Small Update

Alright, just a quickie. I finally heard back from Mr. Stand-In Doctor, who gave me some bad news. I have to get records from my pediatrician, who I'm pretty sure is retired, to prove my vaccination record. SO that's going to be a blast. I'm not even sure who has to fill out that paperwork. I'm also fasting today so that I can go get my bloodwork (Cholestorol, etc) done this afternoon, which is required. I also have to see a specialist, which will be incredibly annoying, but is required, *sigh* All this in addition to the fact that I've not made an appointment to see an eye doctor yet as I'm waiting for my vision insurance to kick in, and my freebie Dentist is going to try to get me to pay $150 to "shave down" a chipped tooth. Which I don't care about so long as it's not a health risk, so I'll have to refuse that service from the man who was nice enough to give me a free exam and x-rays.

All other things aside, anxiety is a constant about it. I'm working through it. I have little cave-in moments where I feel like an awful, awful person for leaving for more than two years. I feel guilty for my kitties, my family, and for my friends cos I already know of one wedding that I'm missing! Ay. I have a nightmare at least twice a week that Peace Corps Departing is tomorrow - I have nothing packed, I don't know where to go, I haven't said goodbye to anybody. So I look forward to those increasing in frequency for the next 9+ months. In moments of weakness, what does an Atheistic Pessimist like me tell herself? It's a funny thing - I'm forced to rely on my own strength instead of delegating that out to "God" or "luck." It's all how I look at it, how I attack it, how I cope with it. So it's a soul-making venture, no? I'll keep telling myself that ;)

oh HERE'S the frustration they warned me about...

Allow me to take this time to express my extreme frustration with:

- My stand in Doctor for not having even started the paperwork I gave him a month and a half ago;
- My vision insurance for not kicking in until January first;
- My lack of dental insurance;
- a nameless office that told me it'd be fine if I don't submit my paperwork until July, which I found out is completely untrue. Whoops on their behalf.

and to note that yes, I saw all this coming, however it doesn't make it any easier. These people holding onto all my shit have the potential to keep me from the program I was nominated for if they don't hustle! My goal is to have everything submitted, medically, by February 1st. This means I will have to call the aforementioned Stand In Doctor in a little over a week to remind him that he told me he'd have this shit done within a week. Who even *knows* what my legal clearance will take... All this is a test of how I deal with stress and impatience. Those ARE my middle names, but at least when I'm feeling stressed and impatient in Africa, I'll still be enjoying myself.

I'm starting to feel like September isn't soon enough to get out of all that is "here."

Ring of Fire

Okay, well there's not much going on right now. I've had my first physical and the Dr. I met with seemed to think most of the PC's concerns about my medical shit are pointless. He plans to write a lot of N/As on his paperwork I guess. I may have to go back for a few more tests, like cholesterol, but I've had those tests fairly recently so perhaps not. I'm also waiting for the bill for that physical with baited breath, as my health insurance has already paid for one of those this year. Supposedly though, Peace Corps will reimburse me up to $125 for these costs. I wish they'd pay them up front as I have no money to toss about.
***EDIT ADDITION: I got the bill. $316 due in 15 days. Yeah, Right!!!!!***
For the dental, I'm waiting for Dr. So and So to return to Albany from the middle east. He should be back tomorrow and supposedly will offer free dental exams and xrays to PC applicants.
For the eyes, I'm just hoping I don't get taken for too much of a ride. I have no vision insurance and can sign up for a decent plan but it's not active until 1/1/08 and I don't think PC wants to wait that long. So maybe it won't be worth it to get that coverage.
Otherwise, it's just a matter of wait and see. As the potential departure draws closer, though still quite far off, I already feel myself getting anxious about leaving my friends and family for more than two years. No Shorty to play with, nobody to come home to, none of Mom's cooking, no wasted hours on the internet messing with people for entertainment, nobody a mere phone call away. Sometimes I think what would happen if PC rejects me at the last moment and it's about 10% relief that I won't have to face those fears. Not going would be worse though.

...
Things to eventually be resolved by way of I-have-no-clue:
- find a super great home for my two kitties (temporarily of course)
- pay down credit card balance
- lose approximately 30 pounds. yeah.
- quit smoking
- sell / store all furniture
- sell corolla
- figure out how I'll vote / do my taxes / whatever else while abroad
- convince myself I'll survive 27 months away and WILL be able to secure a worthwhile job upon my return.
- endless elses.

BAM!

Dear Natalie,

It was great meeting you the other day. After careful assessment and consideration, you have been nominated to the following program:

Program: English Teaching
Region: Sub Saharan Africa
Program Info: Post requires that trainees have English degree or Secondary Education degrees or certified in any subject at the secondary level.
Stage Range: September, 2008

Post Interview Musings

Right, so I talked up the interview quite a bit, I figured I owed you all (you one or two) an explanation of what went down.


My recruiter was quite friendly and down to earth, which greatly put me at ease. I always sound a little like a stuttering robot in job interviews, though, and hopefully she just chalked that up to nerves. It was a little weird that it was less like a discussion and more like an interrogation because she would just ask me a question, then type everything I said onto her computer. The silence that ensued between the end of my answer and the beginning of her next question was painful! The questions were what I was told to expect, such as what my motivations for joining PC are, what worries or concerns I have, my experience with leadership, education, inter personal skills, learning a new language. yadda yadda, yadda yadda. I'm sure that's what you all expected, too.


She told me at the end of the interview that by today, Thursday, she should be getting in touch with me about whether / where / what program she is going to nominate me for. I am in F-E-A-R, as this is an essential element to the PC experience. Things on my mind:

• She said that sometimes if a candidate isn't really qualified for anything, PC suggests that they spend a few months volunteering here and there to beef that up. She mentioned that twice. In my mind, that's her feeling like she's grasping at straws to nominate me for anything.


• The second thing is also concerning. However, I think / hope that it's just the "canned" speech we've discussed before. She was super super insistant about my having to be flexible about my placement. I told her "Sub-Saharan Africa, PLEASE!" and while she understood my desire for Africa, she insisted that I could be asked to go anywhere. This is when I mentioned that my departure date is flexible - a couple months in either direction - if that would help to get me into a program I'd be most effective in and excited about.

Argh. I'm hoping she is going to follow through with what she said. Today could be such a great day, or I could spiral into oblivion if I'm not nominated.

Anyways kiddies that's the good word for now. I will, of course, post again once I receive word from my recruiter and react accordingly.

nothing much

There's not really anything new to report. Just that I'm about two weeks away from my interview and I'm totally clueless as to how to repair. I've been through just about every nook and cranny of the PC website and believe that I'm familiar with the application / hiring process. I know from reading PCV blogs and from the PC website what to reasonably expect once I get over there, wherever there is.

As a side note, if any of my readers are in the Albany area, please come to the uptown SUNY campus this Friday, 10/12 at 6pm for a screening I've organized with Invisible Children. You know who they are! They were even on Oprah! We're going to watch the short (45 min) film then discuss the issues and what we can all do to help. There's going to be some really cool merch there too, which I know because they had it all shipped to me at work. So come on out! Business Administration Building, Room #130. It's free, fun, and fabulous and your presence will make me happy!

Interview!!!

Well, this is happening more quickly than I ever anticipated! My recruiter called me this afternoon to schedule an interview. Apparently despite my screw ups I mentioned in the last post, she's all set with my paperwork. Phew! It's 3 weeks away, on October 23rd. Luckily she is coming to Guilderland, which is a suburb of Albany, so I don't need to travel to the city just for the interview. It would be cool to have another excuse to get down to see Rick and Daisy, but they'll just have to come up here! (hint, hint!) Alright so that's the news. Nobody leaves me comment love anymore, do I still have readers?! Also if by chance some PCVs or RPCVs happen to be reading this blog, please let me know what your experience of the interview was. I like to be prepared :) peace out.

quick progress

Well! They gave me six weeks to complete the legal kit and get it back to them, so I did it in six days. This will hopefully demonstrate my dedication, determination, and ability to get shit done. Of course, after it was sealed and mailed off, I reviewed the directions and realized that I filled a bunch of shit out wrong on the fingerprint cards. Ooops! I also didn't make copies to keep for myself. Oops! I'm also not sure if my SUNY transcript actually says SUNY Albany anywhere on it. Ooops! So perhaps this will demonstrate my ability to rush through shit, disregard instructions, and waste other people's time. But that's okay. Worst case scenario is that I will have to get fingerprinted AGAIN next week. *sigh*
On a different note, I am thrilled to be going to VT next weekend. We are renting a car (yay! I get to drive a teensy Yaris!) and heading up Friday afternoon. I get to see my parents, the beautiful colors of autumn in my homeland, my friend Lisa, and our Plattsburgh-area friends, Erica and Monyette. I also get to show Shameen the notch, and Stowe for the first time. It's going to be a fast weekend, but then we both get Monday off for Columbus Day - god bless working for the government.
Now I wait for the phone call telling me to re-do the fingerprints and transcript. Sawa Sawa. After that, I wait for the interview.
Peace out :)

*** PS - I throw swahili words in here from time to time, since I'm always thinking about Kenya when I'm writing in here. I'd be happy to translate and might put up a post about my most commonly used swahili / swinglish phrases just for your entertainment.***

Here it is, because I'm bored now that it's afternoon.
Sawa (also sawa sawa) - okay (question or state of being)
poa - cool (same)
kupe moyo - literally to give heart, but means 'give strength.'
sasa - literally 'now,' but a greeting for younger people (response: fit, pronounced feet)
mara moja - at once!
pamoja - together
sms/flash - a text message
Habari - news / 'what's up'
pole - sorry
pole pole - slow / slowly
haraka! - hurry up
matatu - mini bus
kuku - chicken
kali - vicious
paka - cat
mbwa - dog
mbuzi - goat
chakula - food
viazi - potatoes
pombe - beer
mchi - people of the country; Kenyans
mjinga - idiot / fool
mzungu - european / white person
chai - yes it's tea, duh, but it's also "bribe"
kidogo - a little / small
whey! - not a swahili word, but a common expression of surprise or a way to get somebody's attention.
ugali - a food, like thick, heavy grits. basically I think it's ground corn meal boiled w/ water
sukuma wiki - collared greens!
githeri - another dish. rice and beans, etc.
mama - what a lot of grown women are called
mzee - elder - respectful name for grown men.
askari - guard
mtoto - child
shags - like "the sticks" - rural areas.

I can't think of anything else right now short of giving you all lessons in conjugation. I am B-O-R-E-D!!!
Anything else I might throw in that you're not sure of, ask me.

eekin' by

Yup, I have to do the whole background check again. Yay. However! After getting the notarized letter from my mother (today, hopefully) and getting my fingerprints taken tomorrow, I can send the pack out on Friday. woo hoo! I filled out the addenda about my education experience in as much detail as I could without seeming ridiculous. I'm still hoping they see potential in me for a different assignment, but even if I spent my time teaching over there, I'd still feel I was making a difference.
I read in a couple of Kenya PCV blogs that they feel like they're unnecessary - they say that any KENYAN could be teaching these students English or Kenyan Sign Language or Math. That's true, but Kenya's teacher shortage is well known as corruption and graft steadily drain the government coffers. At least a PCV is a steady presence for two years, and will more than likely be replaced with another steady presence when they depart. Giving these kids, so many of whom are orphans or in otherwise challenging home situations, a trustworthy adult is important in and of itself. It's also useful to educate them in the PCV role of ambassador - they need to know that America is not the land of milk and honey, that they will not be instantly rich if they make it over here, and that they may just be best off staying in country and improving their own Nation. Too many educated people focus on getting out of their country, out of Africa, and the brain drain that results is yet another ingredient in the toxic stew of heart breaking circumstances for the continent. *deep breath* Anyway. There probably won't be another reason to post until after I send in the packet and get a response from my recruiter in New York City.

Recieved: One Legal Packet from PC!

Yay! On Saturday I got my legal kit from PC. It has all sorts of fun stuff, like how I'm going to take care of bills while I'm gone, asking for more details on my experience with education, more information on references, fingerprint cards, background check information... I have to get unofficial transcripts from both SUNY and SLU. SUNY charges for that, did you know that? Damned state schools. I also emailed my recruiter and told her she should be getting everything back in the next week to two weeks, and wondered if the fact that I'm already employed by the Federal Government means I don't have to undergo another background check. Getting to the Police Station to get those prints done is a gargantuan pain in the ass, because Albany cops only dig on that once a week, in the middle of the day.
In other news, I do not qualify for any Spanish speaking assignments :( oh darn! Guess they'd better keep me in KE/TZ, eh? I speak mighty fine English and a mean Kiswahili.
More to come as I discover the joy of hoop-jumping for PC. <3

First Contact From Peace Corps

Makes me nervous!!!!

So yeah. I got contacted today by the PC Office in NYC. She said my application looks great! And that I can expect my "legal kit" in a week or so, where they will ask for lots more information. She wants me to focus on my teaching experience (give a glimmer of what I'll be doing, or what?).... she ALSO asked me about my preference for Africa.
Her: "How would you feel about another region?"
Me: "Well, given my background and my professional aspirations, I would definitely prefer to be in Africa."
Her: "Would you reject it if invited to another region? I thought I was going to Africa and I ended up in Asia! What if you get an offer for, say, Belize?"
Me: "........... I would be willing to hear other options."

Reflection: Yes - I feared Africa and came to love it. Yes - it is possible that that would happen in another area of the world, probable even, after 27 months residence there...
She wants me to really elaborate on my teaching experience, both here and in Kenya. I'm hoping that that qualifies me for the Tanzania program at least, which I listed as a preference and which focuses entirely on education. She says they'll request addendums to my resume and to give as much detail as possible because "sometimes, when somebody doesn't quite qualify for a placement, with their elaboration on their own experience, we can push them through." Does that not sound like I'm qualified by only a hair? She's focusing entirely on my Bachelor's Degree, which is alright, but she also told me that my Master's really doesn't count for anything. That's about the bajillionth time I've been told my Master's Degree is worthless. Hey, whatever. A $15,000 conversation piece is totally cool!
How can not having my MA matter for anything? I spent all that time learning all about Africa, why wouldn't they put that knowledge to use? Wouldn't it be helpful for me to be aware of unique African challenges, to understand their past in greater detail, to comprehend cultural differences, to know how to live there, how to speak the language? Hell if you dropped me at Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi TODAY I bet I could find my way to Silver Spoons and be sipping a Tusker Baridi in the time it takes a matatu tout's lougie to congeal on the pavement!

I'll stop rambling for now. That made my heart race. Please everybody seriously cross your fingers and toes for me.

Getting Closer with details...

Woo hoo! Okay so two of my three recommendations are on file with P.C. now. They've requested some additional paperwork regarding my students loans and credit card debt. It's a rush to be moving through the process... I can't wait until I get my first package from them with all sorts of goodies and red tape! Yay!

On the more personal side of things, I feel a bit surreal about this still. Am I truly ready to be on my own for 27 months? I think so. I predict that when I get over there, where ever "there" may end up being, I'll be acting very similar to how I acted the first time I went to Africa. I will be scared, I will feel out of place, I will feel completely discouraged by not knowing what my life for the next two years will look like. (This is because, while they give you your country assignment and your area where you'll be working (as in your topic, not the geographical area), for the first couple months you're there you have no idea where IN country you'll go. You find out a couple weeks before you actually go). Anyways, tangent aside, I know I'll bug out at first. I can count on my resolute and stubborn logic to get me out of that slump however.
One selfish reason I'm excited about this is that I hope the promise of the placement will motivate me to get in shape - if I go over there looking / feeling like I do now, I'm going to have a hard time hiking all day in the equatorial heat. Plus Africans will call me fat because it's not insulting in their culture! So I hope to be in better physical condition before I leave, and I know from previous experience that my physical condition only improves while I'm in Africa. Yay! I get my college body back! ( I HOPE!)
I've got the support of family and friends, though some seem to resent my leaving... I can't stay here to please others and continue to be in the slump that I've been in for the last year or so. Believe me, I'll be a better friend once I return and I don't feel like I have lately! So I'm excited. I'm scared. I'm hopeful, I'm worried. It's going to be fabulous.
Minute by minute updates will continue until my feet hit African earth - then you'll just have to wait it out :)

Day 1 - Submission Day

Application Complete. I've submitted my initial app., the medical background info, my 3 references, and now I wait anywhere from 2-4 weeks to be contacted by a recruiter in order to schedule my interview and find out where to mail all the documents about my student loans and credit card debt. This blog will certainly get more interesting with time.
Cross your fingers for East Africa, y'all.