Times, they are a changin'

So I have officially sent in my letter of resignation and my last day of work will be August 5th, woohoo!
-That's only 9 work days away! :)

I also received my staging information last week and booked my flight to Philadelphia, PA!  I leave the 20th and we for Namibia on the 22nd!
-That's only 26 days until staging and 28 days until the flight to Namibia!

I cannot believe how fast time is flying by.  I have so much to do but feel like I cant really do all that much until after I am done with work.

I will be selling my car Sandie.  She's in great shape and needs a loving home.  She is a 2005 Honda Civic LX, a sandy gold color (hence the name), and has about 90,000 miles under her hood. 

This is Sandie with her friend Skelly.  Skelly was visiting last October and she and Sandie totally hit it off.  :)

She is currently for sale.

On another note, I am currently preparing/consolidating all of my stuff in my apartment to move back home into the attic.  My stuff, not me! :)  I'll probably share a room with either my sister or my niece. 

I also have my going away party coming up and am so excited to see some of my favorite people there!

Since I began preparing to leave I have been trying to do as much fun stuff as possible.  I think I have been pretty successful!

- Went white water rafting for a week on the American River.  AWESOME!

- Did a mud run.  Crazy tough and dirty, but so fun!

- Spent the day at the beach with my second family, the Rich's.

- Went to the Orange County Fair.  Ate fried food and bought some super funky but cute shades.  Lets just say they will be going to Namibia and people will be jealous of how cute they are.  hahaha.

I've probably done more but those are my highlights for right now. 

Hope you are having a blessed week!  :)

Namibia?

So I have done a fair amount of looking around and haven't found anybody going to Namibia (except for one :)) in the blogging world? 

Anyone out there going to Namibia in August with me?  Or is it just the two of us?

Just thought I'd throw it out there.  :)

Namibia, here I come!

Ahhhh... My invite has finally come and I have officially accepted.

It arrived last Monday while I was up in Nor Cal White Water Rafting for the week.  My roommate called me Monday night and told me it had arrived, I was bummed but super stoked it finally arrived!

Friday night when I arrived home my parents, brother, and sister were all there to watch the opening of the Big Blue Packet, otherwise known as the INVITE!

We were right about Namibia!  I will be working as a business advisor in the SEED (Small Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Development) program.  The program began in 2010 so it is a fairly new program.  :)

Mom was so excited she made me pose for a photo.

I leave for Washington DC on August 18th and will travel to Namibia on August 21st.

For those who know me we will be having a going away party!  Email or Facebook me for details, I'd love to see you before I leave!

ahhhh... INVITE!!!

I received a voicemail from my PO this morning saying she found a position departing in mid/late August and would like me to please call her back sometime today.  I was so excited that I called her right away and was bummed to get her voicemail... all SIX times I tried :).  I finally received another call from her and we discussed the opening.  It is a small business development position in Africa with a focus on a new program educating entrepreneurs and their teachers.  I will also be responsible for finding secondary work creating activities for youth educating them on AIDS and HIV awareness!  She asked if I would be interested leaving earlier and I told her "HECK YES!" maybe not in those exact words but I am sure my excitement said it all!  :)  We ended the call with her saying my invite is going in the mail today!  My mom did her research and thinks I will be going to Namibia!    I can't believe I will be leaving in less then two months to live in Africa.

Woah... Peace Corps? Yes, please!

Well, since my last post the following has happened:

• My blood count is at a normal level over 12... the infusions worked!
• I cleared medical a few days after I received the results of my blood test.
• I was contacted by my placement officer that day asking for an updated resume of my work and volunteer history as she does the final review of my application!
• I sent in my updated resume the following week
• I got an email a few days later asking for a good time to schedule a phone call with my Placement Officer to go over the final review of my app. 
• I had a 15 minute convo with my PO yesterday and was told she is looking into a program in Africa departing for early October doing small business development!  She said I should be hearing from her in 1-2 weeks with a possible invite! 

This has all happened in two months.  It took 6.5 months for my medical review to be completed! Crazy!

Here is my LONG timeline of this process... It looks like it will most likely be 1 year from start to invite! 

7/1/10- Application Submitted.
8/10- Contacted by a recruiter.  Got fingerprints done... FBI card status! 
9/13/10- Interview over the phone with my recruiter.  Nominated at the end of the interview for Sub-Saharan Africa doing Business Advising departing late May/early June 2011.
9/14/10- Toolkit states I am officially a Peace Corps Nominee and my Medical/Dental Kit are both in the mail.  Legal clearance was completed.
10/10- Had various dental and doctors appointments completing my  kit.
11/17/10- Received a notification that my Medical/Dental kits were received. Also received my dental kit back saying dental work needs to be completed and new x-rays.
1/11- Got three crowns, one fillings, and x-rays. Thank God for dental insurance and for blessing me with the funds to get it all done at once.  Sent info off the the Dental office and was cleared at the end of January.
2/17/11- I got impatient as I realized I hadn't heard anything from the medical office and my nominated trip was approaching and emailed them asking if they had started reviewing my file. 
2/18/11- Received work that "my file was just assigned a nurse and I will be hearing from her in 4-6 weeks". 
3/26/11- Received a letter from my MO asking for a follow up blood test and a new PAP smear.  My blood count was low and my PAP was over one year old. 
4/11- Found out my blood count dropped even more.  Was placed on iron supplements.  Faxed a letter and repeat blood test back to my MO.  Received another letter stating the information was incomplete, my doctor did not specify when I began the iron supplements and they want another blood test.
5/11- Realized my iron isn't raising fast enough.  Underwent Iron Infusions.  Completely free thanks to Kaiser and my awesome insurance through my work!   
5/18/11- Received an actual phone call from my MO asking how I was doing and if I had finished my infusions.  I told her yes and I was going to get my blood drawn the next day to see results.  Had a blood test and my iron was over a 12 (which is good!) and there was a LOT of iron floating around in me.
5/26/11- Received notification via my toolkit that the MO made a decision and I will be receiving a letter in the mail stating what they decided.  Received an email from the Placement Assistant about 1 hour later asking for an updated resume so she can pass along my my application to my placement officer.  Guess that means I passed medical!!!  Woohoo!  I also received an email from my placement officer stating I am not going to make my original nomination.  (I already knew that) 
6/1/11- Sent my resume over.  It was hard fitting all my work and volunteer experience onto two pages. 
6/7/11- Received an email from the PO assistant saying she is passing along my application to the PO and I will hear from her in 4-6 weeks. 
6/9/11- Received an email from my PO asking what time would be best for her to call me and to discuss the final review of my app.  AHHHHH!!!!!   I told her Monday or Tuesday at noon during my lunch break. 
6/14/11- Had a 15 minute conversation with my PO and was told that she is looking at a trip departing in early October for Africa doing Small Business Development!  She also said I'll here from her in 1-2 weeks about this trip.  Possible Invite?  I hope so!

I'll write another post soon!  Hopefully with a picture of me with my BBP!  BBP- Big Blue Packet, i.e. invitation!

RAS! Restless Applicant Syndrome or Really Annoying Stuff?

As I began the application process of joining the Peace Corps I began reading other applicants and volunteers blogs and their journey to getting to their assignment.  Well, I came to find that there is one common term applicants have coined called RAS, otherwise known as Restless Applicant Syndrome.  This is what we call getting antsy and mostly occurs during the waiting period.  When I read about RAS I often thought to myself, "I am so lucky that I don't have RAS, I know the Lord will place me where he needs me in his timing".  I thought I was being really patient until recently.  I was nominated for departure in Late May/early June and was also asked to be a bridesmaid in one of my best friends weddings this coming March.  Peace Corps Volunteers are not allowed to leave the country or travel in the first 6-7 months.  With my nomination I didn't have a doubt that I would be able to come back for her wedding but as time ticks away I am still not cleared medically.  I am kind of freaking out that I might have to miss her wedding!

I submitted my medical kit in October and they barely began reviewing it in early February.  Three months later?  Really???  I was still feeling good then because I thought they would speed through it and get me cleared, I had plenty of time to make my original nomination.  Wrong!  I feel like more and more things are coming up prolonging my departure date even more. 
First they needed a followup blood test and a new PAP because mine was over a year old.  Done.  Wrong again.  My blood test came back saying I was more anemic then my original test.  My doctor decided to put me on Iron pills boosting my iron levels.  I submitted a letter from my doctor about the iron count and also my new medical info they requested.  Yes, I am good, I sent it all in and maybe they will clear me now.  Wrong again!!!  They sent me another letter stating my paperwork was incomplete, my doctor and I forgot to state when I began taking the iron pills and now they wanted another blood test showing my iron count from after the pills.
Okay, I do that! My iron count has not gone up very much at all.  I have been taking horse pills for iron... they are a lot of iron!  Today my doctor decided I need to have iron infusions so my iron will be at an ok level... I am currently at an 11.6, the standard in 12-16.  I start in a week and a half and it will be a three week process. 

I'm hoping that after this process and my iron count will be good, they will clear me medically and I will not be WRONG again about my medical kit being complete.  I pray they have a spot for me departing before mid August.  It has always been a dream of mine to serve other people in a foreign land and to share my education with them. 
I know the Peace Corps is right for me and pray for patience.  It will all work out in the long run!  :)

Peace Corps update!

So I have some good news!

Over the past two weeks I have spent a lot of pretty pennies to finally finish all of my dental work so I can complete my dental file for the Peace Corps. That included getting new xrays, three crowns, and one filling.  I finally finished last Tuesday night and sent off my revised dental packet Weds, and was cleared for dental on Sat!  Woohoo!

I hadn't heard anything from the PC office in months, so it feels great to know that I am not forgotten!  Now the wait is on the Medical office to clear my medical file.  I want to do this so bad and I have been doing really well at the whole patience thing, but it gets scary not hearing a peep for months at a time. 

A few weeks ago 20/20 did an expose on women in the Peace Corps that have been raped and "forgotten" by the Peace Corps and also on a volunteer that was murdered in country.  I have gotten quite a few people coming up to me telling me they are extremely worried about me going to Africa with the Peace Corps.  My response to them is that it could happen here in our own backyards.  I am choosing to join the Peace Corps knowing the risk of possible danger.  Since I do not have TV (cable) I didn't get to watch the special, but I did read a lot of articles about it and understand why people are so scared, I kind of freaked out the weekend it showed and was questioning myself if it was worth it.

I came back to the realization that I am in God's hands!  I cant 100% prevent myself from being a victim.  I can be overly cautious, which I believe myself to already be, and I can make smart decisions keeping myself out of threatening or sketchy situations. 
I also feel that the more I integrate and build solid relationships with my community and host family the more I will become like a real family member and they will protect me as they would one of their own flesh and blood. 

One of the things that I most look forward to is building those relationships with my future village and helping to share my knowledge and education and learn from them as well. 

I feel like right now all I can do is hand it all over to God because everything is done according to His plan and in His timing.  All I can do is have faith and patience.  Which thankfully I do have.  :)