INTERNET!!

I used to think that I wasn't *completely* addicted to the internet. I was wrong. So I am not able to use the internet in my site, so this trip included a two-hour, bumpy, and cold ride into the city, and you guessed it, another ride back. It's so strange, after two weeks of not using it, I start looking longingly at computers, hoping that by some miracle they will have access... And being here today, my heart raced, and I'm all of a sudden EUPHORIC because, because... LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!! I can check facebook! I can read e-mail! WOW!

Now that that's out of my system... Things are going well at site. I wasn't able to play in the volleyball tournament because I was sick. I think I really let some people down, but my host mother wouldn't have it. "It's cold outside!", "Drink more tea!" This is really funny because my Spanish host mother told me that tea is useless when you are sick "It's just water! Here, have some hot chocolate." And then I start to wonder... what would happen if all the host mothers I've had could meet and communicate, who would win the "What medicine is the best" game? I'm not sure. They are all pretty passionate about whatever remedy they suggested... I'll think about it.

There are so many things I want to write, and not enough time to write them. I've started English culbs, those are going well. The really nice thing about clubs is they are OPTIONAL. That means that the kids there want to learn, so it's not such a hostile environment. Teachers should be given more time off, it's a battlefield in a classroom with 15-25 14-year-olds. Somedays I feel like I'm suffering from shell-shock. Ok, if you want to know more SEND ME MAIL!! I'll write back! If you are into sending mail (and you are) good things to send to Jessica include (but are not limited to)

- LETTERS, with gossip and tidbits, even if I don't know the people you're writing about. Or pictures. Drawn or taken. Either way, I'll take it.
- MAGAZINES, anything that contains gossip that I may have missed out on. I'll use the picture in class
- Mix CDs, again with anything I may have missed out on in the past few months.
- Reses peanut butter cups, can't get enough of 'em.

Be creative! Even if you are writing to tell me you hate my guts, I will still know that a) you spent 90 cents on a stamp, and b) you took the time to write to me and I'll still feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Which is a good thing because it's all cold and not fuzzy outside.

Calming down a bit

Ok, so now that all the teachers are back, things are getting better. At least I don't feel like tearing my hair out because of uncooperative children...

I've started playing volleyball with the teachers at my school, and apparently there's a competition coming up. I don't exactly know what that means, but I do know that my site mate's school has been TRAINING for this. Like, they run laps, do lunges, it's really intense. My school isn't quite that competitive, but I'm pretty sure I don't yet understand how serious this event will be.

We had Thanksgiving up in the city and that was a lot of fun. Some volunteers killed the turkies (before I got there, thankfully) and then we ate lots and lots of food. The kids at my school want to have a Christmas party, so hopefully I'll get to arrange something amazing for that. Ideas??

Exhausted?

So they tell us after PST that we will experiance a lot of free time because PST is really intense and full of activity that you don't think about being homesick because you're always doing something. I was looking forward to the doing nothing every once in awhile... Two teachers at my new school are sick, so from my first day here I've been teaching 4-5 classes every day. (that includes Saturdays). So now I'm just tired. I don't really have time to do much but get tired, teach, get more tired and sleep.

Fortunately my new host mother is also a teacher, so she knows that it's exhausting, so we just go home eat dinner and pass out in front of the television. It's amazing bonding time.

So for now I'm tired. Hopefully those teachers will get better and I can have some of that "free time" they talk about. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Random post... because people keep looking at this page 3 year later...

April 2, 2011

After seeing that this post (which had my address in Kazakhstan on it) had been viewed 109 times in the past month, I decided to delete the address. Not only because I no longer live there, but because my host family doesn't live there either... Creepy creepy people.

Resume original post
__________


My new address! So the thing on the last line is my name in cryllic script... So I think if you send anything to me you should probably also put in English letters at the bottom that it is going to Kazakhstan. Chances are you'll go to the post office and they will write it on there... Anyway. We had our language test today and it was intimidating, but now that it's over we can go be volunteers! Yes!

So if you're into sending mail (and you are) use the new address! I'll be there in one week. So if you send something today, I'll get it in maybe two or three weeks. SEND MAIL!

Ok, that's all for now.

Site Visit!

So after our 17 hour train ride we arrived in our region, the East Kazakhstan Oblast. It's really pretty, with small hills, and the main city in that area is nice too. They say it's really polluted, but I like Ust-Kemen a lot. Hopefully I'll get to spend more time there. My site mate and I stayed with my counterpart for the week, and we went to our schools and got to know the town and our students. My school is just ridiculiously welcoming. I found out that these schools have been waiting and expecting a volunteer for three years. Some of the students were so excited to see me that they followed me around to clsses and, classes asked why I wasn't watching their class. It was sort of insane, it didn't occur to me that they would be so super pumped to see us.

Also, I made friends with a few of the younger teachers and some ideas for community projects and different ways I could get involved were presented, and I honestly can't imagine being anywhere else for the next two years. It's prefect... but there's this one little thing. I've been learning Russian. All my students learn in Kazakh. My new host family speaks Kazakh. Oh, and most of the town operates in Kazakh. What language did my site mate learn? Kazakh. I'm going to learn Kazakh, it seems. I'm glad I will have to learn it, because I wouldn't otherwise, but it's a little frustrating to know that the same language barriers that I've broken through in the past few months are up and waiting for me again when I get to site.

On a positive note: I've learned to be bold and daring when it comes to outhouse use. I will run in the dark through the snow, past the scary dog because that's what people do here. Now that I have that skill, I can say I have it... but I won't need it for the most part because my new family has *ta da* an indoor toilet!!! Amazing, I know. I totally lucked out there.

Going home!

We finally get to visit our sites (we leave tomorrow!) and I'm really excited to see what home will be like. I get to meet a few families that want to let me live with them, and hopefully I'll like at least one of them too.

I met my counterpart yesterday, and she is so nice. I'm really excited to work with her for the next two years. So tomorrow we get on a train (or, actually a few different trains) and we go off to our sites to visit and meet potential families and our schools. It's a little nervewracking though. I mean, I've had a comfortable cushon of americans surrounding me this whole time, and now... it's mostly just me. This is not entirely true, I have a site mate, but her school is far from mine. This next week is a taste of what my life will be like.

Excited/nervous/tired. That's about it for now.

Site Announcement!

Beginning in November I will spend two amazing years in the East Kazakhstan Oblast! Apparently it is very pretty, with mountains and a pretty equal amount of Kazakh and Russian cultures. I'm pretty pumped. My site mate is also my roommate from staging in DC. We haven't talked much over the past couple months, but I'm excited to get to spend more time with her because she was pretty neat. She is also from Hawaii, which means that he likes to hula dance... our regional manager told me I need to learn too. I'll let you know just how bad I am at it when I learn.

Saturday was teachers day which means we got lots of candy and flowers. THEN we had a teacher party, and it was so much fun, I can't even begin to explain. Anyway, teachers day is a good holiday and if I am ever a teacher in the states, I will try to bring it with me.

Oh! And I also got my package from my parents so that was exciting. That's all for now!

Happy October!

Yesterday we carried out our community project in my village and it went really well. We put together (with the help of our really cooperative schools) a "culture festical" where we sang, danced, and put on some skits to show off what our cultures are like (american and Kazakhstani). We even taught them the electric slide. This was funny because I didn't actually know the electric slide prior to this event... It was a lot of fun, and the director of the school asked us to eat lunch with him (more sheep head! I was given the ear so that I would be attentive and well behaved). ALSO I have a new host brother. But how? You ask. Well, my host brothers live in Almaty during the week because they go to University and college there. They happen to have an extra room, and PC needed to move another trainee from his old apartment to another... So on friday, guess who came home with them! Da da! My new brother Jason! Its interesting to swap stories with him, because our experiances have been so different.

Anyway, this morning my alarm rang (on my phone), I hit snooze and twenty seconds later the phone RANG. And I was really confused, but it was my sister! Seester! It was really nice to talk to her, because last time the connection was so bad that all we got in was "hello? wait I can't hear ---" This time was a full ten minutes of real talking, so that was exciting. Ok, I don't have much more time, but things are still going well. My family is still nice, even if they have mixed expectations for my language learning, they are being very patient, and they still feed me well. I hope everyone who reads this is doing well, and I want to hear from you!

Angela: I am working on your letter still (it costs so much, I feel like I have to fill the envelope as much as possible before I send it out)

Michelle: I'm starting a letter entitled "so you want to join the Peace Corps" it might get to you before November.

WHAAAAT??

I know, I know, this blog and the last one I wrote are really close to each other in date, and that might freak you out. Dont worry. I just found a quick moment in the internet place. First of all, the internet we found in our town is amazing. Yes, we pay for it, but the place is flat out perfect. It's halfway in a basement, so its dark, secluded, discouraging any activity that is not internet related.

I just finished teaching for the second time ever, and it was an experiance. First of all, it's sort of field day at my school... so all but one of my students was outside playing when my class was supposed to happen. So to make sure that I had the opportunity to teach, the teachers cancelled art class so that they could learn ENGLISH. Lets think about that... What class does every kid love? Oh, that's art class. So lets take it away and make them learn English? I apprecieated the gesture, but the kids were less than pleased. We survived. And maybe they even learned a bit about the past simple, I don't know. Maybe.

ANGELA! You win 50 points for sending me my first letter in Kazakhstan. Michelle, you get 45 because I got it the day after. Mail is amazing.

I've been having really rollercoaster-type days. I don't think my host family realizes just how much we are doing now. I've been here a month, and my personal assesment of my russian learning is "not to bad" scattered with "moments of brillance" but last night, they basically asked me why I don't know more... Hmmm, lets see, I've been learning for a month, lets start there. Then add the fact that I teach in english, so my technical training is in English. On top of all that, Kazakh is what they speak most of the time at home, so actually it's sort of miraculious that I know what I do. Really, it's a lack of vocabulary that really plagues me right now. I understand the grammar. I understand the cases. But what is *that* pa ruski? I have no idea. Anyway, that was frustrating, to explain that my russian is actually not that bad for the amount of time I've been here. Also, when our families speak to other PCTs they ask all the generic questions, like "how are you" "where are you from" "what is your familiy like?" and of course we know how to answer these questions accurately and with fluidity. So our families think that our friends speak "really good" russian, when in reality, they only think that because they only spent 30 seconds speaking to them. If it were any longer, they would realize that 30 seconds exhausts every once of russian we can muster. I think all our families have this fantasy that every other American here speaks better Russian than the one living in their house. I can't express this in russian, so I just said, "my russian is not that bad", finished my meal, then went and cried. We are doing everything we can! Give us a break!

Speaking of "giving a break" Kit-Kat bars here are just one huge bar. No breaks involved.

And kicking...

So we've been here almost a month and I'm starting to get a feel of what is expected of me and how to get by in this new/exciting/sometimes strange place. However, I shouldn't get too comfortable because according to everything I've read, I am adjusting to training life and my life as a sworn-in Volunteer will be completely (well, very) different. For example, I have 11 other Americans in my town to keep me company. Sure, we live in families who speak only Russian (my family speaks Russian, but chooses to speak Kazakh more) and that is stressful sometimes, but really we have it pretty easy right now. We are constantly busy doing something which is nice because I honestly dont feel like I have TIME to be homesick.

Right now it is the month of Ramadan, and as my family is Muslum, some of them are observing the fast. They aren't asking that I join them, but Friday night after sundown we had the biggest feast EVER. AND included in that feast was... you guessed it, my first animal head! Ta Da! So we were eating bishpamark - it means five fingers in Kazakh because that's what you use to eat it... your own five fingers, so I'm digging in, and I see that the head is being passed along, and then before I knew it, the lady sitting next to me took a bit of meat and placed it into my hand. Based on the texture alone, I knew it was going to be a challenge... so I mixed a small portion of my chunk with giant noodle and tried not to think about it... Maybe in two years I'll learn how to eat without thinking about exactly where the meat comes from.

Anyway, that was a success. Tomorrow we teach a real class for the first time which is nervewracking... My lesson is on the Present Simple Tense and I just hope that I don't confuse anyone. Really, I just don't want to be misunderstood. Russian is Russian... It is absolutely amazing that a modern language has actually maintained a case system. And the more I think about it, I like it. In Russian, we don't need a lot of the frilly words we do in English. Like "I am a Peace Corps Volunteer" is simply "I Volunteer Peace Corps" Decline "Peace Corps" and Bam! That's all it takes. It hurts my head a lot, but I like it. The language, not the head hurt.

My host family is really amazing. They are so nice and patient with me (well, my 10-year-old host brother gets frustrated with me, and I'm pretty sure he's saying something to the effect of "you're no fun anymore" to me almost daily, but he'll get over it) and even Babushka who only speaks Kazakh tries to incorporate me into her life. Ok, that's all for now, everything is still going well! Angela, I'm super excited for your letter!

I'm alive!!

Hello! Ok, I don't have much time, and so much to tell you. Everything here has been just super so far. I mean, I couldn't have asked for a better three weeks. Even the times when I feel stressed out, I feel like it's managable. My host family is really nice, and I love being in their house. I haven't eaten anything sketchy (yet) and although I did get sick once, I am pretty sure it was not because of the food. The sickness was not fun, but I got through it, and I can do it again (it will happen again, I've accepted that).

We begin teaching next week, which is so cool, and so bizarre. Who would have thought? Me? A teacher! Oh boy! Russian is coming along slowly, but I think I like it. I like languages.

Ok, I've gotta get going, but everything here is going so well. Everyone I've met has been so nice and welcoming, and our trainers have been just amazing and helpful. Hopefully next time I write I can say more, but until then... Just know that things here are going really well.

Packing magic

Somehow I've managed to fit all this











and all this











and all this










into these three bags



I wish I had done something truly magical, like making them not weigh 50lbs each... (not the carry-on, that would be excessive).

Freak out

I leave in 48 hours.

I feel "ready" but I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm missing something...

I just got back from Illinois. Taking Danielle to school/seeing family/meeting people who know people who have grandkids in K-stan. Fun time. I also received a gift card for Barnes and Nobel, another pretty journal, and a day planner. I need to go spend the card, but I need to keep in mind that I don't have much room left. I'll get back to you.

Welcome back to the land of the "living" (high-speed internet) Sarah!

I'm not invincible?

I've been sick for the past two days. I mean, completely beat down, it hurts to move and I'm exhausted walking upstairs sick. Gross. I hated that. Hopefully that's the last time for awhile, it was not pleasant.

Fortunately, that gave me time to do a lot of things that wasted time... like watch all of the Lord of The Rings movies. I tried wasting time reading, but my sinuses made my eyes all blurry. TMI, maybe, but if you're reading this you probably actually want those details.

I've also started packing. Here's what I've decided to do. I have everything I want to take inside the luggage coming with me. I will remove one item every day from now until Friday, and bam! It should be done. It might be the most brilliant/stupid idea I've ever had. To be fair, I've had a rough couple days and I can't be held entirely accountable for any great ideas I came up with.

Hooray for Diphenhydramine hydrochloride!

Ok, but seriously, I've been thinking a lot about this blog, and a lot of people tend to start new blogs when they start a new adventure. This is partially to keep the adventure and person's personal life separate, and I understand that. But I can't help but think that it's sort of unnatural to start a new journal/website just because something "exciting" is happening. I mean, my life will seem pretty normal no matter where I am, if I'm there for long enough. So it's official. I'll be writing here about K-stan when I get the chance. I have a friend who once told me that she doesn't want a fancy journal, because she doesn't feel like her life has anything exciting enough to put in it...

Here's to every day being exciting enough for a fancy journal, no matter where you are.

Answers to the tough questions

(1) exactly where I'll be: Exactly in Kazakhstan. For the first two or three months it will be in the old capital of Almaty, and then... it could be anywhere. Except apparently they do not send volunteers to the Caspian Sea area, which I'm sort of bummed about, because Ursula sings about it in the Little Mermaid... I was sort of hoping for something I could brag about later... Anyway. I think that I want to focus on Russian and not Kazakh (however, I change my mind every day on this decision) and if I do learn Russian, I have a better chance of being in the north of the worlds 9th largest country. Still not that specific, but there you go.

(2) exactly what I'll be doing there: Teaching English to "secondary school" children. Again, the age range there is like, 11-18. It could be a more narrow age range, or it could be all of them. This is all decided once I'm in country. I am going to work on secondary projects in my community. I get to decide what these projects are, so ideas are greatly appreciated. (Examples include, but are not limited to: orphanage work, starting English Clubs, sports clubs, summer camps, teaching about womens leadership, etc...)

(3) exactly what I'll be eating there: Ok, here is the thing. I have already told myself that I will, on at least three to five occasions, eat cow head. Apparently it is served in the middle of the table on a plate and everyone gets to have some... I have also read of pieces of leftovers being in soup. I suppose it depends on my host family and the region in which we live. I am planning to bring ranch dressing mix and possibly Tobasco sauce to assuage my palate when it becomes too much for me. I think that, as with most things, I will get used to it eventually. The first few months are going to be difficult, but I think the first few months after you get a "real" job are probably difficult too. Same problems, different location.

Those are all the answers I have for now. Details will come eventually.

Movies?

Today, as I was trying to decide on a movie to watch with Dani, I came to the realization that I have seen over half of the movies currently out in theatres. This is ridiculous. Especially since I've seen all but one of those movies in the past month.

But why? You ask. Because, I answer, my house has no air-conditioning and I've been desperate. My mother, who hates The Simpsons, asked me if I wanted to watch the movie with her. SHE asked me. The same woman who used to make us change the channel when the yellow family graced our television screen. She casually asked me if I'd like to see the movie with her, and I said yes. But inside I felt like my world was being turned upside down and shaken. (By the way, it's just like The Simpsons for ninety minutes on the big screen, I love The Simpsons, but not a "must see" in the theatres, by any means).

Hanging out in the Loveland Public Library has been a favorite for awhile. There are a few coffee shops that I like to be in. Really what it comes down to is this: when it's hot, I do whatever I can to not be inside the house.

I'm desperately trying to learn some Russian. Only 18 days left...

Goodbye, Harry

So I've finally finished the last Harry Potter Book and I feel like part of my childhood is over. The really funny thing about that feeling is I did not start reading the books until I was nineteen years old. I suppose it's about time I feel like my childhood is over, right?

Today I bought a good (giant) backpack so that I can visit strange and amazing places in Kazakhstan and keep everything I need on my back. I remember packing for Belgium five years ago and thinking that I was going to forget something uber-important. I felt a little less anxious, but still apprehensive when I was packing for Spain. I'm afraid my problem right now is that I am not worried enough to begin packing properly. Granted, I don't really need to be packed for a couple weeks, but I should probably start putting some thought into what I am missing so that I can go out and buy it...

Who am I kidding? There is nothing that I can take with me that will magically make the experience any easier, or me any happier. There will be fun times, there will be bad days. The right shampoo won't significantly change anything.

I wish I was always this level-headed.

Camp/ Burritos as Big as Your Head!

Camp was interesting... I went there every year as a kid, so going back to be a councilor was a completely different experience. I had five middle-school-aged girls in my cabin. One was ADHD/Bi-polar and she told me at least five times a day that she hated me, but then turned right back around and said she loved me about ten... so I guess it evened out more in my favor. Her best friend was in our cabin and they had a huge fight in the middle of the week, and I wanted to just sit down and tell the friend that it wasn't worth it to reason with the girl, she just wouldn't listen. I wish somebody had sat me down as a kid and explained to me that some people just do not reason. Anyway, most of my girls kept me busy, they also gave me a candle in my brownie for my birthday. Later that night I was thrown in the pool, maybe as a "Happy birthday" thing, and maybe it was just because I was sitting in the pool area fully clothed and that's what the guys like to do. Camp was fun, but full. I'm glad to be back.

After the camp experience, I drove to Nebraska to meet some people who were camping. The next morning Emily and I started on our drive to Illinois for... BURRITOS AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD! Back in December I told Emily that I remembered driving by a sign in Bloomington, Illinois that said "Burritos as Big as Your Head!" We both share a love for burritos, and we could honestly say that we had never received on as big as a head. After a little more research, we found that the place is actually called La Bamba, and that there were about five of them scattered in Southern Illinois. Our mission became clear.

We decided to make our dream mission, a reality. We arrived at my aunt Sue's house late Saturday night, so we slept and then drove to one of the two La Bamba locations only to find that it is closed on Sundays! We almost let this ruin the whole trip, and were about to begin driving home (we were going to make up for it by stopping at John Wayne's birthplace in Iowa) when we stopped in a Starbucks, explained our dilemma, and got directions to the other side of the city where another La Bamba existed. That one was open. We ate a burrito (we shared, and couldn't finish the whole thing), we danced a bit, and then we drove back to Colorado.

I know it sounds crazy, but it was a lot of fun.

Oh, and the Burrito was pretty good.

Mountain time

I spent a lot of time this week in the mountains with friends that I won't get to see much after this week. I will miss them. I will miss the mountains. Kazakhstan has mountains, but not all over. It's pretty likely that I will be living in "pancake-like terrain" so I need to learn how to not be dependent on the western horizon, especially when it comes to directions.

Anyway, I think it was weirdest saying goodbye to one friend. I don't see him much as it is, but I realized that this time I won't see him for two years. Two Years! Who will make me play frisbee golf in the woods? I won't be at the annual cabin "bash" for two years. It's not really that long, but it is sort of sad.

I'm about to leave for over a week. Here's the plan: 1) Camp council a bunch of 6th graders. 2) Go to Nebraska. 3) Go to Illinois for Burritos as Big as Your Head!

The Burritos are something Em and I have been planning since December. Yes we are driving from Nebraska to Illinois for some burritos, but we have to know... are they really as big as my head?

Idealistic Wanderlust

I sat on the roof watching some fireworks tonight and I began to think about how different my next few Fourth of Julys will be. Will I be with Americans? Will I forget? Will I have a perfectly normal day? Will I feel sad? I really don't know. And then I started to wonder about what, exactly, I expect I will have accomplished by this time next year. I will have finished the school year, I will have become familiar with Russian (Kazakh?) Will I have made any sort of difference? Probably. Will I be able to recognize that? Probably not. It's not like I will actually see if I have changed anyone's life, saved a life? Who knows. And couldn't I save a life in the US? Have I? Do I actually have to leave to change the world? I really think I do, but then, I have this craving to not be here.

But when "there" becomes "here" will I feel the same way?

A friend of mine and I were talking about wanting to stay put a few months ago, and I understand the desire to stay in one place for a few years. I want to have a consistent home, I want to sleep in "my bed" and have a permanent place to just be. For awhile. I think that's exactly what I will get for two years. I will have permanence, I won't be able to leave (easily), I am getting what I wanted, in a way. So why do I have to leave? To accomplish my goals? Or am I simply accomplishing something by going to a far away place? Where does the change begin? Was it my initial decision, am I making a difference simply by telling people what I will do for the next two years? I don't know. Right now, what I want is to go to Kazakhstan and have all my wildest-idealistic dreams come true.

Single-handedly changing the world is a stretch. But maybe if enough of us are equally idealistic we can make a little change for the better? Maybe that's just stupid, but I have to try.

New camera!

My sister was in Northern Colorado this weekend so we had fun playing with my new camera.

This is me and the dog playing dead. This is Danielle and the blue swingset (neat!)



And this one is really attractive.
All in all, a good weekend. Unfortunately it was slightly marred by the reading of a really sad book, My Sister's Keeper. I never want to read again, it was so sad. Thanks a lot, Emily.

One week...

In exactly one week I will be done working at Starbucks. What will I do with myself? I am so excited that I might cry.

Since that means my pretty-neat discount ends in one week I purchased an espresso machine for my mother to play with for the next two years, and then for me to have (assuming it works) when I get back. In other news, I have been working on "Starbucks the Musical" in my head for about a week now and I'm pretty sure it is a really good idea. Why on earth hasn't it been done yet? I have two years of good thinking time, I will develop this idea further.

Placement!!

Sarah, pack your bags, you will be visiting me in Kazakhstan. We'll jump down to Dushanbe, Tajikistan and thank them personally for the Russian Tea House they gave to Boulder. (Did you know they are one of Boulder's sister cities? I didn't until recently.)

So, the unexpected (sort of) part... Instead of leaving in October or November, I am supposed to take off from Denver August 19th. I am taking this news with enthusiasm. My parents seemed kind of rattled on the phone... we're doing dinner tonight. Ha ha, I'll let you know how that plays out. I think they would have been more freaked out before if it really hit them that this is what I am doing with the next two years of my life. August kind of hit too close for them. This is good.

I am excited and a little freaked out, but mostly glad to finally have everything sorted out. Here's three years of planning, and hoping, five months of applications and interviews and phone calls all finally coming together.

Last night Sister Haley came over and she, Em and I played Trivial Pursuit with some Pink Truck. After a shakey start, I am proud to announce that I won, but mostly it was a lot of fun and I am going to miss them a lot. A lot, a lot. Emily, if you read this you need to visit me too. I'll meet you in Greece or India or something.

Setbacks and Freakouts

I received this e-mail yesterday from the office in DC reminding me that they need my final transcript in order for my application to be processed (and so that I can find out where on earth they want me to go). So I ran to the transcripts office, and got a transcript that seemed suitable and sent it in. Unfortunately, my transcripts will not read that I have actually graduated until June 13th. That is so frustrating. June 13th! I want to know today. Or tomorrow. June thirteenth is neither of those options. It is a full two weeks away. Anyway, at least I know now that I'm doing what I can do. I hate it when I have delayed a process because of my own oversight or stupidity. That kills me sometimes.

Medical Stuff

Don't worry, if you want to go live in another country they just have to poke you many many times, take out some blood, give you some shots (5, I haven't gotten that many shots in a single sitting since I was a baby) and then if you turn in everything EXACTLY they way they need it, then you can go. It's probably a good thing I really want to do this. In other news, I am opening 3 times this week, and working over 28 hours. It's also a good thing that I don't go to school. Oh wait, I do go to school. Does my manager know that? I like to think he forgot, that way he's not a jerk, just forgetful.

Patience

My status has been changed to "nominated" which means that they should have a pretty good idea of where I am going... but I don't know yet. The suspence is killing me.

I took this hike today through a trail that I haven't taken before and it was so nice out and I've decided that I will go on more hikes around here because we have a lot of trails near my house. I just hope it doesn't snow again, the snow ruins everything. Especially spring. So I opened at work today (4:30 am!!) and I was talking to one of my managers who said that last night she was deep-cleaning some pitchers (that are very shiny now) and the guy working with her asked her "What are you doing? Are you Urfering those?" Yes! I have no problem with my name being linked to obsessive cleaning. That is awesome.

Interviews and such

So... as far as I know there have been no major setbacks in my application process and I had my first interview today in Denver. The lady I spoke with was so nice and it was pretty relaxed, so that was fun. Then she pulled out this paper and asked which assignments that leave within the next year I would like to go on. I picked two, and I find out tomorrow. I really want both, so that's good, right? No disappointments. (I also picked two that I have no language background for.... yes!!)

I've got Mail!!

Yes! Well, I got a packet thing in the mail today from the Peace Corps, asking me to fill out some more paper work, have my fingerprints taken and get lined up for an interview! So, I just spent the last hour not writing a paper that is due Monday, and not reading the first five chapters of the new book we will be discussing tomorrow, but reading blogs of current volunteers and pumping myself up. Before today I could have been persuaded to go just about anywhere, but I really want to go to Africa now. This is going to be so difficult, but so amazing.

Oh, and get my fingerprints? I've never been taken downtown to get my prints taken, so now I can say I have!

Seriously with some Purple Passion

Really, I love that show. As well as the Colbert Report. Something about the way they take themselves so seriously is amazing. Same thing with The Office. I am about to write a paper for my folklore class and I think I will use my "Purple passion" story. The only problem I can see with using it is I have never written it down, so now that I'm trying to remember how I start it I can't seem to put it on the screen... That's the problem with a lot of folklore, it's so much easier to just say whatever it is than it is to write it. Maybe I should go with bathroom stall graffiti. No. The paper is due tomorrow.

Purple Passion (as told by me)

So, there was this little boy named Billy who was a pretty normal kid, never got into any trouble and always listened to his parents. He was in the second grade, so about, like seven or eight years old, and until this point he had lived a fairly uncomplicated and uneventful life. One day he went into school, and he had one of those desks that opened up, you know? And he opened his desk to get out his school supplies when in the center of his papers he saw a note neatly folded up, you know, the way girls can fold up notes, and in the middle was his name "Billy" written in Purple marker. Billy's heart leapt and he glanced around to see what little girl might have given him such a note, and when nobody would meet his eye, he turned to the note and opened it. There in the middle of the crinkled piece of paper was written in bold Purple letters "Purple Passion." Billy thought that this was very strange and did not know what to make of it, and since he could not imagine who would have given him this note, he went to his teacher. He said, "I just got this note in my desk, but I don't know who it is from or what it means" and his teacher said, "Ok, Billy, let me see the note." He handed her the paper and she glanced down and she quickly handed it back to him. She said, "Billy, I'm so sorry, but I can't have this in my classroom." You know, "I'm sorry, but you are going to have to leave, don't ever come in my room ever again. Please go down to the principal's office." Billy was really confused by this. He had never been in trouble before, but he was also not one to argue, so he took his things and the note and went down to the principal's office where he sat outside the door next to two class bullies who pinched him and pulled his hair and finally the principal came out and said "Billy, what are you doing here? Come on into my office" So Billy walked into the office dragging his backpack and coat behind him, and with the crinkled note in his hand he closed the door and sat down. "What seems to be the problem?" Billy started to tell the principal about the mysterious note that he got and how he didn't know what it meant and now he was kicked out of class. The principal looked at him kindly and said "There must be some sort of misunderstanding, let me look at the note." So Billy handed it over and the principal's kind face dropped and suddenly was very serious. "I'm sorry Billy, but we can't have this in our school. I need you to take your things, and leave, and never come back."

(See, this is taking way too long.)

Billy was really concerned now. He's been kicked out of school all for a note that he didn't even understand. He walked home sadly and when he came into his house his parents were both very surprised to see him. They asked, "What are you doing home Billy? It is only 9 in the morning!" He proceded to tell his parents that he had been kicked out of school, all because of a note that he got that did not even understand. His parents said "Well, let us see the note" so he gave it to them. His mother began to cry and his father hung his head in shame. He said, "Son, I am sorry, but we can't have this in our family, we will give you some money and a plane ticket to send you as far away as possible, but you can no longer be a part of this family."

So Billy got on a plane headed for far far away and since he was a child flying without a parent the flight attendants took special not of him. As they flew over the pacific ocean one sat down next to Billy, who stared out the window with tears in his eyes. She asked him what was wrong and he began to tell her his sad story of how he was kicked out of school, and then disowned by his family all because of a note that was left in his desk. He just wanted to know what it meant! The flight attendant felt bad for him so she said "well, let me see the note." He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her. Her face light up in alarm and she went up to the cockpit. Seconds later the pilot came back and looked at Billy and shook his head. He handed him the note and said "Look, we can't have this on our plane. I'm really sorry, but we just can't. I will bring the plane down to an altitude where you can parachute out, but we need you off this plane as soon as possible." So they gave him a life preserver and a parachute and sent him off the plane.

In the middle of the ocean a cruise liner saw a parachuter falling from the sky and since that was sort of weird they decided to move a little closer to the person to see if they would need some help. They were so surprised to find a little boy, no older than eight years floating in the middle of the ocean. They pulled him up into the ship and brought the captian down to talk with him. The captian asked Billy what on earth he was doing all the way out here and Billy began to tell him his sad story. The captain said "Well, let me see the note" and Billy handed him the crumpled and damp note. The captian's eyes became furious. "I'm sorry, but we just can't have this on my ship. We will give you a raft, but we can't let you stay here." And as they passed a small island they sent Billy and his note on their way toward the island.

After paddling for what seemed like hours, Billy finally made it to the island's beach where an old woman sat sunbathing. Across the street from the beach were a few hotels and restauraunts and all in all it did not seem like such a bad place to be stranded. The woman noticed the little boy coming in from the water and asked him "What were you doing all the way out there? All by yourself?" And Billy, exhausted, told her his long and incredible story. Finally, she asked to see the note. Billy handed the torn, and damp, and crinckled note to her. She examined it carefully then said "Ok, meet me here tomorrow morning at ten and I can tell you what this means." Finally! Billy was so excited that he would finally know what this note meant. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He went across the street and checked into a hotel where he slept for the first time in several nights. He woke up the next morning and had a big breakfast and then got ready to meet the lady at the beach. He came out of the hotel, looked across the street and saw the old lady. She waved at him, he waved at her, and he ran across the street and was hit by a car and died.

The moral of the story is... look both ways before crossing the street.

Seriously, that was really long. But good, because it needed to be written out. Sorry if you are mad, I don't know what Purple Passion is, but it's kept me entertained for years.

Hope

I just made Emily watch The Shawshank Redemption with me and I remembered and she realized that it is one of the best movies ever made. I love how it makes you feel completely lost and hopeless and then reminds you that "hope is a very good thing." Even the most desperate situation can be changed. Even the most pathetic of people can be redeemed.


Ummm, and I'm really upsetwith Jam. Seriously kids.

A Romance in Lower Mathematics

I just received this book, The Dot and The Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics by Norton Juster and I decided it is the most romantic book I have ever read. Seriously, it cost me like, a dollar on amazon, so just buy it or borrow it from a library. It will change how you look at romance and geometry and people who might be "just a straight line." Also, it had a few words I have been learning for the GRE, which I apprecieated knowing that I knew as soon as I read them. I'm such a nerd, that's ok.  Anyway, I love amazon and Norton Juster.

For my entertainment.

I haven't kept a journel/blog thing for a really long time, and after reading my Spain journal today I realized that I need to do this more. Sure, my life is significantly less glamorous in Colorado... but I like to think interesting things still happen to me. Sort of. As a barista for a large corporate coffee company, life has to be at the very least entertaining. And it is.

I am studying for the GRE, not because I actually want to go to grad school, but because I should take it now that I am in the habit of taking tests instead of in two years when I decide that I need to go to grad school and haven't so much as set foot in a classroom... Why am I going to go to grad school when I clearly don't want to? Because in May I will graduate with a B.A. in English Literature. The only degree more worthless would be in Creative writing, so I've got that going for me. Seriously, I am looking at a life of receptioning. That might be a step above baristaing, but I'm not sure.