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

"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!!!

I got back from Santa Fe in September, and other than filling out half a dozen job applications, didn't really do anything from sleep. Woke up sometimes just in time to get to my 4pm Spanish class. And those were my busy days. Then October happened and I finally got hired, was the maid of honor for the wonderful wedding of Rachel & Kevin, and things really started happening on the Peace Corps front. The last week of the month I was qualified for service and ran off to Chicago to party with the cool kids there. Then November HAPPENED. I swear I was in Chicago day before yesterday and I opened my letter last night. But that was 2 weeks ago already. I'm in the midst of my 4th 40hr week which is nothing compared to what I did last summer but with spanish class (my final is this week!!), packing up my life for long term storage, family life, an attempt at a social life, and regular gym workouts, I find myself needing that planner again to keep myself on track and my PC paper...

Ironically, when your fantasies grow more real, they can also become less tempting. Your current desires may lead you down a totally unfamiliar path, and the closer you get to the end, the more uncertain you are about your choice. There is a delicate line between your unbridled imagination and what's actually possible now. Fortunately, if you're willing to take a risk, you can make an impossible dream come true. Wow, horoscope. Way to hit the nail on the head. 

After an excruciatingly long and arduous 9 hour bus trip, I was finally able to open my letter. I will be going to HONDURAS and I start orientation on FEB 22nd. I will be in training in Honduras then until May 12th when I move out to my site and then will finish my contract with the PC on May 12th 2014. My job title is 'Environment and Water Extensionist' meaning that I work with other government agencies and private voluntary organizations like Engineers Without Borders to:  1. To design and provide technical support for the rehabilitation, construction, or expansion of rural water and sanitation systems. 2. To provide training of rural community water associations and system operators. 3. To deliver environmental and sanitation education to community groups. There's another 20-some pages describing what all of that means, but I'll spare you those details. Right now I have a ton of things to read and an acceptance letter to write to officially accept my ...

I feel like an 11 year old waiting for their Hogwarts letter.

I got a phone call today from the Peace Corps Placement Officer to schedule my Final Interview. Because I am working a LOT for the next 5 days, he asked if we could do it right then. At my momentary hesitation (read: PANIC) he offered to call back in half an hour. So I agreed to that and then spent 30 mins running around my parents house trying to eat breakfast to calm myself down, texting my friends and brother, and downing caffeine to try to get myself focused. (I'd been awake for all of 15 minutes or so when I got the call, could you tell?) After the 35 minute interview, pretty similar to my first PC interview, only about 1/4 as long, he told me I WAS QUALIFIED FOR SERVICE and that I would be working in Water & Sanitation in Central or South America with potential departure dates ranging from Jan 01-March 31. I will get an email in a week or so confirming the specific month, and then a few days after the email should get a packet in the mail with THE COUNTRY and THE ACTUAL...

I hope this email finds you well. I just wanted to thank you for your updated application materials, which I received today and added to your file. Your application is now with an Assessment and Placement Specialist pending a final suitability and skills review. You can expect to hear from us within the next several months. Thank you for your continued interest in Peace Corps.

It's a good thing I am a stage manager, otherwise I think that this relentless stream of paperwork might have gotten the best of me. I received an email yesterday from the Office of Placement wanting updated resume info, a profile of what I have accomplished in the last few months, a letter from my Spanish teacher, and my final college transcripts.Sending those in this weekend, then: 'Once you submit your updated materials, your file will be passed along to a Placement Specialist, who will be in touch with you about a possible invitation to serve in the weeks to come. However, because of the budget situation outlined above, it may take some time before you hear from your Placement Specialist regarding the final evaluation of your application.' Ohh PC. Always leaving me with enough vague ambiguity to keep things interesting. Also, I got a job! It's just a money maker, but hey, it's something. Home Depot cashier for the win!

"The Office of Medical Services is please to inform you that you have been medically qualified for service and the Office of Placement notified...You will now move to the next step in the process, the Office of Placement." Yay! I still don't know where I am going, when I am going, or what I am doing, but I am one step closer. For now, there is nothing more I can do until I hear from PC again. So I continue the wait. Pazienza. Pazienza. Look out mailbox, you're not out of the woods yet.

Another letter from PC, but not THE letter. They apparently need more info from my doctor about my stomach condition. (When I don't sleep for 4 days, survive on diet coke and gummy worms, and endure high stress situations like tech week, my stomach produces extra stomach acid to compensate for the increased activity levels and then after awhile I get crazy intense stomachaches. So I have this magic little pill that I take when I am or think I am going to be stressed and all is well with the world for the most part.) They just need a few more forms about what it is and a doctor to officially say that I won't die from it in a 3rd world country. Going to see my physician tomorrow...let's hope this only takes 1...maybe 2 trips this time around!

Welcome to my Peace Corps Blog. I began this adventure by starting my application over Thanksgiving Break of my junior year. At the time, I was not sure that I really wanted to do PC, but knew it couldn't hurt to start applying and see where that took me. Two years later, I have fingerprints on file with the FBI, have filled out stupidly large amounts of paperwork, spent a semester tutoring ELL Kindergarteners, braved a snow storm and then hid in a light booth to do my 2 hr Skype interview, arranged doctor's appointments in Santa Fe while working 60 hours a week, am now taking Spanish classes at Metro Comm. College, and will be getting my passport in the next few weeks. All of this, and I don't even know where I am going yet. I got a notification on Friday that says my file is currently under review. Hopefully that means I will get an official assignment soon. Last May I was nominated for South America starting in February working in Rural Health, specifically Water Syste...