"Do not go where the path may lead..."

Hey. So I decided to change the look of my blog to something brighter and 'happier' in hopes that it will rub off on life. Expect it to continue to change a lot over the next few weeks. For now, I hope the girly curly-Q-ness doesn't drive you crazy. I'm still deciding whether or not I love or hate it.

It's been awhile, so I decided to post, even though not much new has happened in my life on the PC front. I've caught the winter doldrums and have had a rough past week or two. A lot of my friends are off 'living the dream' of doing theatre work in big cities like New York and Chicago, and well, I am jealous. I knew by doing PC I was sacrificing a lot of time getting my foot in the door and establishing myself as a theatre professional, I just didn't realize how MUCH time it would mean I would be sitting around just WAITING. Anyone who knows me knows that sitting around and waiting are NOT my strong suits. Unfortunately, I take my frustration out my parents, who are graciously letting me live rent-free with them during this whole process...but they're still parents, and after 4 years of living on my own, it drives me crazy. My life consists of rocking the Home Depot from 5:45am-2:45pm M-F, and all that that entails, going to the gym 3-4 times a week, and Spani...

"When life happens, sometimes it makes executive decisions for you and you are left to handle the aftermath. It seems like the hardest thing in the world. Then life comes along and offers you a choice, and you come to the terrifying realization that your fate is in your own hands. THAT is the toughest challenge of them all." -Myself, at 8:21PM Wednesday Today, I made the hardest decision thus far in my 23 years of life. While I realize that it will not be the last, and there will surely be something someday to trump this moment, knowing that this decision was in fact 100% mine feels pretty good. Last Wednesday at 3PM my Placement Officer (who is AMAZING, I might add) offered me two choices: To do Water/Sanitation in Panama, Leaving May 1st OR To do Water/Sanitation in Mali, Leaving May 31st Now first, I need to acknowledge how incredibly fortunate and grateful I am to have had not just one but TWO amazing offers so quickly. And that the Peace Corps decided to let...

I talked to my Placement Officer today. He assured me that PC is still very interested in having me serve somewhere, they just don't know WHEN. Or WHAT. Or WHERE. I found out that they not only cancelled the Honduras training program, but the Guatemala and the El Salvador training programs as well. I am one of over 100 volunteers whose life just got a little more topsy-turvy. Given that info, it's easy to get frustrated. But PC had a lot of hopeful things to say today. Even if it was just designed to placate a lot of potential volunteers running the emotional gamut. So what did they tell me about my future? WHEN- I will NOT be going anywhere before March. Most likely going to leave April or May. WHAT- It is not likely that there will be a job in the Water & Sanitation Department. However, I am also qualified to work in the Youth Development Department, so there may be some options there. WHERE- Due to the recent cancellation of so many Central/South America training...

So...I'm not going to Honduras. Wow. Recently a Volunteer was injured there when some gunmen robbed her bus and one of the other men on the bus also had a gun and decided he wasn't going to be robbed, and a firefight broke out. She was shot in the leg, but is going to be fine. But because of the incident, and many other security issues, my training class was cancelled. So all 40 some of us headed to Honduras in February are suddenly...not going. http://coralshondurashappenings.blogspot.com/2011/12/tragic-case-of-being-in-wrong-place-at.html?showComment=1324097779204#c4564755073920898027 The blog above is the ONLY thing I have been able to find online discussing the incident. Way to go, news. Way to go, Peace Corps. It sorta feels like getting broken up with by the guy you knew wasn't right for you anyway. Disappointing, but you know it is for the better. Even if it does suck right now. Honduras IS the most dangerous country in the world that is not at war. So.....

Getting ready to go on this adventure is expensive. I mean, we're not talking college tuition or buying a house expensive. Just recent-college-grad-living-paycheck-to-paycheck expensive. Sure, PC will give a living allowance and a regular 'salary' once I am sworn in, and during training we'll have some 'pocket money', but for this part, the between time from accepting the invitation to getting on that plane has its costs. First, I need stuff. I am a theatre technician and run around all day in paint covered jeans and tank tops. Neither are going to be good choices for Honduras as they are not professional enough for the situation nor appropriate for the weather. (Jeans in that kind of humidity? Gross.) So some new wardrobe pieces are essential. Also, last Christmas my laptop died, and I bought a stellar new one. An expensive, fast processing, great graphics card, 17" screen laptop that is wonderful for AutoCAD, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and my design wo...

So far, being 23 is awesome. 16 minutes in and I have officially sent in my resume and aspiration statement, FINALLY. Let's not talk about how late they were. But they are done now. And I got my passport stuff taken care of (some blood, sweat, and tears-LITERALLY- later) 2 weeks ago. 2 major checks on that to do list. Back to the part where I just wait to hear from PC again. Oh, and ya know, maybe celebrate turning 23 just a little bit!!!