Autumn is here. After an unending winter, non-existent spring and a delayed summer, autumn has shown its colored and wet face. I love the Pacific Northwest at this time of year. There is a lot of talk about people being more depressed in this area because of the dark, cloudy days that endure for about 8 months of the year - I am most certainly not one of those people. While I don't particularly enjoy not getting any snow (always a rainy Christmas - rarely a white Christmas) and am always extremely jealous of those regions of the country/world that get it, I can't bash the rain.
The smell right before and after, the puddles, the sound of it hitting the leaves, pounding on the roof and of course the downpours that can soak a person to the bone in three seconds - I love it all. It can be inconvenient of course - all the horses are in at the stables I ride at so all the stalls have to be cleaned which sucks - there is just something about it that makes me feel like I am at home. Doesn't seem to matter where in the world I am - China, Sweden, England, Florida - rain brings me home. I hope I can take that mindset with me when I am in Senegal since their rainy season can be pretty intense. My two biggest fears - so far at least - for my upcoming service is that a) I'll be so miserably homesick I'll early terminate (ET) and come home or (even worse) b) get some kind of disease/injury that I won't be able to finish my service and have to come home.
I really need to stop thinking about these sorts of things. Worrying now about 'what may be' isn't going to help my mental health as the days wined down.
So enough about that.
I've just started a self defense class that my mom insisted I take. After being told my entire life not to hit people or shout, this is going to be an adjustment. Looks like it will be fun and a real work out - which I desperately need - but it does pretty much fill up my week. My only free night during the week is Friday. With two nights a week for self defense, two nights for horses and one for ESL tutoring on top of my 8-5 job it's a bit of an understatement to say I am exhausted by the end of the week. Here's hoping I don't burn myself out before the real hard work (read: Peace Corps) begins.
My packing list is slowly being checked off. I got my osprey pack, sleeping bag, rain jacket, several pairs of capris and most importantly my Toshiba Thrive tablet. I cannot say enough about this thing. I LOVE IT. Full sized usb port is the only way to go. Don't give me this micro crap. Thumb drives and external hard drives are NOT micro and being able to watch movies is a must. I love the android honeycomb OS and the android market is pretty decent. It has a ton of books - which will be important. Angry Birds is free - but with the added annoyance of full screen adds cutting into play between levels. So not sure if the free is worth it. Personally I think they need to open up their movie offers to be actually bought rather than just renting, but then my current scheme makes that pretty irrelevant.
What is my scheme?
I've converted all my iTunes movies to normal MP4 format so the android system can read the files. A great little program called Audials. Best discovery ever handed to me. It also does wonders for DVDs. I'm through season 1 and halfway through season 2 of making digital files of the Star Trek Voyager series. Have a couple old movies done as well. So at least in the entertainment department I'll be set. Right now I need to figure out which ones I'll record, so that is another list in progress.
Here's to 145 days until lift off.
Cheers!
Christine
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
To Start...
I suppose the first post on any blog is the place to explain why a person even has a blog in the first place. If the description isn't a dead give away, allow me to expand: I'm leaving for Senegal in March next year for service in the Peace Corps. This (and my companion tumblr blog) is where I will (hopefully) keep in touch with the outside world. Letters to and from Africa will take weeks, though I know they will be much appreciated, so I thought a blog would be best.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with African geography, Senegal is the western most country on the continent. [See photos] It's only about the size of North Dakota, is a former French colony, predominantly Muslim, has one of the most stable governments in Africa (though the next Presidential election is looking to shake things up) and is extremely poor. Part of my pre-departure 'homework' is to study up on the country and its history. While there is no way I can learn what the country will be like or what to expect simply by scouring the internet, I don't want to fly over there totally blind.
I don't have much of an idea of what I will be doing once I get there. I'm in the Preventative Health and Environmental Education program. The job title of Environmental Education Extension Agent doesn't really say a lot and the program description that was sent in my invitation packet didn't help much either. Apparently in this position I could be doing anything from digging a new well, planting trees, establishing a community garden, teaching kids about proper hygiene, promoting women's health, etc.
That's a big 'ol umbrella.
Specifics, it seems, don't enter into anything the Peace Corps does until you actually get in country.
So for the next 6 months I'm going to do some ESL tutoring, study up on the languages (there are 7) through the resources the Peace Corps has and I'm going to see if there is any possibility of joining a community garden. My placement officer just said for me to work on anything 'community development' related. Getting the extra experience is difficult since I work full time during the week, and most gigs are during the day, so I've really got my work cut out for me.
From reading blogs of current volunteers in Senegal I know I'll need one thing for sure: a three year supply of pepto-bismol.
The remainder of my packing list is still in progress, though you can see what I've thought of so far on the sidebar. Some of these things I have, most I still need to get. I know, I know, 'you're still 6 months out, why rush?' you ask. I'm not in a rush, per se, more that I need to have a steady prep going each month or else - knowing my procrastinating self as well as I do - I will find myself on the other side of the new year with two months left and freak out.
So I shall chug along my merry way, working, reading blogs and preping. Soon enough - as everyone tells me - March 6th will be here and I'll be on a plane headed to the wilds of Africa.
Cheers!
-Christine
For those of you that are unfamiliar with African geography, Senegal is the western most country on the continent. [See photos] It's only about the size of North Dakota, is a former French colony, predominantly Muslim, has one of the most stable governments in Africa (though the next Presidential election is looking to shake things up) and is extremely poor. Part of my pre-departure 'homework' is to study up on the country and its history. While there is no way I can learn what the country will be like or what to expect simply by scouring the internet, I don't want to fly over there totally blind.
I don't have much of an idea of what I will be doing once I get there. I'm in the Preventative Health and Environmental Education program. The job title of Environmental Education Extension Agent doesn't really say a lot and the program description that was sent in my invitation packet didn't help much either. Apparently in this position I could be doing anything from digging a new well, planting trees, establishing a community garden, teaching kids about proper hygiene, promoting women's health, etc.
That's a big 'ol umbrella.
Specifics, it seems, don't enter into anything the Peace Corps does until you actually get in country.
So for the next 6 months I'm going to do some ESL tutoring, study up on the languages (there are 7) through the resources the Peace Corps has and I'm going to see if there is any possibility of joining a community garden. My placement officer just said for me to work on anything 'community development' related. Getting the extra experience is difficult since I work full time during the week, and most gigs are during the day, so I've really got my work cut out for me.
From reading blogs of current volunteers in Senegal I know I'll need one thing for sure: a three year supply of pepto-bismol.
The remainder of my packing list is still in progress, though you can see what I've thought of so far on the sidebar. Some of these things I have, most I still need to get. I know, I know, 'you're still 6 months out, why rush?' you ask. I'm not in a rush, per se, more that I need to have a steady prep going each month or else - knowing my procrastinating self as well as I do - I will find myself on the other side of the new year with two months left and freak out.
So I shall chug along my merry way, working, reading blogs and preping. Soon enough - as everyone tells me - March 6th will be here and I'll be on a plane headed to the wilds of Africa.
Cheers!
-Christine
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