Sunday, July 31, 2011

Who does this?

Most of my life now is focused on Macedonia. However, in all of my thinking, I sometimes just pause, shake my head, and think, "What am I doing? Who does this? I mean really, who just packs up and leaves the country for 2 years?" I think most of that comes from the stress of trying to figure out what all I have to do in such a short amount of time and I know it will be great, but really, who does this! And then, I grab my computer, watch this video, and all of my fears/questioning disappears!

7 days until Heidi and Dale's Wedding
10 days until Washington D.C.
20 days until Anna comes home
28 days until Chris and Erin's Wedding
41 days until Staging

Friday, July 29, 2011

Bittersweet

I finished work on Wednesday. It was definitely a bittersweet moment (I feel like that will be the theme of the next 6 weeks). It is great to be done and have some time to get everything in order before I leave, but it is also very sad. I have been at the St. Peter Recreation Department for almost 6 years. That may not seem like a long time to some, but for someone my age, thats a long time to be at one job. I have definitely done a lot of growing up there over the years. And I know I owe a lot to my coworkers there. I was helping up at football camp and when I came back down, the girls had decorated the office in streamers and had a sign up saying "Good Luck Sara" in Macedonian. It was awesome. At the end of the day Jane and Heidi brought over a card that everyone had signed. Then Annika, Emily, Liz, and I went out to Patties for happy hour and had quite an eventful time. Great night!

Now the realization of how much I have to do in only 6 weeks has hit. Its kind of hard to know where to even start.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Thriftiness of a Peace Corps Invitee

I have....
- 5 days until Jake and Sarah's wedding.
- 13 days left of work.
- 19 days until Heidi and Dale's wedding.
- 31 days until my sister visits.
- 52 days until I start the next 27 months of my life.

I have been spending lots of my free time figuring out what to buy/pack. There are lots of discounts available to Peace Corps Volunteers, and while there are many great ones, I have noticed sometimes the company I am looking to buy something at, isn't on the list. I have learned, it doesn't hurt to ask. SmartWool said no, unless I wanted to order like 100 pairs of their socks. However, Columbia was super generous and despite not having a deal for Peace Corps Volunteers, they offered me a one-time purchase discount at their friends/family store, which saved me over $200. Plus, Columbia has a lot of really amazing products- I've always been a fan! Other amazing companies, Teva, Eagle Creek, and Keen. And although the don't offer a discount for PCV, the staff at REI are super helpful! (Ok, enough product placement for one post!)

Since work is starting to wind down a little (side note: why can't little boys keep their hands to themselves?), I am able to start focusing more on Peace Corps and what I need to do before I leave. I am working hard on trying to figure out my insurance estimates for my travler's insurance and of course all of the paperwork that came with my invitation (never really thought at 24 I would be deciding what percentage of life insurance my dad, mom, and sister are to each receive if I die).

I also need to get dental clearance again. I still have it, however, it expires after 1 year. I gained dental clearance on September 2nd. I leave September 9th. Wah wah. I miss having clearance by one week. At least I got lucky. I called the dentist today at like 10:20 and they just had a cancellation and could get me in at 11:00 today. Plus, I actually never saw the dentist- the hygienist did all the work and the dentist just reviewed her work, so it was pretty quick and painless. The only thing I need is for the dental liaison to call me back in regards to whether I need new Panorex x-rays, since the hygienist said they are good for 5 years. She hoped Peace Corps wouldn't require them because she wanted to save me the $120 (she was so focused on saving me money that they didn't charge me for an exam, just the cost of the bitewing x-rays).

I also need to start practicing my Macedonian. On the MAK-16 Facebook site there is mixed reviews from current PCVs about whether you should start learning the language before you leave. Some say, do it now while you are excited- you won't be by your 2nd week of PST. Others say, don't bother now, spend time with friends and family as you will spend lots of time on language during PST and its easier when you have a set way of doing it instead of trying to figure it out on your own. At this point, I know how to say "hello", "I", "one", "good morning", "good afternoon", and "good night". That certainly will take me far, right?!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

And the Winner Is..

...Macedonia



I receive a wonderful surprise at work in the mail today- my Big Blue Packet! My suspicions were correct- Macedonia. I will be a Primary School English Language Resource Teacher. So excited! One of my coworkers, Liz, took a video of me opening it up. Actually, she took two videos- the first was the real deal, however after the fact, Liz and my boss, Lance, decided I didn't act excited enough, so we staged an over-the-top-corny opening and it is incredibly fake and cheesy- like a bad sitcom.

I am happy its Friday, because that gives me all weekend to read through the information and formulate my acceptance email.


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

INVITATION!!!!

Skip the story for now, jump to the good stuff...

My invitation is in the mail! Eastern Europe leaving Early September for Primary Teacher Training. According to every anxious applicant's favourite website, Peace Corps Wiki, that means Macedonia leaving September 9th. Super excited! I had my PO change the address my invite is being mailed to my work address so I can get it sooner. Plus some of my biggest supporters have been a few of my coworkers (well besides my family of course!).

Now the longer story:

On Thursday morning I flew to California for my sister's graduation from Stanford Law (yeah, I'm pretty proud of her for that!) That morning, right after my plane left and I was without internet for the rest of the day, I received an email from my Placement Officer (PO) wanting to check in since we hadn't talked since February. He told me to call him back or email him with times he could call. I didn't get the message until Thursday night though, so I couldn't call until Friday and in negotiating the now three hour time change and not really knowing what time it was in San Francisco, I called, didn't get and answer, and left my PO an incredibly awkward message where I told him way the wrong time. Ooops! I didn't hear back from my PO on Friday. Sunday I had access to internet, so I sent him an email just letting him know that I would by flying all day Monday, so it probably wouldn't work to talk then, but Tuesday I would have my phone in hand all day.

Today, my PO called me around noon and we chatted for a few minutes. I was hesitant about placement at first because of my dietary restrictions. He was unaware until he pulled up my file and really looked at it. He wanted to check in with Office of Medical Services (OMS) and said he would get back to me when he heard from them. I was on the phone with my parents for literally under 5 minutes and he was calling me back. He said OMS didn't think it would be an issue and I have been in the Peace Corps "playpen" waiting too long, so he was going to mail out my invitation. (I really liked his phrasing of calling it a playpen because you do feel trapped many times, just waiting for someone to rescue you and let you move on with your life).

After the phone convo, he emailed me to reiterate the info we had talked about and double check the address he should mail the invite to. I had him switch it to my work address so that I can get the coveted Big Blue Packet (BBP) as soon as it arrives.

Now it is just waiting for the BBP to come in the mail and then I have one week to accept or decline.

For those of you who are waiting for the invite/contact from Placement, hang in there. I was always happy for those who posted saying they received an invitation, but still wished it was me.

For those who received the emails about placements being tough, I talked to my PO about that today and he said, yes, placements are tough right now and Peace Corps has become even more competitive than it was even a few months ago, but he said, things are still moving along. I know the process can be long and tiring, but I really do believe it will be worth it in the end.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

My newest obsession.... and the evil that is Sketchers

I don't really obsess over things ever. I maybe get excited about something, but very rarely does it reach what I would consider an obsessive level. However, I am proud to admit, I am obsessed with TOMS shoes. I have had one pair of TOMS for quite a while, but I just got a second pair and a TOMS shirt and I want to spend my entire paycheck on TOMS. I have already decided that TOMS are going to be a footwear staple wherever Peace Corps sends me. If I can't wear TOMS, I won't go!

Someone asked me what's so great about the shoes, I mean they are simple canvas shoes. I love the shoes themselves, they are very comfortable and I love the way they look, but its the mission of TOMS that I am obsessed with. I love the One for One concept. Paying $45 for a pair of shoes is no big deal for most Americans. Why not be able to help someone out while getting some retail therapy (as a side note, I really kind of hate shopping, so retail therapy isn't a big one for me). I love that there are companies out there who are so focused on social change. That is exactly the kind of company I would LOVE, and hope to someday, to work for.

So I started writing this post earlier and this past weekend my obsession has become even more clear. I was up in the cities with a friend and we went to Mall of America to look around. I was, of course, wearing my TOMS and even had one my TOMS shirt. As we are perusing the shoes, I come across a pair of Sketcher's BOBS. I look at the shoe for a moment, then drop it on the floor next to my TOMS to check it out. The shoe is identical in almost every way. The fabric is cut the same, there is the same style of tag on the side of the shoe, and even a blue and white striped label on the back of the shoe by the heal. I immediately become infuriated. Is Sketchers really that lame of a company that they can't come up with their own idea- they have to copy another company's work? My friend pulls me away trying to diffuse my anger. As we walk a littler further down the aisle, I can't get it off my mind. I keep commenting about it. I look back- stupid shoes. We walk a little further in the store and my eyes drift back to those shoes again. I give them the evil eye (for some reason I must have thought the people at Sketchers would know I was mad at them if I did that and that no one would ever buy a pair of BOBS). I see a lady approach them and is giving them serious consideration. I tell my friend that I want to go over there and tell her not to buy them. How can she even consider buying them- they are clearly a knock off? Lindsay grabs my arm and tells me we need to leave. I think she knew there would have been a fight and those shoes wouldn't have won.

There have been lots of articles about how Sketchers copied TOMS. One article sums it up nicely, saying that its great that more companies are considering the One for One model of business, but the only "why" behind this that I can think of is its a corporate gimmick; try and sucker people into believing its the real deal when really, BOBS are nothing but impostors. I doubt Sketchers has people as passionate as Blake Mycoskie and the rest of the TOMS family working for them. Look at the shoes and tell me BOBS isn't a fraud/copycat.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5200588548_38e4b2b1d8.jpg

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Peace Corps On My Mind

I find not a day goes by when Peace Corps doesn't enter my mind at least 20 times.
  • I check out PCJ daily to see what's new with other applicants and those serving. I still check up and read the blogs of those in Tonga which I started reading when that's where I thought I was going.
  • I debate daily if I am making the right choice. One day I know I am, the next day I question the decision. However, the reason I question is I am scared that something will go wrong. I know it is the right decision for me and I will have the experience of a lifetime, but right now, I am scared- which I know is normal.
  • I check up on PC Wiki to see if any new staging dates have been added and if so, check my Excel spreadsheet and see if that country listed has the right programs. (As neurotic as this sounds to anyone not considering PC service, I know I am not the only one!)
  • I question if I made the right choice in changing my earliest departure date from now to August. Maybe I gave up an amazing opportunity in Romania. I will never know and just have to trust I made the right choice.
  • I find myself checking my phone more frequently to see if I have service or if I missed a phone call from (202).
  • I go shopping and see something and think, I would consider get that if I knew where I was going to be in a few months.
  • I think about where I could be going and debate where would be my first choice, while not trying to get my hopes up. At this point, I would love SE Asia or the Pacific Islands (although I am glad I am not there right now). I can pretty much rule out Central/South America because I don't speak Spanish and parts of Africa since I don't speak French. But overall I tell myself, I know I will enjoy anywhere I am placed and I trust my Placement Officer's decision.
I know I will find out more information soon enough and I need to be patient. It would just be nice to know so I can start preparing (I am an over planner, so preparing for Peace Corps service will be no small, or quick, feat).