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.