Packing List!

Pretty much exactly 2 months I leave for China--I leave the first week of January. People are right, the closer and closer something gets, the quicker the time goes. Its 2 months away and I STILL have to get my visa and buy my plane tickets. Today I should be getting the tickets, today or tomorrow. Hoping for Korean Air or JAL. I know Korean Air is nice, but have never flown JAL, tho I believe I've heard good stuff about it. Also, my information for me to get my visa with is on the way, so I'll be going up to Chicago to get that at the end of November or beginning of December. Not looking forward to that drive....6 hours, 8 hours? Eitherway, its awful.

Last night I started putting together a packing list for China--I may not be going with the Peace Corps, but I used their packing list to get a decent idea of what I'll need. Most of it I had on my list, but some of it was "oh yeah!"

Its Right--For Sure

I know the Peace Corps is right for me, and I know that for sure.

I know it is, because I received an invitation and declined it, was torn up and sick over it, but it made me realize exactly how much I want the Peace Corps and how excited I am for it. I'll be a great volunteer, I love cultures and languages (I wish language was my strong point, its not), I love helping people and finding out about them, and I like being in difficult situations where I will push myself to succeed. 

Before the invitation that I declined, I knew I wanted to go, but was also nervous and wondering if it was the right decision--to do the Peace Corps. I knew it was, but the invitation was all wrong. However, I didn't know then just how much I want the Peace Corps. I knew I wanted it then, but having to decline an invitation and know that in about 9 months I will have to work that much harder than everyone else to get another invitation, AND to be going to China for a year to get more experience and teach English......well now I just know that the Peace Corps is for me, its right, its perfect. I'll be great at it when I finally get to do it.

I declined an invitation to a program, but in no way was that me declining the Peace Corps. Every day I am just anxious and excited thinking about the Peace Corps and can't wait to start the process again in 9 months. Until then, my file is deactivated waiting for me to reactivate, and I'm getting as much experience as I can.

But I just can't wait! I wish it were happening now! :):):):)

China Earthquake

I woke up and the first thing I saw, before I was even out of bed, was the 7.8 earthquake in China, just north of Chengdu. It breaks my heart and terrifies me. I have been to China twice, and I absolutely love China more than anything.  We recently were in a 5.4 quake and it was terrifying, so I can't imagine how terrifying at 7.8 one would be. And a lot of the buildings aren't built to stand earthquakes, they are old and not build with the best materials.  I saw video of hundreds of students running out of a school building/dorm....and you could see the walls of the buildings not just shaking, but wobbling in and out....like if you shake a saw--in and out in and out. It scared me so bad because it was the exact type of building I lived in in China, nearly identical.

I saw the pictures of people searching for people, running into the streets, injured, crying, cranes searching through debris. All I want is to be there helping these people. China has a huge spot in my heart and it is tearing me up knowing I can't help and can't be there to help.  I'm going to search through some websites to see if I can't find anything about donations or even sending volunteers......I just can't sit and do nothing for my China. :(

If anyone hears of anything like that, leave a comment, please!

Massive 7.8 China Quake, MSNBC

Just A Feeling

For all you RPCVs, PCVs, and applicants out there....did you ever have the feeling your invitation was going to be entirely different than your invitation? Like completely out of the region/placement office. And not just the feeling that "oh, well, placement change is likely with everyone, so I'm expecting whatever." More like a humungous, enormous, gigantic feeling that your invitation will be entirely different.

My nomination is for Youth Development in C/S America leaving in Mid-August 2008.

Logically, after looking at invitations, my suspicions point to Belize or Dominican Republic.

However, my gut and instinct and just "feelings" tell me my invitation will be wildly different than what my nomination is. I'm not entirely sure why, but there are 2 reasons I can think of, even though the feeling goes beyond them.  The first reason is that since I have a medical restriction for epilepsy and so few countries take us, I can more easily get bumped all around the world.

The second reason you will think is so silly, but to me it feels so real. Dreams. I have had 3 very specific dreams about getting invitations, and none of them were for even Latin America. One was still in the IAP office, but in no way related to my nomination.

• The first dream was that myself and a couple others from my nomination group got invited to St. Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean. It was great. We drove into the center on a bus after arriving...we got all our gear, introduced ourselves, a lot of PCVs were there to greet us and we paired off with them and they had us meet their host families and people they work with.
• Next I had a dream that my PO called me and asked me if I could leave a month earlier than expected, July instead of August. Absolutely! Where am I going? China, I'll be teaching English.  The next thing I knew, my group and I were on a train (like the one I took to the great wall from beijing last fall) to a smaller town.  We got off the train and meet some people we would be working with and were given Chinese names. (oddly enough, I believe there is a group departing for China in July)
• Last night, was a quick dream. It was sort one of those "flash" dreams, where it happens so quick. But basically, I felt like I was never going to get my invitation, when all the sudden through the mail slot comes the big Peace Corps envelope. I RIPPED it open--not even bothering to open it the proper way, it was in several pieces. I opened it up and read Armenia! The next thing I knew I was searching for things I would be needing to pack and take with me to Armenia.

Its just the fact that I keep having these dreams and they are so real and are all countries the PC goes to, and often are true to form about dates and programs. The only one though that is even in my region is the Eastern Caribbean, and Armenia and China are completely different.

I am completely open about being in a different region doing whatever I end up doing. I can't think of a country/region that I wouldn't want to go to! But this feeling, this feeling that my invitation is going to totally surprise me is just so big and won't go away.

So have any of you felt like this? What was your experience with invitation "expectations," so to speak?

Recent Push

I feel like there has been a recent push of invitations lately--more people getting them. At least that's what it seems like to me. I wonder if that is true, they've gotten more out lately, or just that I've noticed since I'm getting closer and closer.

Also, I really hope I very quickly get medically cleared without any hitches! It seems they are very quickly medically clearing the summer nominations.

Two nights ago, I had a dream that my PO called me up asking if I'd be willing to leave about a month early--July instead of August. I said sure, of course! And asked where they'd be sending me, she said to China for teaching English. (With my love of China imagine my wild joy at that announcement!) The next thing I knew I was on an old train arriving in China (A train like the rickety old one I took from Beijing Bei Station to the Great Wall)......it was a very interesting dream! So now I've had a dream that I've been invited to the Eastern Caribbean and China...neither of which are similar to my nomination like Belize and the Dominican Republic would be (they are both at least mid-Aug, are or have some spanish speaking, and one is latin america, both have youth, etc)....funny eh? Wonder if the dreams are a hint of anything to come!?

Post Hope

The more I look at this TEFL course, the more I think I want to be places as an English teacher.  Last fall, I spent 6 weeks in Beijing learning Chinese.  My class had 9 people in it, which was considered large, but 4 of us girls got really close.  We always wondered to each other "why are we singing songs about a one eyed tiger with no tail? why are we playing this butterfly fly game?"

Seriously, we played this game called "butterfly fly" I think it had something to do with counting, I forget, and whoever was singing the phrase would have to "fly" (aka flap their arms) and the people next to them did the same with their closest arm. We seriously thought she was crazy for making us do this.

But now I see that they actually teach you to do stuff like this! Now,  I'm sorta giggling over it and loving it! I think I'm going to relearn the butterfly fly game and take it to the PC with me, as well as write out a bunch of little kid songs and make copies, and download it to my ipod so they can hear--and make them sing, just like I had too!

Wow, the world really does go 'round