Cambodia...
cross your fingers our invitation is miraculously sent Friday!
Monday, February 14, 2011
we ARE invited!
oh, what a weekend.
i'm quite tired and inspired after a working weekend, and we've decided to see if we could still be invited for july 19. it just seems impossible to get boomer to north carolina, packed, and mentally prepared in four days.
***
our PO says we're good to go for the 19th and she's glad we took some time to think about it. as soon as we are legally cleared, she INVITING US!!!
i'm quite tired and inspired after a working weekend, and we've decided to see if we could still be invited for july 19. it just seems impossible to get boomer to north carolina, packed, and mentally prepared in four days.
***
our PO says we're good to go for the 19th and she's glad we took some time to think about it. as soon as we are legally cleared, she INVITING US!!!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
we are invited?
"hey!"
"hi, where are you?"
"um, at the convention center, we just got here (us and thousands of others.) what's wrong? you ok?"
"yeah, i'm fine. we're invited to the peace corps."
stunned silence.
"what?!?!"
apparently this morning our placement officer reviewed our files, called chris for final notes and told him we're invited, to asia in august.
it's surreal. air, this is, i'm walking on air.
****
ah, yes, the email update. our nomination is now actually leaving in july, so we have to make some decisions while she follows up with our legal hold.
chris now has an official new placement: youth development.
asia. july 1.
asia. july 19.
e. europe. sept. 22
i received this email, set up a phone call with chris and PO for 3 pm, and then sat through (a wonderful!) two hour luncheon for all staff at a convention for 11,000 education reformers.
chris was convinced that the philippines has been moved to july 1. in our excitement, all thought to what it means that i'll need to work until june 27th at the earliest flies out the window.
if we can't leave in august, let's go as soon as we can!
after a brief five minute phone call, we accept july 1. she'll be mailing it out next monday or tuesday.
we're invited?!
"hi, where are you?"
"um, at the convention center, we just got here (us and thousands of others.) what's wrong? you ok?"
"yeah, i'm fine. we're invited to the peace corps."
stunned silence.
"what?!?!"
apparently this morning our placement officer reviewed our files, called chris for final notes and told him we're invited, to asia in august.
it's surreal. air, this is, i'm walking on air.
****
ah, yes, the email update. our nomination is now actually leaving in july, so we have to make some decisions while she follows up with our legal hold.
chris now has an official new placement: youth development.
asia. july 1.
asia. july 19.
e. europe. sept. 22
i received this email, set up a phone call with chris and PO for 3 pm, and then sat through (a wonderful!) two hour luncheon for all staff at a convention for 11,000 education reformers.
chris was convinced that the philippines has been moved to july 1. in our excitement, all thought to what it means that i'll need to work until june 27th at the earliest flies out the window.
if we can't leave in august, let's go as soon as we can!
after a brief five minute phone call, we accept july 1. she'll be mailing it out next monday or tuesday.
we're invited?!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
and there i was...
just waiting to have dinner with some peeps on friday night, and there it was:
"peace corps check in."
a request for an updated resume and a reminder that nothing is set in stone, and competition is quite high for invitations.
not exactly the soothing email you hope for, six months in.
chris and i spent four hours completely updating our resumes, heavy emphasis on all things education. resumes have been returned, just shy of midnight.
contact from a placement officer could be approaching!
"peace corps check in."
a request for an updated resume and a reminder that nothing is set in stone, and competition is quite high for invitations.
not exactly the soothing email you hope for, six months in.
chris and i spent four hours completely updating our resumes, heavy emphasis on all things education. resumes have been returned, just shy of midnight.
contact from a placement officer could be approaching!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
ah, the legal hold
updates are coming weekly now. this is heaven.
a placement eligibility specialist has determined that our legal hold is due to our mortgage. we're securing the notarized letter from chris' best friend who is going to rent our house. ah-mazing.
the specialist is quite kind and assured me that there is nothing more holding us back, and our file is on the education skills desk.
hold tight, he says.
dear life, i'm holding.
a placement eligibility specialist has determined that our legal hold is due to our mortgage. we're securing the notarized letter from chris' best friend who is going to rent our house. ah-mazing.
the specialist is quite kind and assured me that there is nothing more holding us back, and our file is on the education skills desk.
hold tight, he says.
dear life, i'm holding.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
"hi" i whispered in the dark
i jolted awake and reached for my phone to check the time.
the red light was buzzing, so for funzies, i checked my email.
"peace corps status update."
could it be? i think our nurse is checking our files.
or has checked them.
could we be cleared?
could we really be a part of that 15% that gets it 100% correct on the first try? BOTH of us?
i had to wake chris, so he turned over and i whispered the news.
"we have a status update. i think we may be cleared."
five minutes later, laptop in hand, the darkness of the morning glaring against the bright computer screen, there it was:
it just feels too good to be true? could we be cleared?
***
received the letter. we're both cleared.
praise the world and everything praised.
the red light was buzzing, so for funzies, i checked my email.
"peace corps status update."
could it be? i think our nurse is checking our files.
or has checked them.
could we be cleared?
could we really be a part of that 15% that gets it 100% correct on the first try? BOTH of us?
i had to wake chris, so he turned over and i whispered the news.
"we have a status update. i think we may be cleared."
five minutes later, laptop in hand, the darkness of the morning glaring against the bright computer screen, there it was:
it just feels too good to be true? could we be cleared?
***
received the letter. we're both cleared.
praise the world and everything praised.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
chris has the magical powers, i tell ya
so, i've now attempted to reach our medical assistant twice to no avail.
chris tries, and gets him on first try.
i'd be bitter but...
our files are STAPLED TOGETHER and on NURSE'S desk awaiting REVIEW!
the new terms of endearment around our house include "stapled togetha foreva."
my addiction to peace corps journals has returned. help me, a&e.
chris tries, and gets him on first try.
i'd be bitter but...
our files are STAPLED TOGETHER and on NURSE'S desk awaiting REVIEW!
the new terms of endearment around our house include "stapled togetha foreva."
my addiction to peace corps journals has returned. help me, a&e.
Friday, January 7, 2011
cavity filled
i got my cavity filled prior to the holidays (what cavity, asked my dentist) and waited to mail it back in, just in case it got lost in the holiday shuffle.
dental clearance for us both now, suckas!
dental clearance for us both now, suckas!
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