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!"

Goal

I know I want to go to EE/CA, NA/ME, or Africa.....its one of those things where you know you want to go there, because you'd do well there and the like; however, can't really put your finger on the specifics of why those regions would really suit you. 

So that's my goal. In the next couple weeks, I want to come up with a few reasons why Eastern Europe/Central Asia, North Africa/Middle East, and Africa would be the best regions for me.

At least TEFL's top 2 regions are in Africa and EE/CA, and in the Middle East (aka Jordan) its one of just 3 work areas, and seems to be the strongest. So those factors are going for me. But I want my personal reason, not a statistic reason. I know my personal reason is there, I just have to piece it together! :-D

Future PC Thoughts

(1) I hope they let me reactivate my application, so I don't have to completely reapply. I won't be able to leave until February 2010 or later, but must reactivate my application by August 8th, 2009. To be safe, I should contact them in June or July. My fear is that they will say "February is too far off for you to reactivate now, so you need to reapply." But at the same time, if they said that, I wouldn't understand, because in order to get a Q2 or Q3 (Jan-June) nomination (pref Feb-April), I'd have to actually APPLY earlier than I would if I reactivated. So see how it doesn't make sense? I could reactivate at the end of July, but if I had to completely apply again, I'd have to start applying around April or May. See the problem? My recruiter didn't really give me much of an answer, she seemed to think I'd have to reapply. I suppose when it gets closer I'll contact someone again.

(2) I think I've really decided that I want to be placed somewhere in Africa (francophone or not, tho francophone would be cool)...or Eastern Europe or Central Asia (especially the Caucus region or Central Asia, but I'd love EE all the way since I think a lot of great countries are there and was excessively excited when I almost got invited to Ukraine or Macedonia). I really want to do TEFL, and clearly EECA has a lot of TEFL. Also, being in Africa just interests me a lot. I'd also really like Jordan, they have an education program. I have to figure out my reasons. I can't say "just because." And I'm sure I have my reasons, but its one of those things that I just need to sorta "dig up" so to speak. I want to be able to give them good, strong reasons! For me, its important!

Talked to my PO! WooHoo!

Yay! My PO, Amanda, called me today. I was in the middle of a conversation, saw the 202 area code, and sprinted out of the room to a quite place while saying "sorry! this is very important! brb!" Hehe :) She had said today, so I knew knew knew it was her. And it so was her.

First, she had some questions for me. Some of those questions that we hear people get asked just before being invited. You know, the ones that you are answering for the third time...first your recruiter, then your assistant PO, and now your PO. At least, I have the hang of it by this point, right? She asked about my relationship, my grandmother's death last year, my relationship with my youngest sister who I have helped out a lot, my family's thoughts on the PC, and my thoughts on some of the things people sometimes tend to not have in the PC (ie. not having running water or electricity).

Then she said she had a placement in mind that she thinks is absolutely perfect for me. Don't worry, she took plenty of time getting to telling me the actual placement (which is hilarious...simply because I do that, save the most important "needed" piece of news until last).

She said she had found this placement, and spoken to the woman in charge of that specific program in that country about me (yay!), and the woman specifically wanted me. She wanted ME! Since my TEFL certificate is about to come through, and I have experience working with Youth, she said that I am absolutely perfect for this position and she really wants me. My recruiter then said that this country has a history of accepting people with medical conditions (excellent bc of my epilepsy...I like how she thinks!) 

She said if this all sounded good to me she would put my name in to reserve this placement spot for me. Of course, it sounds great! I believe that I originally had TEFL in my top 3 choices. Asked if I had any questions about that part, no not that I can think of...still can't think of any hours later. SO. She said this placement spot was reserved for me. She was sending it to medical for them to tell her if I can go there or not (but she seemed to expect it to be okay) and said it could be a few days to a couple weeks, but if they said all was a go, then she would officially be inviting me! 

Its still a lot of work, but it is a HUGE step and I'm so excited. It sounds like she really worked hard for me, and even mentioned me specifically to someone, who now in turn WANTS me! Wow!

So yes, are you sitting there yelling at the computer, asking where I'm going? I hope so, because the best part is finding out.

First it was Community Development in Africa. Then it was Youth Development in Latin America.

NOW:

TEFL in Eastern Europe departing in late September 2008!

wheeeeeeeeeee! :-D

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

Gearing Up

While I'm in relative Peace Corps limbo, I've been trying to keep busy through things that will help me in the Peace Corps or that I need to prepare. I want to try to do things to show them that I am ready for and want to do what I want to do in the PC: health, education, or youth.

Today I signed up at the Red Cross for a class. I initially wanted to take the CPR/First Aid class on March 15th, but it was full, and since I don't IMMEADIATELY need it, I didn't press on the issue. I found out that another class I had thought about was still open, so I signed up for that, even tho it's a 2 day class instead of 1. Adult, Infant, & Child CPR/AED, First Aid, and Blood Born Pathogens. This is April 23 from 8am-5pm, and April 24 from 8am-12pm. This is the best choice in my opinion, better than what I previously wanted which did not include the BBP's. I choose the other one because it was 1 days and the soonest. However, that's okay, because I will have plenty of time in waiting, and it's only a month and a half away. Good deal.

Next, I signed up for a TEFL online certificate course, that should be followed by another class specifically gearing that knowledge towards teaching youth. That will be really good towards any education work I may be involved in during the Peace Corps. Don't you love how I talk about it as if I'm already invited? Aye. All I do anymore is think about the Peace Corps and can't wait to get back to my computer to blog or check on statuses or search the message boards it seems like. So I got my first lesson in e-mail today, I am going to start that in 5 minutes.

Also, I have looked over the interview questions that people have offered up as examples from their own interviews. I've been trying to prepare answers to some of the questions that are always the hardest, Describe a time you had a leadership position, Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision and how you and others dealt with it. Well hell, aw I don't know those answers!!!