ridin the waves.

i have completely neglected this blog. now that the semester is winding down i figure i owe everyone an update.

first of all, getting an application status update after being invited=scary. that excited feeling no longer accompanies those 5 a.m. emails. my application status update let me know that i have a dental hold. apparently my dental clearance is only good until march 5th & i'm supposed to leave march 9th (actually the OMS letter said march 8th, but i'm trying not to get too hung up on the discrepancy). so now i am just waiting on obama's health reform to put me back on mommy and daddy's insurance. blue cross blue shield says that will be jan. 1. cutting it close? maybe, but i def. can't afford those dental x-rays on my part-time retail paycheck =)

in other news, i filled out & sent my visa application along with my passport. i never heard whether they got that or not. i probs should put that on my list of things to check on. i read everything included in that blue invitation kit & i also started learning russian. i'm pretty sure that's how the nightmares started. in the latest nightmare i landed in almaty alone with just my sister's kitten. i couldn't find my bags & i was wandering around in the freezing cold. there were people inside stores, but i couldn't go in & ask for directions because i had the cat. i was worried the whole time about mr. bingley (that's our cat) freezing his little white tail off. i finally found my bag, but it was almost completely empty. i went to tell the baggage claim people, but i didn't know how to say anything but cat in russian. [that is actually true. for some reason cat is the only word that is sticking with me. & apples. which is good because i am allergic to apples and kazakhstan is the birthplace of apples.]

so i think all the nightmares attributed to the fact that last week i woke up & couldn't help but think "what the heck are you doing?" i spent the entire week trying to put my finger on what it was that had originally drawn me to PC. i applied for PC when i was in my last semester of college. the plan had been to go after graduation, get back by the time i was 23 & then start doing more grown-up things. i am now 23. my application was put on hold, and then i withdrew it for the master's international program, & now i am 23 and leaving for PC. & when i get back i will be 26 and doing all sorts of 21-23 year old things. one of the major changes for me was coming home and falling in love all over again with my ex-bf. and now i am leaving him for 27 months when i know that if i stayed i would be getting married in the next 27 months instead. that's a big thing that i have admitted to very few people.

so i was feeling very blue about the whole PC thing. i know for a fact that celebrating thanksgiving and realizing it would be last with family for a while played a direct role in my second-guessing. i read & re-read my favorite PC blogs. normally they get me excited, but for some reason it wasn't working. so i decided to go shopping. shopping is my cure-all. i was rummagging through the jewelry at the thrift store while my sister was checking out when i saw this keychain:



anyone who knows me knows that i love all things pink, artsy, & with a hippy flare. i immediately grabbed it & hurried to give it to my sister before she finished checking out. you will never believe what was on the back:



that's right. that there is the kazakhstan flag with kazakhstan written above it. almost instantly i felt like sobbing and laughing. & i have been back on the PC bandwagon since. for those of you that are now questioning my sanity or desire to actually go overseas: 27 months is a loooong time. kazakhstan is coooooold. and the insane thing would be not to think seriously about this decision before i leave my loved ones behind.

on that note... enjoying the high,

i aspire.

here is my aspiration statement. given the 7-10 day deadline along with a million other things to get done, don't judge too harshly on the grammar/writing. feel free to use this as an example. hopefully it helps explain some of my reasoning behind joining the peace corps & the reasons i believe i will be successful in kazakhstan.

The professional attributes you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service.

I aim to use my education and personal experiences with the United States Education system during my Peace Corps Service in Kazakhstan. My extensive education in the field of Curriculum and Instruction, particularly pertaining to English Language Learners will prove to be very useful in my role as a secondary teacher trainer. My experiences observing seasoned English teachers, utilizing best practices in teaching English to adult immigrants, and substituting in the public school system have given me ample opportunity to put my educational foundation into concrete experiences. This experience with educational theory and interactive teaching strategies will be beneficial in training teachers in Kazakhstan new methods of teaching that engage critical thinking skills and move away from rote memorization. I also aim to use my experience in public speaking, non-profit fundraising, and customer service to work respectfully and effectively within my community.
I aspire to learn a great deal more about the educational system in Kazakhstan and the goals for that educational system. I also hope to use the professional skills I possess in order to be more effective in my position as a secondary teacher trainer. I am excited to learn more about the details of the Peace Corps and working within a U.S. government organization. I aspire to be an outstanding Peace Corps Volunteer that will reflect my country and Peace Corps well.

The strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.

In order to work effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs, it is key to remain open-minded, patient, and respectful. During my service I intend to spend time getting to know my host country partners and allowing them ample time to express their needs and concerns. This involves listening carefully to gain a full understanding of their goals and the resulting implications, as well as asking questions in order to clarify and gain as clear a picture as possible. It is my hope that by listening carefully to the needs of my host country partners that I may be able to work with them to develop solutions together. Using skills and strategies learned during Peace Corps Training I aim to make myself available to my host country partners and work with them to address the concerns they have with sustainable goals and solutions.

Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.

I am always excited to learn about new cultures. My travels in Africa, as well as my teaching experience with English as a Second Language learners have give me an opportunity to learn a great deal about cultures that I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. Each experience with a new culture seems to change and broaden my view of the world. Every student I have discussed culture with always expresses their desire to learn as much as they can about the American culture, while still retaining their personal identity that is composed of varying values, traditions, and cultural influences. It has always been a goal in my classroom to be open and tolerant of differing views, as well as kind and understanding toward any individual no matter how different. This is a concept that can be adapted to my travels in Kazakhstan. I will strive to remain open-minded and tolerant, as well as kind and understanding. I want to learn as much about the culture of Kazakhstan while still retaining my personal values, traditions and cultural influences. I know that my personal identity will shift and grow while I am in Kazakhstan. I also recognize that with my constant journal writing, letters and e-mails to friends and family, talking with fellow Peace Corps Volunteers, and sharing with my new host country friends, I will be able to maintain a strong sense of self and my own cultural background with a broadened worldview.

The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project.

During pre-service training I hope to progress in the language of Kazakh or Russian as much as possible. I hope that with the instruction Peace Corps will provide and my hard work and developed study skills I will do well in the language and therefore more effectively communicate within my community and while working at my site. I also hope to learn a great deal about the educational system in Kazakhstan and the goals for English language learning. I would like to speak with current teachers and hear about their current strategies and concerns in the classroom.
I hope to gain a better understanding of life and culture within Kazakhstan. I anticipate that pre-service training will train me to utilize the skills I possess in ways that will be most effective in my future position in Kazakhstan.

How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends.

I know that the effect my Peace Corps service will have on my personal and professional life will be vast. I believe my Peace Corps service will challenge my current thoughts on the world outside of the United States. I am sure that I will gain a greater understanding of myself including my limitations and abilities. Peace Corps will push me beyond my general comfort level and test my strength as an individual. I know that I will return to the states with a greater appreciation for family and friends and small comforts that may now go unnoticed.
Professionally, my Peace Corps service will give me an undoubted advantage in an English as a Second language classroom, whether it is here in the United States or abroad. Spending time working with other teachers and focusing on useful strategies in the classroom will certainly cause me to reevaluate my classroom strategies. The international experience of living in Kazakhstan and learning a second language will give me an advantage in being able to more closely relate to the students in my classroom. No matter what direction my professional endeavors take me, the life skills I will develop in my Peace Corps service will transfer and apply. I am certain that I will possess more confidence in my professional skills and my ability to accomplish even the most arduous task.

and that's all folks.

i have accepted the position in kazakhstan. i put more details about kazakhstan and my assignment under the tabs at the top of the page.

the question of the hour has been 'how do you feel'? i feel a lot of things at the moment. i am mainly excited about this absolutely superb opportunity. of course there is a hint of sadness at leaving my awesome family and friends. i know that particular feeling is one that i will feel much stronger the closer march, 9th gets. right now though, i am feeling a whole lot of overwhelmed.

i have so much information to process and paperwork to fill out and send in. i also have my updated resume and aspiration statement to send in. unfortunately, i still have a major commitment to my classes and work. as much as i would love to plop down on my couch, work on a packing list, and practice russian, i still have plenty o' stuff to get done.

i also have a lot of people to tell about pc. i kept it all on the down low because i didn't want to say anything and then not get invited, but now i have so many people to tell that had no clue i even applied.

this is so exciting and exhausting and i still have quite a while until staging.

let the countdown begin,

phew.

it is amazing to me that it is finally that time. i woke up to find a toolkit update: i'm invited to serve! not only was that exciting enough, but my invitation kit was in the mail the same day. (one of the perks of living so close to dc and the pc headquarters)

i have been invited to serve in kazakhstan! my staging is march 9, 2011. my assignment is secondary teacher trainer.



i have to admit that i was completely surprised by this. i was thinking it would be ukraine, albania, or turkmenistan based on the peace corps wiki timeline. i've been doing my research, and i will be sending in my final decision by wednesday.

i didn't update like i should have, but my placement officer sent me an email last thursday with my final interview questions.she also let me know that she was looking at a program in eastern europe/central asia leaving in march. i answered the questions and emailed her back the next morning. i can't believe how quickly this all came around.

still processing the good news,

thank you for the timeframe.

it's been a while. i went on vacay with the fam and fall classes just started. and i am turning into a lazy b. anyways, my master's international liaison sent me an email on aug. 18. i know that was a good minute ago, but she wrote me asking for me to get confirmation that i am still a student in the mi program. i emailed my program director, but everyone that works for my program just resigned and it apparently takes her months to respond to any emails. so i'm still waiting on that. in other news....this is what the bottom of her email said:


In the meantime, I will pass your file onto a Placement Officer for further review. You should be hearing from our office in the next 2 months regarding placement.

say what?! peace corps has given me a timeframe. now the question is...does that mean they will be contacting me in the next 2 months, or inviting me? i'm trying not to look too much into this, either way it is nice just to know my file is being pushed forward.

i have been thinking about pc a lot lately (and having some pretty crazy nightmares) and i will probably post something about all that soon. but for now, back to homework.

so long medical labyrinth.

i have medical clearance! this may end up being a lengthy post, so i decided to post the important info up front. i recognize that most of ya won't make it to the bottom.

on wednesday i called my doctor to make sure they faxed the info over to the pc office on thursday like they told me they were going to do. i was a little nervous since my toolkit hadn't been updated. as i suspected the dr.'s office completely forgot. & they left it at their other office (apparently there are two?) so they would have to wait to fax it until the morning. I called again the next day at lunch and they had forgotten again! so i made them put me on hold while they did. [side note: the peace corps has brought out a crazy side of me i didn't know existed. i am typically the definition of laid-back.]

friday morning i woke up to the toolkit update i had been expecting. the hold on my account had been removed. exactly the same way it happened the last time. i was assuming that now that they had all the info i would hear from them with a decision in the next two weeks. on saturday morning i woke up to another toolkit update!! they reached a decision and the letter is in the mail. i was totally not expecting that, especially since the work week was over.

todayyy i got an email from the placement office! it was the generic letter congratulating me on medical clearance (which i now know i got, even though the letter hasn't arrived), and asking for updated resume and patience. dun dun dun. anywho, i'm stoked just to finally be at this point in the application process.



in other news:

i am currently in my intensive summer courses for my master's international program in ESL. what is awesome about completing three classes for a month that last 6 hours? there are a ton of pcvs in my classes doing the fellows program. they all have great stories to tell, and it is getting me even more stoked about pc service. they are full of advice i.e. make embassy friends cuz they have access to ranch dressing, and awesome tidbits of information. also in my class are a bunch of people with international experience that aren't so fond of peace corps. i can't tell you how many people have told me i am an idealist, and i will just be frustrated because i really can't help. i am mostly trying to stick to the positive folks in my group and avoid the neigh-sayers.

writing an updated resume?
you betcha.

emily

on to the next medical hurdle.

i was right about the letter from oms. it is for me to follow-up with my surgeon. i got the letter in the mail wednesday. it is a pretty detailed form i need the surgeon to fill out. so i called the surgeon the next morning to set an appointment. they could squeeze me in for an appointment in august. the receptionist was very nice though, and said she would call if there were any cancellations. i was just about to call oms to see if there were any plan b's when my surgeon's office called me back. they are going to have me fax them the forms and fill them out and then I can pick them up, no appointment necessary. yay! I faxed the form in yesterday afternoon. now i am just waiting on the surgeon's office. i know it will take them a while, but at least it won't be august.

even though i'm still waiting, it is kind of nice for the waiting to be on my end for a change. i like knowing what exactly i am waiting for and where in that process i stand. it is like the window on my end is crystal clear. i can see everything that is happening. the window on the peace corps' end is like stained glass. i can vaguely see where i'm at, but no details. even so, i still love to look.

enjoying the clear view,