Tuesday, August 21, 2007
And I'd like to Thank the Acadamy....
As I pack to board the longest flight of my life, I decided the best way to give my final hoorah for a while sounds strangly like an oscar acceptance speech. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads this. 'Without you I would not be here.' Thank you to my family, friends, and everyone. It was your excitement that fueled me in my time of nervousness and doubt. Thank you for being the best damn support system I could ever ask for. Kazakhstan here we come!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Training is where?
I finally have my address for training. If anyone would like it e-mail me or comment and I'll e-mail it to you. If you want to send me anything (letters, care packages, etc, etc) I'll be here from August 21th to November 9th, 2007. November 9th is my b-day (Yay!) so if you plan on sending anything to arrive special on that date you are a sweetheart but you may want to send early or wait until I get my new abode so you don't give the Kaz postal service any more reason to lose my mail, not saying that they will but you never know.
Some advice from the Peace Corps if you feel like spreading some love:
"At the post office: Airmail delivery of letters and packages generally take between 7-14 days. Your post office will be able to assist in determining a reliable and cost-effective way of shipping items to the Trainee.
A note on sending packages: Please be sure to seal all packages with strong packing tape. Insuring the package may discourage tampering and pilfering. PC/Kazakhstan cannot be held responsible for damaged or open packages."
Alright, that's all for now. Much to do as I leave for DC on Sunday. It's pretty much chaos... but the good kind of course. Cheers!
Some advice from the Peace Corps if you feel like spreading some love:
"At the post office: Airmail delivery of letters and packages generally take between 7-14 days. Your post office will be able to assist in determining a reliable and cost-effective way of shipping items to the Trainee.
A note on sending packages: Please be sure to seal all packages with strong packing tape. Insuring the package may discourage tampering and pilfering. PC/Kazakhstan cannot be held responsible for damaged or open packages."
Alright, that's all for now. Much to do as I leave for DC on Sunday. It's pretty much chaos... but the good kind of course. Cheers!
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Greatest Contender
One of my roommates asked me the other day, “How often do you think about the Peace Corps?” I replied, “At least once a day... I read the forum posts.” However, lately as the days diminish it has fought its way up through the folds of the cerebellum to become a major contender in my waking thoughts. The days of my California dreaming are over on Saturday and that leaves two weeks at home, unemployed, and trying to cram in as much visiting, studying, packing, and preparing as humanly possible. It sounds hectic but I know it will be nothing compared to training.
Besides that, some major Peace Corps advancements in my journey have occurred since just Friday so it's hard not to think about it. First, there was Jose. Jose is a Kaz 18 volunteer from the San Francisco area who is also a TEFL. After his first year he was lucky enough to fly home for a bit on break. His good fortune was mine as well when he contacted me and wanted to meet up while I was working in the city. It was amazing! The forum has been helpful in giving me ideas and tips but nothing is better than sitting with someone and having a beer/ tea/ coffee (whatever your preference) and picking their brain. If you have something you are really passionate about, I highly recommend asking to buy someone that deals with it a drink and just talking to them about it. You can learn so much. I was such a nerd. I wrote out two full pages of questions to ask Jose so I wouldn't forget. It paid off though; he went through them one by one without a single complaint. I learned a bit, relieved some fears, and even feel a little more prepared for what I'm about to do. Plus, I gained a friend. It was really cool. Thank you again, Jose.
Second, I finally got my Staging materials. Yes!!! I was getting worried when they said I should have got them a week ago. Nothing too exciting once I opened them (a couple books and some forms) but it's nice to know they're here finally. The big thing with those was that I set up my flight, which I did when I was calling frantically to find out that my original staging materials got lost in postal limbo. Now that I've set up my flight, it's starting to seem a lot more real. I leave at 6:15AM on Sunday, August 19th, 2007. Crazy.
Besides that, some major Peace Corps advancements in my journey have occurred since just Friday so it's hard not to think about it. First, there was Jose. Jose is a Kaz 18 volunteer from the San Francisco area who is also a TEFL. After his first year he was lucky enough to fly home for a bit on break. His good fortune was mine as well when he contacted me and wanted to meet up while I was working in the city. It was amazing! The forum has been helpful in giving me ideas and tips but nothing is better than sitting with someone and having a beer/ tea/ coffee (whatever your preference) and picking their brain. If you have something you are really passionate about, I highly recommend asking to buy someone that deals with it a drink and just talking to them about it. You can learn so much. I was such a nerd. I wrote out two full pages of questions to ask Jose so I wouldn't forget. It paid off though; he went through them one by one without a single complaint. I learned a bit, relieved some fears, and even feel a little more prepared for what I'm about to do. Plus, I gained a friend. It was really cool. Thank you again, Jose.
Second, I finally got my Staging materials. Yes!!! I was getting worried when they said I should have got them a week ago. Nothing too exciting once I opened them (a couple books and some forms) but it's nice to know they're here finally. The big thing with those was that I set up my flight, which I did when I was calling frantically to find out that my original staging materials got lost in postal limbo. Now that I've set up my flight, it's starting to seem a lot more real. I leave at 6:15AM on Sunday, August 19th, 2007. Crazy.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Kazakhstan Here I Come
This is Kazakhstan in all it's glory. (Yes; the place Borat is from... but not really.) Other than the Borat movie (which I've never seen) I haven't heard much about this place. Just recently, I heard through the grape vine that during the Tour de France, the guy from Kaz got kicked out for using steroids. Tsk tsk. Otherwise there's a documentary, Long Way Round, where Ewan McGregor and a friend pass through Kazakhstan, but before joining the Peace Corps I never heard about that either.
However, this is where I will be spending the next 27 months of my life... and I am so excited! That little dot on the bottom right of the map that says “Almaty” is the big city of Kaz and also where we will be training the first three months. After that the PC will stick me in some random place in the country to serve out the rest of the two years. Probably some remote village hours away from any city. Yes!
I know someone is reading this going, “Random country, remote village, no running water? This is hell; Mary's gone crazy to be excited for this.” However, this is going to be an experience that is incomparable. It will be a lot of work and challenging but that's what I want. When I entered college, the last thing I wanted for myself was a 9-5 desk job in the same town I grew up in like everyone else had. It doesn't get much better than this.
However, this is where I will be spending the next 27 months of my life... and I am so excited! That little dot on the bottom right of the map that says “Almaty” is the big city of Kaz and also where we will be training the first three months. After that the PC will stick me in some random place in the country to serve out the rest of the two years. Probably some remote village hours away from any city. Yes!
I know someone is reading this going, “Random country, remote village, no running water? This is hell; Mary's gone crazy to be excited for this.” However, this is going to be an experience that is incomparable. It will be a lot of work and challenging but that's what I want. When I entered college, the last thing I wanted for myself was a 9-5 desk job in the same town I grew up in like everyone else had. It doesn't get much better than this.
Let's Get This Blogging Party Started!
Hello to everyone who finds this blog! I am starting this blog in hopes of documenting my adventures as a Peace Corps volunteer, as well as a way to keep in touch with all the friends and family that are enjoying running water for me while I'm gone.
For any future volunteers that find this, blog reading is a great way to get excited for this adventure. So hopefully mine will be as inspiring as all the blogs I've been absorbing lately. Cheers!
For any future volunteers that find this, blog reading is a great way to get excited for this adventure. So hopefully mine will be as inspiring as all the blogs I've been absorbing lately. Cheers!
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