Long Overdue

I swore in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer on October 16.
After some massive shopping in the market of Kaolack, I moved to Dioly on October 21st.
Dioly is a small village of about 250 people. There is no running water. There is no electricity. But there is a robine (communal faucet) on the way!

I called my niece to wish her a happy birthday. And she asked me some questions which made me realize that my emails haven't necessarily been thorough (oh, and I haven't been updating my blog? surely you jest!).

What are the people like?
This is a hard question. Just try to generalize all Americans. Oh. Really? You can stereotype Americans that easy? Okay. I guess I can try, then.
Senegalese are a very friendly, welcoming people. They boast about their "teranga" or hospitality. And it is true. When you meet someone new (Which you do about 20 times a day--because you say hello to EVERYONE), they ask you how you are, how your family is, how the heat is treating you, how your work is going...and follow every one of your responses with "alhamduliliah....tabarika la...jamm rekk..." (Thanks be to God, Peace Only). Then, they'll ask your last name and start their unique cultural joking... "Cisse! Your last name is Cisse! Oh, you like to eat rice! You eat so much! Ndiao is a much better last name. You should be a Ndaio." To which I refute everything (No! It is Ndiao that like to eat rice! Cisse is better!---Oh, okay, for you, I'll be a Ndiao.) Or, even better... ,"Cisse! Oh, I am a Cisse too! You are my family! What is your first name? Ouly! Ouly is my mother! Oh, my mother! It has been so long since I've seen you, I have missed you so much!" It takes some getting used to. But Senegalese, be they Wolof, Pulaar, Sereer, etc all love to joke and laugh. It is good that I, too, like to laugh. Alot. :)
When I walk past at breakfast, lunch, or dinner times, I get bombarded with "Kii, Lekk; Newal an; Doo ndekke?" (Here, eat; Come, have lunch; You aren't eating breakfast?) No matter how much one has eaten, it is really expected that one should stuff their face as much as possible. Repetitively. They cajole you into eating. Just to find out that lunch today is rice with slimy okra covered with a thick layer of red palm oil. But. It is a risk worth taking. Because lunch could be yassa (spicy onion sauce over rice) or maybe there are tasty vegetables in their rice and fish or maybe they are eating maafe (peanut sauce over rice). However, it seems to be Murphy's Law that if you cave and sit down to the bowl...you're eating okra.
I travel the 6 k to my nearest neighbor's village fairly frequently. The road takes me through 2 other small villages (Chicken and Rohan...I'm sure that is NOT how they are spelled, but it is how they sound). Everytime I go, I turn down numerous offers to eat or just to sit and talk... "Yes, I know it is hot out, the sun is very hot. You say the shade is cooler. I know. I know. But I must go home. Oh. You're building me a hut? Where I can stay and talk with you forever? Oh....with running water and electricity? Oh, I'll be right back!"
No, really, in 4 miles of mostly deserted sand path I will tell 20+ people where I am going, where I came from, acknowledge the heat, graciously tell them I'm full, acknowledge how pretty my bike is, apologize for the fact that I cannot give my bike away.

What time is it there? Is it hot?
I am 7 hours ahead of Mountain Time. So, as I write this, it is 11 a.m. here, and 4 a.m. at home.
It is still hot here. Though it has cooled down to 65 at night recently. Which results in my wearing socks and drinking Nescafe in the mornings. But it still gets up near 100 quite often.

What am I doing?
Learning. A different language and a different culture is hard. Especially when it is so far remove from your own. I sit in my hut and study or read. I hem up my skirts or mend things (and, a woman in my compound brought me a scrap of frabric the other day and asked me to sew her month old daughter an outfit...I did it. No machine. No iron. No pattern. It took me a day and a half. Pictures on facebook.) I go sit in the shade and get bombarded by small children. I tend my garden. Doing laundry takes all day. I eat my meals (except for breakfast) with everyone else. 5-15 people around a huge metal bowl of rice or millet topped with a variety of different sauces. My favorite is rice with yassa. Or millet with nebbe baasi (a brown bean sauce). There is usually fish--to some degree--in all meals. Even if I don't taste fish, I tend to find a fish bone...interesting...
But. They give me a spoon. And usuallly one or two of the men eat with a spoon, too. Everyone else uses their hand.
I was thinking the other night: What woman in her right mind would want to use plates and silverware? Eating Senegalese style is like having pizza night at home. No dishes! Especially since they use only one or two pots to cook in, one knife to cut everything, and they cut things while holding them--thus, no cutting board either! Cleanup in Senegal is pretty sweet!
I shell peanuts until I feel a blister starting. I help pull the leaves of moringa off the branch (for use in cooking). I silently cheer inside when I can understand things in casual conversation. I don't know how anyone can ever hear in a foreign language without actively listening.
Kids here are just like kids everywhere else. They are dirty. Covered in dirt. But they are bathed EVERY day. Not like dirty American kids who bathe every other day or every third day. But imagine if your livingroom floor were a sand box. Dirt happens. Kids here hate baths and washing, too. It is universal.
And kids here play the same games. Gemma and Mariama were tying a flashlight to their backs the other day, pretending it was a baby. Samba (yes, a boy) then took the flashlight, pulled up his shirt, and breast fed it. :) Samba and Omar-Fanne were playing around on the horse cart the other day and Fanne (Omar's mom. since there are multiple Omar's, her son is referred to as Omar-Fanne) asked him what he was doing. "Going to Nganda" (nearby town)
"Oh, what are you going to buy there?"
"Beignets!" (yes, doughnuts)
"Only beignets? That's a long way to go for otnly beignets. What else are you going to buy?"
"Bread...and bananas!"At which point, the boys started yelling "bananas" and runnning around like, well, they'd gone bananas.
I guess for all the difficult parts of language and culture, some things are exactly the same.

Ndanke-ndanke

I caution that one should not go lizard hunting in Senegal. Without water. In the middle of the day. When it is 90+ degrees.
There is a saying in Senegal that (translated from Wolof) says "Slowly/Quietly is how to best trap a monkey in the bush". Which we manipulated to trap a lizard.... However, we did not see any lizards. We instead got our pants COVERED in stick-tights and burrs, felt like we were going to die of thirst, got nasty sunburns, and thanked the Lord that "stealing" is not a concept in Senegal when we picked a handful of peanut plants to eat fresh peanuts. :) Really, it was a matter of life and death. I promise.

However, the next day, a guy in the village did catch a lizard. I'm told they taste like chicken. I will never know. Because my host-grandmother was very vehement about the fact that I COULD NOT eat lizard. That lizard was BAD and would make my stomach HURT. And, since I was in a very small village and everyone knows everything, I couldn't sneak and eat lizard. Mam Ami Sow would have known. And I don't think I would like to disappoint her.

(and sorry, since I don't have my Wolof notebook with me, I do not have the full phrase...but it starts out 'Ndanke-ndanke')

I have posted pictures on Facebook, if you want access to them and aren't on FB, email me and let me know, I'll send you the link.

Things have been going great here. The end of training is in sight! We have two weeks until swear-in and 18 days until I am installed at my site. I am going to be in the Kaffrine region of Senegal. Basically, if you look at a map of Senegal and follow the line of The Gambia...when the line jogs north, continue North-Westish for about 15k. Kind of. It is in the heart of the Peanut Basin. However, my techincal trainer tells me that "There is no Peace in Peanuts, therefore, Peace Corps does not extend Peanuts". :) Which is pretty funny. So I will be focusing more on corn, millet, cowpeas, sorghum, and rice. But, since the soil is sandy and poor, I will be focusing on rice and cowpeas most. I suspect easy success with the cowpeas...not so with the rice. :( There is a little bit of sesame being grown in my area as well.

Right now, I'm just excited to get to my site soon. To be able to buy things for my hut. To be able to plant things in my backyard. To be able to do a little bit of cooking by myself. To be able to start integrating into the village that will be my home for two years. Mostly, I think I am excited to be in control of my own life again (well, as in control as one can be while in Senegal), I would like to make to-do lists and follow my own timetable instead of everyone else's.
Of course, nothing is concrete....and if I don't pass my language exam on the 14th, I'll be a little delayed getting to my village :S. So, I should really be studying Wolof right now, not posting on my blog.

I *might* be able to get a blog/pictures up between the 17th and the 21st. If I don't, however, I will likely not have another blog until after Thanksgiving. I apologize in advance.

It's a Bird! It's a Plane!!

If one ever wants to feel like a celebrity:

1) move to a 3rd world country where you are the obvious minority

2) travel in multiples, so your novelty is amplified

3) take a horse-drawn carriage through a city

4) shock everyone by knowing the basics of their language

5) be flattered every time someone yells "Toubab!"...think of it as your celebrity nickname...rather than "white stranger", usually followed by "may ma xaliss" (offer me money).

So things are going well. I will be installed in my village on the 21st. My village is a approximately 250 people. My host father and counterpart (aka: host country co-worker) is pretty cool, we had some great laughs over conversation that neither of us understood well. And I have some ideas for what I want to accomplish in my village. Though, until I actually see my village, I suppose I shouldn't put the cart before the horse. (oh! so punny when I have pictures of my charet ride hopefully uploading...)

I must share the epitome of "I am in Africa" moments. So, a couple of weeks ago was Korite (the end of Ramadan) and the community was cooking communaly. I was told I had to help. So I went over and was pulling fly-covered chunks of meat out of a dirty tub and holding them over another tub, while another woman cut them into smaller chunks with a dull knife (both of us pulling on the meat). In the middle of this, there is another plastic tub full of water and potatoes and onions. Perched on the side of this second tub is a chicken, getting a drink. A young boy literally pushes 8 sheep past the "prep area"--within a foot of the prep area. And the woman cutting the meat lifts her top and her child comes over for lunch...as she cuts meat with a dull knife in a thoroughly unsanitary fashion, with a billion small animals and flies around. I have to share this, because I know that in another 4 months, this won't strike me as out of the ordinary.

Well, and I lie. Because I am quite sure that there are probably about 20 "epitome of Africa" moments that I have had....I really should start taking better notes, otherwise, I'll forget them all, and you'll never get to read a boring blog relaying them. And I couldn't deprive the world of that!

Finally!

Okay, so I apologize greatly for procrastinating this post.
It is just rather tough to borrow someone's computer and then feel ok for hijacking it for an hour or so...

So things are going well!
I am in a small community for training. There are maybe a dozen compounds in our village. I am living with a host family. My host family has two small children and the father speaks English and French. We have a solar panel. And luxuriously large "shower" and "toilet" facilities.
I am learning Wolof. Which is rather difficult. But I don't have to conjugate verbs. In Wolof, you "conjugate" the pronoun. So there are 8+ ways to say I, you, etc.

I eat "ceeb au jen" which is literally rice and fish. Sometimes, there is cabbage, eggplant, potato, or carrot cooked with the fish (or this crazy little green tomato like veggie called jaxatu). I eat ceeb au jen at least once a day if not twice. And I have 1/3 of a baguette for breakfast with a cup of creamer and sugar with 1/4 tsp of Nescafe in it. Which is just enough Nescafe to give it color. Obviously, I do not make my own "coffee". Maybe after I learn more Wolof I can make my own coffee.

If I'm productive enough, I'll get a few pictures uploaded tomorrow. If I can bum a computer. :)

New Placement!

So, I was sent an email yesterday (I know! Sunday! The PC office is definitely working hard on getting us reassigned!) which I got today (due to the internet being temperamental).

I am going to Senegal!

Now, for the introduction to Senegal:

• Senegal is just south of Mauritania.
• Senegal has lots of animals! Impalas, lions, cheetahs, monkeys, giraffes, oryx, warthogs, foxes, jackals, gazelles, rhinos, hippos, water buffalos, etc. Basically, the animals you would expect to see in Africa!
• It is approximately the size of South Dakota (~76,000 sq miles) with a population of ~13 million.
• While predominately Muslim (Sufism), 5% of the population is Catholic! Approximately 1% of the population practices tradition African animism. Senegal prides itself on religious tolerance.
• The city of Saint-Louis, Senegal is the African equivalent of New Orleans...a mecca for music (Jazz!) and the arts, it has also retained much of its French influence.
• Food will be similar to what I was expecting in Mauritania... though I haven't noticed any mention of the communal dish/eating by hand common to Mauritania... Maybe the food is the same, but the culture different in that aspect.
• Peace Corps will issue me a bike and helmet! For some reason, this is one of the more exciting things for me.
• Dress will be somewhat similar to what I'd already anticipated and packed for. However, it is much more progressive. Skirts only need to be below the knee, and it doesn't appear that I need to cover my shoulders. Loose fitting clothing is recommended. It will be socially acceptable for a Western woman to wear pants (though I probably don't want to make a habit of it).
• I will be living with a host family for the entire time I am there. I am guaranteed my own private room (including my own 'latrine'). Culturally, it is perceived as very odd if someone lives alone, therefore, PC places us with families... after all, being blonde-haired and blue-eyed is enough of an oddity!
• Best of all: "Senegal’s political stability has in many ways been a shining light in what has otherwise been a difficult post-independence struggle for most of sub-Saharan Africa." -PC Welcome Book, Senegal I have also read that Senegal is one of the few African nations that has never seen a coup d'etat. :) It is a socialist republic. (I can just imagine Mr. Hamilton's reaction...)
• I will be a "sustainable agriculture extension agent". The role is similar to my prior assignment, but is more focused on sustainability and community outreach/support/involvement.
• What it all boils down to is good things! Less sand, more fruits and vegetables, more animals, more tolerant and progressive culture, more water...

I am leaving August 10th.

I was just getting used to the idea that I might be here until the middle of September.

Now I'm feeling frantically crunched for time.

I have 2 cattle drives, a trip to Big Fork, a trip to Great Falls?, a hike/ride up to Edith Lake, Fair/Rodeo, and the training of 2-3 horses to do! Besides study as much French as possible and re-pack!

I depart in approximately 42 days.

Well, so long as I don't get a call a week out postponing things... ;)

Not going to Mauritania. period.

I just got a call from Peace Corps. They decided that, rather than string us along for a few months, they'd offer us new placements. They will construct a brand-new Mauritania class if/when Mauritania gets their act in gear. They are not, by any means, canceling Mauritania's program. They do not view yesterday's murder as anything anti-Peace Corps, they do not believe current volunteers are in any sort of danger. Mauritania and all of the presidential candidates have expressed their desire to keep Peace Corps.

Here is a small list of other countries I could possibly go to...and when. I might not be in an agricultural program anymore. I might not be going to Africa. I might not be in a francophone country.

August 2nd = Uganda

August 10th = Guatemala, Senegal

August 11th = Panama

August 17th = Namibia

August 18th = Dominican Republic

August 19th = Belize, Kazakhstan

August 20th = Philippines

August 24th = Eastern Caribbean

August 31st = Nicaragua

September 1st = Mexico

September 3rd = Micronesia and Palau

September 7th = Morocco

September 9th = Peru

September 12th = Vanuatu

September 14th = Macedonia

September 16th = Togo

September 17th = Cameroon

September 23rd = Malawi, Paraguay

September 27th = Ukraine

September 28th = Azerbaijan, Mozambique, Turkmenistan

October 2nd = Ethiopia

October 22nd = Jordan

November 11th = Lesotho

November 30th = Guinea

Some of these are highly unlikely. I.e.: Guatemala, I do not speak Spanish and my aunt owns a home there. Though, not all of these are likely possibilities, by any means. Some do not have programs that I am eligible for. Some speak languages I have no knowledge of.

Oh well. We'll see.

The Placement Office will have some possible placements for me, or some more definite timelines hopefully by next Tuesday. Which would be truly amazing! All of us Mauritania rejects will be given priority placement, etc, etc. And, like I just told my PO on the phone, (oh, and that's Placement Officer, not parole officer, smarty-pants!) I just can't imagine being on their end figuring out all of these logistics. Ugh! Just tell me where to go and when to be there and I'm okay!

I just hope that wherever I go, I can still use my new long dresses and long skirts! Though, I will not complain if I am going the South Pacific or the Caribbean. :) Really, I won't complain if I am going to Ukraine or Azerbaijan, either.

Uncertainties

An American has been killed in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott. Read here. And there is still a lot of Election hullabaloo.

I am worried that tensions will not ease after the election.

I think I'm just paranoid because I read "Left to Tell" yesterday. Reading about all of the political uncertainties in that situation makes me imagine the worst eventualities in this situation.

Time will tell.

Not en route to Africa

The good news:

1) I didn't cry constantly this whole past week.

2) I didn't stress about re-packing my bags.

3) I have a couple more months to practice my French.

4) I am able to better organize all the junk I'm leaving in the states.

5) I will be able to go to another Broadwater County Fair and Rodeo.

6) I will get to attend my niece, Quincy's, 5th birthday party.

7) I will (most likely) get to see Kirchhoff's when they come up to MT to visit.

8) I will get to enjoy another MT summer.

9) I will get to watch Harry Potter in the theaters!!

10) I have a little more time to save a bit more money.

The bad news:

1) I will have to say a 2nd round of good-byes.

2) I have to unpack my bags.

3) I have to keep studying Rosetta Stone. (I think I'll punch my computer some day!)

4) I need to look at the stuff I'd hoped to not look at for the next 2 years.

5) I have to explain to people why I am still in the States.

6) When I come home from Mauritania, it will be October 2011.  Going from Mauritania October to MT October will be a HUGE shock to my system!!

7) I have to find/start/end a job in less than 2 months.

8) I will have to repack my bags.

9) I have a couple more months of student loan payments.

10) I found all this out exactly 1 week ago.  Exactly 1 week before I was to have boarded a flight to Philadelphia for staging.

So.

What happened?

The Mauritanian government has decided to not issue any new visas until after their presidential elections.  (Their elections were initially scheduled for early June and have been rescheduled for July 18th.)  I appreciate their foresight (after all, it would NOT be fun to have just gotten there while there are riots, slightly unstable government, etc).  The Peace Corps did try to pull every single string they had and call out every old favor.  But ambassadors, etc could not create a miracle.

Peace Corps is confident that our visas will be issued promptly after the election.  They figure we will be headed out mid-August.  

And.

What am I going to do now?

Well, preferably, a whole lot of nothing! I figure I need to pin down a part-time job somewhere. I am pretty flexible on the location...Kalispell, Townsend, Billings, Durango, maybe even Great Falls! But I plan on trying to make myself relax a bit.  If I stay in Townsend, I will likely spend the time breaking my (not-quite-so-young) fillies (well, maybe they qualify as mares by now) and helping out my parents.  If I go up to Kalispell, I will likely find a job in a nursery and have fun with my nieces.  If I go to Billings, I will house-sit for my aunt while she is out of the country, and maybe go to Guatemala with her.  If I went to Durango, I would find a job...and probably have to do a fair bit of dog-sitting...and Esther might make me run.  If I went to Great Falls, my life would be similar to life in Kalispell.

I made myself not stress about all of this last week.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Oregon with my sisters and my time in Seattle with Cas and Amanda.  

So, uh, keep posted...Mauritania has been delayed...but I am trying to not be too discouraged about it.

The rundown...for any who've missed it

1) What am I doing?  Why?  

I started my application for the Peace Corps 1 1/2 years ago.  Literally.  But I didn't click the submit button until the end of October.  Mid-January, I was nominated for an agricultural program in Mauritania.  Normally, specific information re: the country is not given to the applicant at this time.  I don't know why I was so lucky.  But it gave me a TON of time to adjust to the thought of Mauritania.  I was officially invited in April and I fly out of Seattle for orientation (aka: "stage") on the 15th.

Really, I have always wanted to travel.  And I enjoy helping people.  I have always felt drawn to international outreach.  And I finally got to the point in my life where it seemed stupid that I wasn't joining the Peace Corps.  I couldn't come up with any good reason why I wasn't volunteering.  So, I am saying good-bye to my student loans, family, friends, most of my possessions, my horses, running water, electricity, showers, and comfort food for a couple of years.  Don't worry, I'll be back (and those student loans aren't ever going away!)

2) Mauritania:

Is a real country (I know, I almost didn't believe it either!)

Located in North West Africa.  South of Morocco and next door to Mali (home of Timbuktu).

Is big.  Almost 420,000 square miles.

Has approximately 3 million residents.

Approximately 2,988,00 of those residents are Muslim.

Oh, the official title for Mauritania is "Islamic Republic of Mauritania"

It is truly (confirmed by most every site I've read) one of the most under-developed countries in the world.

4/5 of Mauritania is the Sahara Desert.

Is currently under a military junta.  Democratic elections were scheduled for June 6, however, they have been postponed until August.

3) Agroforesty Agent:

I will be trying to help grow more sustainable, nutritious, and plentiful crops.  While decreasing erosion (ie: sand storms) and desertification (the Sahara has been expanding due to severe drought since the 1960s) by using conservation agriculture methods like no-till farming and planting trees.  

4) Details:

This is a 2 year commitment.  I have 2-3 months of training in country (Rosso, Mauritania  it is in the south, along the border of Senegal) followed by placement somewhere.  Where I may or may not have another white person in my village and I may or may not live with a host family.  I also may or may not have electricity, running water, or internet.  I may live in a mud hut.  I will have a cell phone. :)  And I will have internet access at least once a month when I have to report in to the regional capital. 

5) Contact:

I will have a cell phone.  So, depending on how expensive it is to use for international calls, I may be able to actually talk to people!!

I will have internet access intermittently.  I will try to keep this blog updated, update my Facebook, etc and send out personal and mass emails.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I will LOVE getting real mail.  Especially if there is some kind of goody tucked in there. :)

My address (for the first few months, anyway):

Teresa Schnur, PCT

Corps de la Paix

B.P. 222

Nouakchott, Mauritania

West Africa

One needs to write "Par avion" on the envelope.  Apparently mail does still travel by boat.  Mail that is delivered via boat takes months.  Versus the weeks via plane.  Also, please number your letters to me.  I hear that I may miss some, or get many at the same time.  I would like to know what order to read them in. (And I'll number my letters to you!).

6) To answer all those other questions:

What will I eat?

Rice and lamb. Couscous and lamb. Rice and fish. Couscous and fish. With some random vegetables thrown in. I will drink lots of mint tea.  I will eat my meals out of a communal dish.  Using my right hand rather than cutlery. Being in a Muslim country, I will not be eating pork. :'( Due to lack of refrigeration, I will also not be eating the cheese I am used to. :'(

What will I wear?

Ankle length skirts. Legs are super-sexy.  They must not be seen.  I should also keep my shoulders covered.  And my head, depending on how conservative of a region I am in.  I will be wearing sandals (I bought 2 pairs of Chacos which I love), as shoes must be taken off before entering a house...and shoes and socks would be quite hot.

Diseases?

Malaria is endemic.  I will be on anti-malarial drugs, which I hear produce some very colorful dreams.  I will be vaccinated for Yellow Fever.  HIV/AIDS is not nearly so predominant as it is in many other areas of SubSaharan Africa.  There is a nasty parasite in fresh water, called schistosomiasis...therefore I must avoid swimming/bathing/wading in lakes and rivers.  Most illnesses are parasitic or related to poor food quality (ie: lack of refrigeration).  Diarrhea is one of the main killers of children.

Well, that about covers everything for now.

Especially since I mostly posted all of this in order to procrastinate studying French and packing.  Now it is 11 and I have to pack...or else sleep on the floor.

Mauritania in 15 days!

Less than 1 month

I will be in Mauritania on June 18th.  

Which is 30 days from today.

The last fifteen days will be spent with family and close friends.  

Which means I have exactly 15 days to pack and move.  

And things look a little hairy in my room right now. :S  At least I only have 1 more box of kitchen stuff (hopefully) to pack up.

I just received my staging information.  I need to be in Philadelphia by 6 p.m. on June 15th.  When I tried to call SATO Travel today to book my flight to Philly, they were slammed and having computer issues.  So.  They told me they'd call me at about 7 a.m. tomorrow.  

It is approximately a 5 hr flight from Seattle to Philadelphia.  

I will be leaving JFK @ 3:50 p.m. on the 17th, and will arrive in Dakar, Senegal 8 1/2 hours later.  Which will be 4:15 a.m. local time on the 18th.  I don't know the travel plans from there...It might be a bus that we'll take into Mauritania...or some little puddle-jumper plane.

I emailed the PC office to find out how I'm doing on my Rosetta Stone hours.  Hopefully I am over 1/2 way done.  

Other than that, I think I'm doing pretty good on my "to-do" list.  I still need to call my insurance agent re: any updates I can make to my policy for my absence.  But I think that's about it.  Yay!

Productivity!! Finally!!

1) Register to vote. Check!

2) Request absentee ballot. Check!

well, I now have the form.  I will send it in as soon as I have my permanent Mauritania address.

3) Register pickup. Check! Check! Check!

Yep, that's right.  I dished out some extra money and finally got permanent tags.  Now Mom doesn't have to think about my registration every April!

4) Finish PC Mauritania resume. Check!

Extensive application, essays, interviews...I still had to write up another resume!

5) Write PC Mauritania Aspiration Statement. Check!

see above re: redundancy

6) Practice two hours of French. Check!

And my brain is now fried!

And that was just today!  And I worked 7 hours!

Now, about the French practice.  

The Peace Corps is continual surprises.  They advised me (in January) to enroll in a college course or buy Rosetta Stone.  I guffawed and bought cheap Berlitz curricula and downloaded free podcasts.  Yesterday, I received an email from PC Mauritania.  Outlining instructions for how to log on to my online Rosetta Stone course and telling me that I must complete at least 40 hours before I arrive in country.

40 hours.  In 46 (counting yesterday) days.  Not accounting for all of the days I'll be with family, etc. (or the upcoming days where I work 8-5 at the bank and 5-11 at the GranTree...but only 2 more of those)

Well, now.  I should probably study another 1/2 hour of French before I go to bed....

Au revoir!

It is snowing again

The below article outlines why I was getting rather worried about actually being invited.  

However, it conversely points out how to become a more competitive applicant.  All of the basic "we can teach them this program content" assignments get snapped up very quickly by all the liberal arts, etc degrees.  However, if one has experience in technology, agriculture, business, etc...those program areas are basically begging for volunteers.

Thus, I wind up doing agriculture because of my "almost-match" skill set, rather than waiting until next year for a community health program, etc.

http://thenewservice.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/toughroadtopeacecorps/

Every day, I think I finally understand how frantic I should be.  But I really don't understand.  Because a few days later, I say to myself, "Wow! Only 5 more weekends until I leave Bozeman!"  And my schedule is getting packed.  I am not getting packed, but my schedule is. heh heh

So I tried to get going on my packing mission today.  But ran out of newspaper before I even had a full box of dishes. :S  

I am working 21 hours at the GranTree this week.  Which usurps my packing (btw: 3 types of packing: bringing to Mauritania, storing @ Mom/Dad's, and goodwill), language studying, etc.

But the money is worth it.  A couple more crisp 100 dollar bills I can ferret away for exchange in country.  Or a couple hundred more I can tuck into my bank account here.

And I need to call in sick this week.  Because I have to get to the Broadwater Co Courthouse to register my truck, register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot, etc.  And Judy won't let me work this Saturday (and therefore, work 1/2 a day during the week)...which means I must call in sick in order to get this stuff done. :S  I feel rather bad about it, but it isn't my fault that I am not legitimately having time off.

On an ending note, I said good-bye to winter earlier this week.  I went outside in the middle of the night as 6+ inches were dumped on Bozeman, and I took pictures of the "last snow for 2 years".  Ha!  Winter didn't want to say goodbye.  It is snowing again.

Lists, lists, lists

I don't know what people did before Facebook.

I already have 9 "friends" who are either current PCVs or incoming PCVs (like me).  Current PCVs are able to tell us what they should've brought, or wish they would've left home.  Incoming PCVs are able to "meet" prior to stage.  

It is so fun to find a new Mauritania-bound person.  To be able to say, "yeah! I think I'll get along with this person" or "Oh! Biochemistry degree! They're going to know their stuff!"  There is already the super-outgoing person.  You know, the one who walks up and introduces herself to strangers right off the bat.  (It is not me!)

I've learned more about PC and the application process from Facebook, PeaceCorps wiki and the PC-RIM google group, than from the official PC website.

I am still on a quest for passport pictures.  I went to WalMart's photo studio.  Got my picture taken.  Found out that it is $10/2 pics no matter how many!!  I was not going to dish out $120 for passport pics.  So I went to FedEx/Kinkos.  The first 2 are 12.99, $5/2 after that.  But the girl at FedEx said that Costco's are really cheap.  SO.  I'm going to have to get Heidi to take me to Costco (since she has a membership) sometime this weekend.  That means I should be able to FedEx my passport/visa applications on Monday.

I need to email my resume/letter of intent to PC RIM (btw: Republique Islamique de Mauritanie) ASAP also.  I have to do this b/c the country doesn't receive any of my application materials.  I have to sum me up in a resume and letter....which was PAGES of PC application materials.  Ugh.

And I need to go up to Townsend next week to register my truck (permanent plates?) and register to vote/request absentee ballot.  Since Judy won't let me work 5/2 (and therefore have a 1/2 day in the week), I think I'm going to call in sick.  After all, I have 50+ hours of sick time.  I can't just cash those out like I can my vacation days. :S  My conscience might nag me about that, but I think I'll get over it.

Everything else can wait for a little bit.  Calling my insurance company to make sure I have the cheapest possible insurance while I'm away, etc.

And I did get a letter today confirming that I am going to the Cursillo in Bozeman the 15-17 of May.  I'm really excited to go.  I think it will be really really good to have a really strong spiritual experience before I go.  Especially since I won't have any familiar religion around me for 2+ years.  I just think back to how I felt after Search... I think that the extra little push from the Holy Spirit will be a good thing.  (wow, that sounds like I'm more religious than I am...)  But, this means I have one less weekend to be productive.  And one less weekend to spend with friends.  

I need to start realizing that really, I'm leaving June 3rd (for all intents and purposes)...which means I only have *just* over a month.  GAH!!

Gah! So much to do!  I have a ton of paperwork to fill out...and not very much time to visit friends or study French... :S

57 days.

Foretold in the stars!

So I checked my email this a.m. and had an email from Peace Corps re: my "application status update"....So I checked my application and my invitation is in the mail! :D:D  Hopefully I'll have it by friday...they should have sent it out yesterday if it got updated last night...so maybe even Thursday? :)

Funny thing:

I checked my horoscope just a minute ago (b/c I have it on my dashboard, so when I check the outside temp, I check my horoscope too)...

"You've been making a good impression on some very powerful people, and today, your perseverance will pay off handsomely.  Get ready to be invited to the inner circle, either through a social or work-related invitation.  The nature of your time with these people isn't as important as the length of time you will have with them, so be relaxed and grounded when you're in their presence.  They want to get to know you better, so be confidant and smile!"

I think that's the closest to an accurate horoscope as I've ever had!

so close!

I just got done with my final placement interview.

Yay!

It really was quick and painless.  She asked me some of the same questions from my initial interview, asked me about being out of touch with my family, and how I felt about agriculture vs HHD.  She said everything looks perfect, can't see anything that would possibly hold up my placement process....

But...

She has to double check with the Mauritania agriculture program (again!) to make sure that my skill addenda would qualify me adequately.  She said she should hear back from them w/i a couple of days.  I completely agree with the couple of days.  When my recruiter checked with them it only took 2-3 business days before I was officially nominated for the program.  (I talked with her noon on a Wednesday, and I was officially nominated the following Monday).  SO.  Hopefully, they will update my profile by Wednesday, which means I should have my official invitation packet in the mail a week from today. :)

Yay!

Phew!

According to a girl on Facebook (in the "Future Peace Corps Volunteers" group), she had a final interview also.  It is apparently normal.  Yay!  And the final interview is basically just making sure that family members haven't reacted negatively to the change, following up on any concerns, etc.  

So yay!

I might actually be invited by Easter! :)  Or, at least, my invitation will be in the mail...

ANOTHER interview!

"Hello Teresa,

My name is Lateefah Burgess; I am your Placement Officer at Peace Corps.  I am currently considering your application for placement.  I would like to arrange a 30-minute phone interview with you to complete the final evaluation of your application.  Please let me know a day and time, beginning April 8th, when you would be available for a phone interview and the best number at which to reach you.  I am available Monday through Friday between 9:30am to 5:30pm EST.

Thank you,

Lateefah Burgess"

So I am now doubting lots of things.

1) Is this going to be an interview to test my spoken French?

2) Is it going to be re-evaluating my agricultural background?

3) The Madagascar program (including new invitees scheduled to depart 6/16) has been cancelled.  Has this cancellation made the program more competitive?

I think I'll schedule my interview for the afternoon of Good Friday.  Since I only work the a.m.  It will be easier to do the interview then, I think.  Otherwise, it would be squeezing the interview in over my lunch or when I get off of work.

I will also practice some conversational French.  Because Lateefah is a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) from Senegal, another Francophone African country (actually, Mauritania's neighbor to the south).

Happy to hear that a bunch of sisters will be home for Easter!  I'll take my spider plant up to MaryVeir.  And Esther will be able to get her plants from me in a few weeks.

I printed off a schedule of my potential remaining time.  It is 10 weeks from tomorrow that I will potentially be departing.  It truly feels like that is absolutely no time at all!

Last Step

So, from what I can tell:

I have been cleared medically and dentally.

I have no legal holds on my account.

The only check-box that needs to be checked is "placement"

I need to practice my French. Alot.

And I need to read all the books I've gotten about Africa and crop management, etc.

I have 85 days if all goes as it should.

And those last 15 days or so I won't be doing much studying.

So really, I have about 70 days.

No time at all!

St. Patty's Day miracle...almost

So I am now medically cleared.

Not yet dentally cleared.

I cannot imagine if this process was taking longer (like it does for most nominees).  Although, I suppose if I was nominated for a program leaving in September, my attitude would be a little more laissez-faire.  

I need to be practicing my French more. :S And I have ALOT of books on Africa, agriculture, etc that I need to power through.  

Theoretically, I only have 89 days before I leave for Mauritania.

Impatient

So I received an email saying, "Your Peace Corps application has been updated"!

I excitedly went to the website to see my status.  And all they have done is taken a hold off of my account.  A hold they put on my application while reviewing my medical evaluation.  

It doesn't say they've cleared my medical, it doesn't say they've even started to look at my dental.  

I know it was wildly optimistic of me to think I would hear back really quickly.  It sounds like I've already heard back more than most people (some applicants' applications don't even get updated to show their paperwork has been received until 2-3 weeks after it was sent).  But I would love to know before the end of March.  Rather than having to sit on pins and needles until the middle of April.  Or, even worse, the 1st of May!  Because if I don't get the invite by the 1st of May, I can't go to Mauritania.  :S

Medical is in...

Dr. Schauer cleaned/filled a couple spots of "yuck" (I'm told that's a technical dentistry term for decay) on one tooth on Thursday.  When I got back to Bozeman I drove up to campus to FedEx/Kinkos so I could send in the requisite forms from my doctors.  Where I found out that I not only had a prepaid envelope, but it was OVERNIGHT!!  

So yesterday I received an email update saying that my medical/dental files are under review! Yay!

Now, I'm told it takes 4-6 weeks to clear medical/dental evaluation.  BUT I've read multiple blogs where the applicant was cleared in a week.  So I'm holding out hope that I'll be cleared quickly.  

They say that the time taken to clear is partially dependent on potential departure date.  Since my potential departure date is 106 days away I would assume that they would process it quickly. (And, yes, I have a countdown on my calendar).

I have started getting ready to go.  Somewhat.

I packed up 3 boxes of clothes to go to GoodWill.  I am going to pack up clothes that I want to have when I come back.  And the clothes that I don't pack up into one of those categories right now will mostly be work clothes.  (Which will mostly be packed up for when I come back).  And I threw away a full garbage bag of clothes also.  It is rather surprising how many clothes a person has that have holes, stains, etc...  Going through the shoes will not be so easy!

I also packed up a box of books.  And my textbooks.  And most of my Christmasy stuff.

I think my "fun" project for preparing to go will be collecting pictures.  Aunt Kathy gave me a really neat square little album a few years ago for Christmas (um, I think it was 2003, so I haven't done anything with it for almost 6 years...Amanda would say a throw-back to my 'box-o-junk' methodology for storing sentimental bits).  But I think I can fit a bunch of pictures in there.  I'm mostly just curious now if I should glue them in, or use picture corners.  I'm leaning towards picture corners...But I might have to have Amanda help me...It might be a little too scrap-booky for me. :)

Needles!

So I had my medical exam today. It went surprisingly quickly. Though I got 3 shots (and this isn't even any special international-type stuff), had 6 vials of blood drawn, a TB test, and peed in a cup. Not to mention just the regular physical exam portion. But, it is over! Dr. Burton is going to hopefully have all the labwork back by Friday, so my whole medical chunk will be ready to go! I can't send off my dental information until after Dr. Schauer completes some work on the 26th. And I have my eye appointment on the 18th. *deep sigh of relief*

I just want to know for sure where and when I'm going. I want to be able to prepare without the inkling of dread that something won't work out. I want to start packing things and taking things to goodwill. I want to start buying things to prepare! 

But I know that is just wishful thinking.

In my PC interview, my interviewer asked me to describe a work situation where I worked with little or no direction. One of my examples was moving cows. So often when moving cows, you don't necessarily know exactly where you are, or where you are going. You may know the general direction, and you just try to keep the cows' noses pointed that way. A person just goes with the flow, makes sure nothing is left behind, and have faith that it will all be okay and everyone will wind up at the appropriate destination in one piece. (That is not verbatim what I said) My interviewer looked up and said, "That sounds exactly like the Peace Corps."

The lessons of patience and faith are starting early.

I'm going to go now. My arms are a little sore from all the needles.

Why not?

So I figured I may as well post here again today. Not that I have anything PC related to relay.

But Joanna emailed me a cool website...and I found a couple of neat prayers/thoughts that I would like to share. Nice things to ponder/meditate on...

"If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart."

--Lao Tse, 6th century Chinese philospher

"Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellow men throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them, through our hands, this day their daily bread and by our understanding love, give peace and joy."

--Mother Teresa

Random info

So a couple of websites, for anyone curious:

www.peacecorps.gov

Really, they have anything and everything to answer, well, any question. If you click on "where to volunteers go" or "what do volunteers do" or "what's it like to volunteer" there are some really neat things to see and read.

www.peacecorpswiki.org

It is because of this website that I can say if I don't go to Mauritania in June, I could go to Mali or Niger in July. (Because Mali and Niger both have incoming volunteers in July and both have an Ag program) Returned volunteers and current volunteers have created and maintained this site with tons of information on it (including blogs of current volunteers, I've become slightly addicted to reading the ones from Mauritania).

All I can do now is think, study, plan. I cannot do much else. I don't want to get too prepared...everything could change in a heartbeat. I also can't do anything until I know for sure a) what country I'm going to and b) when I'm going.  Theoretically, I could wind up needing to get my wisdom teeth pulled and that could potentially delay my departure...which could push me into another program in another country.

Though if I wound up in Mali...I could go to Timbuktu! :)

The beginning

So I got the call from Elly, my PC recruiter, today.  The agriculture program in Mauritania says that my ag background is more than satisfactory.  Elly officially nominated me to the program today.  

The question I keep getting is, "So, what's next?"

And the answer is "Anything and everything".

While Elly is nominating me, she is *guessing* that the best fit is Mauritania.  And she is going to recommend the placement office go with that assignment.  However, the placement office could decide to place me elsewhere.  Even in a different program area entirely.  Or a different continent entirely.  And that is what they can decide AFTER I clear my medical/dental/eye exams.  Which I need to call to schedule (once I get the paperwork), and hopefully get labwork back as soon as humanly possible so that I can fax it all to the placement office.  At which point the placement office will formally invite me.

And, really, according to my research online....It sounds like most people get their invitation a full 6 months before departure.  And I will have been nominated for a whole whopping 4 ish months before I depart.  

So.

"Mauritania?", you ask?

Yes, I tried to play cool in my initial conversation with Elly.  I pretended I knew it was a real country, and where it was.  I'm not so sure she believed me.

It is in northwestern Africa, south of Morocco and north of Senegal. 5/6 of the country is Sahara Desert. It is *truly* one of the  least developed countries in the world (according to just about every website I saw...CIA, State Dept, etc). It's full name is the "Islamic Republic of Mauritania".  There is no diversity on this fact.  

There is minimal HIV/AIDS in Mauritania.  Starvation is not a large issue, disease and malnutrition is.  Women vote and have formed their own political party.  There is cell service.

It is not all sunshine and roses though (actually, a LOT of sand) ;)

It finally hit me last night.

It is highly likely that I won't see any of my family (or friends) for a full two years (actually 27 months).  I think what really hurts is knowing that I have to say good-bye to everyone.  If only my life in the U.S. could just fade away....I wouldn't miss it as readily.  I would gradually realize that it was gone, that I hadn't seen familiar faces in months.

But it is worth the temporary loss.

I will be making a difference.  I will be learning more about myself, the world, other cultures, agriculture... And I will be teaching strangers about myself, the world, other cultures, agriculture.  I have felt as though I am treading water the last few years.  And I am now able to change that.

And I have never been as excited as I was when Elly first called me with a potential nomination last wednesday.  Ask Esther!  I think she was worried I was going to hyperventilate.  

So I know I am doing the right thing.

I took my time, though, as usual.  I started my application September 2007!  

It has been long-awaited.  And now, I feel like June is coming much too quickly.