Friday, November 22, 2013

WOOOOSAAAHHHHH.

The countdown is now under 90 days until I leave.
These are my feelings as time quickly passes:
HOLY F***.
AFRICA.
Did I turn that in?
Wait do I really need that?
YAYYYY I'M MOVING TO ETHIOPIA!!!

AHHHH I"M MOVING TO F***ing ETHIOPIA!!!
AFRICA!!!!
NANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA( sang in my best Disney voice)


As you could probably tell I am starting to freak out just a little bit....
Although I am extremely excited and light up whenever I get the chance to tell someone I am going to actually get to live my dream of joining the Peace Corps the relativity of it is also absolutely terrifying.
I am pushing myself so far out of my comfort zone that I cant even begin to register what I will experience emotionally. I have started to make sure I have things I will need which means lists, lists, and more lists. Which means freaking out, more freaking out, and you guessed it more freaking out.

I am just reminding myself to breath.
Calm down.
and when all else fails...


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Ol' Switch -A-Roo.

Last week I received an email from the Peace Corps placement office asking if I would be interested in switching sectors. I was asked to switch from Health to Ag/ Environmental for food security.  Just when I thought I had my future figured out the Peace Corps throws a wrench in.  After a conversation with my best friend and a mild freak out I decided to leave my decision up to the Peace Corps gods. I replied to the email saying that if they wanted to switch me I was up for the challenge. Moments after sending the email I received notice that I would in fact be switched. I will now be working with food security. To be honest I don't really have any idea what exactly I will be doing now but I am okay with this uncertainty. With the Peace Corps you really have to be okay with the fact that you have no idea what the hell is ever going on. I just leave it up to them. And of course my Peace Corps Ag god. 
Oh wait you didn't know that there was a Peace Corps Ag God?
Well you do now. 
I like to picture him in a flannel with cut off sleeves.
To me it says I am prepared to work but also like to be comfortable. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

And so they start...

Yesterday I experienced the first of many goodbyes before I set off for my peace corps journey. I am exactly 3 months away from leaving now but am not sure if I will make it back to Montana before I leave. Saying goodbye is not something I am particularly fond of. I am not someone who knows how to deal with other people's emotions very well. I know this was just the first in a long line of goodbyes before I leave.

I am truly grateful for all the people in my life who care so much about me. I am reminded of this in every step of this journey. 


Friday, November 1, 2013

Why not.

I have decided that I am going to use my service in the Peace Corps to better myself as well as the community that I am in.
I am not going into this experience with any expectations. I have learned over the years that expectations lead to disappointments. So rather than having expectations I am setting myself some goals of things I would like to work on while I am there. I am posting them here to hold myself accountable for them.

From what I have read through miscellaneous blogs I keep seeing over and over again that volunteers have A LOT of free time.  So why not put this time to good use?

Goals:
-Get into the best shape of my life.
-Learn Amharic and Spanish. If I am already learning a second language might as well learn a third right?
-Read as many books as possible. There are so many books that are considered to be classics that I have yet to even touch. I hope to change this.
-Never say no. I want to take this opportunity to experience as many new things as possible. If I say no I am just limiting myself.
-Get as many people in the States involved in my service as possible. This can take shape in many ways from becoming pen pals to having them help me with community projects.
-Determine if grad school is right for me and if it is what area I would like to study.
-Travel to as many new places as possible.
-Experience different cultures within Ethiopia by traveling to see as many other volunteers as possible.
- Keep a journal/blog updated so that when my service is over I can adequately remember everything that happened.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Gemütlichkeit.


Two weekends ago was a reunion of the infamous Goon Squad.
It has been a few weeks since everyone left and I am just now getting to writing about it. I will blame this on the hangover from hell and just pure laziness. 
This is a quick little recap of how the weekend went:

It started off a bit rough with half the crew spending Friday sleeping after driving all night from Montana. A few of is meet up for some lunch but it was the hours before I heard from the lazy butts. When everyone finally arrived at my house it was game on. Within minutes a game of pong was going and the shit talking began. 

Shortly after the Montana crew arrived I had to dip out and go pick up my Cali boys. It seemed like possibly the longest drive of my life due to excitement. Through chanting and cheering my mom managed to stay asleep the whole night. My mind cannot comprehend how that is even possible. There was literally 14 people screaming at the top of there lungs. Countless rounds of pong later I saw a person outside the window dancing. Within seconds everyone began screaming. B rab and Jerry surprised  us all by showing up a day early. Everything was brought to a stop when we realized we needed a family picture.

This is a picture of my family. Not the family I was born into but the family I chose. These are the most amazing people I could ever ask to be apart of my life. This ladies and gentlemen is the goon squad. 
Anyway back to the drinking.. Two pony kegs and some bottles later it was Saturday morning. I got up to go watch my nephews soccer game and dragged these fools along with me:

My nephews were super excited that these clowns came to support and play with them. From here we picked up bottles I champagne and momosia time began. 6 bottles of champagne later we realized that we had polished off the kegs the night before and this was unexceptable. How does one party with kegs? So it was off to the keg store we went.  With keg in hand and dinner in our bellies The bell was rang and round two began. 
It was a kegstand and dancing kind of night. If only I could post the videos of everyone getting out of their mind... Kody even called in and was plugged into the sound system. Danny attempted a one handed keg stand.. By the use of the word attempted you should realize it was an epic failure. My brother is so fall that we needed to open the door for his legs to fit. I passed out a little early this night but woke up to people passed out all across my bedroom floor. 
It is now Sunday also known as game day. Time for all the shot talking to come to an all time hi as the sounders take on the galaxy. After sneaking a keg into our hotel room we decided to be classy and enjoy the sun on the rooftop bar.


The pregaming continued and it was time to march to the game. Since we had a bag of mixed team fans we created our own march. We caused a scene in downtown Seattle! It will never be the same. Through hooliganing and chanting we finally made it to the stadium. The game resulted in a tie and Mario almost getting in a fight with a mom. No one was arrested so I call it a successful outing. After the game we took over the piano bar. And when I say took over I mean the bar didn't have a chance once we walked through those doors. There was dancing and singing and drinking and drinking and drinking... 
And then it was time to walk back to the hotel. While barely making it back without and incidents we were back. 
Brendan Ben and I deceied to venture to get food. Ben took my phone and brgan snapping pictures. I will now post them as punishment for stealing my phone...
So after drunk midnight breakfast it was time for bed. 
The next day through an incredible hangover I made it home alive.

Until the next reunion.

Monday, October 21, 2013

You care-o but now you ain't got no dinero. The Cost of Service.

This is an ongoing list of my out of pocket expenses for joining the Peace Corps. The point of this post is not to complain but to list the reality of how much it costs to serve.

Note: I do not have medical insurance so my costs may be different than yours. Also I am not accounting for Peace Corps cost share in these prices.
Tip: Ask if medical offices offer a cash discount. Talk to them about your situation and the fact that you are joining the Peace Corps. Many places might increase the discount.

Pre-invitation costs:
-10$ finger print cost.
-25$ UPS fee to mail finger print card.
-75$ in gas to get to my interview (that was 3 hours away in winter in Montana)
-100$ hotel room the night before my interview. Due to it being winter I went the night before because it was unsafe to drive during the dark hours. 

Pre-departure Fees:
Passport Fees:
-25$ processing fee. This will be reimbursed. 
-30$ for two sets of Passport pictures needed for Visa and Passport application.
-30$ UPS fee to mail Passport and Visa application.
Dental:
-220$ exam and xray fee.
-1900$ dental work that needs to be complete before submitting paperwork. This includes a 600$ discount that my dentist office offered me.
Medical:
-215$ yellow fever shot.
-146$(50% discount was given) for exam and pap.
-548$ lab work.
-68$ booster shots
-15$ TB test 

This list is a work in progress and will have more added to it as they happen. 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Do they have PBR in Ethiopia?

After meeting up with two other volunteers who will be heading to Ethiopia in February I have come to a few conclusions:

1. No one has any clue what in the hell to pack besides duct tape and hot sauce. That being said I am now accepting donations of these two items as they are apparently all I will need to survive Ethiopia.

2. My biggest fear of being kick out of the Peace Corps after 3 months due to not being able to learn Amharic is a fear that is shared by everyone. 

3. Ethiopian food is pretty darn delicious.

4. Fourth of July cards, similar to Christmas cards, might just be sent out. The card will be a picture of us floating the Nile with PBR in hand. 

5. We need to figure out a way to get PBR in Ethiopia.