August 19, 2010
Lets go back to last Thursday. Exactly one week ago....
After a frustrating 2 months of medical visits, dentist visits, eye doctor visits, lost paperwork and faxes, I found myself staring at the cryptic message on my Peace Corps Toolkit page:
"Medical Review: Complete. A decision has been reached regarding your medical review. Please look for a letter in the mail."
The message had been there for about a week, and still...no letter. This was either really good, or really bad, but either way, I had to find a way to stretch the patience that was already running dangerously thin. I just needed an invite to Peace Corps. Then I would know all the hard work had paid off. If I turned out to be not medically qualified, I was fully prepared to fight the decision. Mainly, because I know I'm healthy, and the 7000 tests I had taken two months before proved it. After checking the mail again, with no letter in sight, I ended my day the way I always do..on the couch with May (my roommate) on my computer watching some ridiculous reality TV show and retiring around midnight-ish.
A lot of times, I randomly wake up in the middle of the night. This night was no different. Since I sleep with my phone on the pillow next to me, I grabbed it, half asleep, to check the time, drunken text messages from friends, emails, and the Groupon for the day. It was 6:44am. I didnt have to be out of bed until 8:30. Quick phone check, roll over, sleep some more...that was the plan. Then I see the email:
"Peace Corps has updated your Application Status account. Log in to your toolkit to see the latest information."
Of course I hopped out of bed, grabbed my phone, and went to the website. Stupid blackberry....the website wouldnt come up! So, I ran to the couch, grabbed my laptop, and logged on. And there it was...
"Congratulations! You have been invited to become a Peace Corps Volunteer!"
Other people got phone calls from placement. For some reason, I never received any phone calls through the entire process. But there it was, in black and white (well...blue, black and white). I had been invited. Immediately, I started crying, called Thomas (because I knew he would answer. If you call the right person at 6am, they think something it wrong, and they always answer.) He calmed me down. What a great start to a day...
Fast forward to Monday. I knew the invitation packet was coming. But I still took my time coming home. I got to the mail, opened the box...it was full. Junk mail, cable bill, package for May, package from Hong Kong (the eyeshadow palette I ordered from eBay!)...and I look to the floor. There it was. UPS 2nd day air shipping package addressed to me. I carried all of the mail (and my purse, AND my gym bag that I didnt need because I skipped it that day) and got on the elevator. Was I nervous? Yes. I was literally holding my future in my hands. Once I got inside my apartment, I set everything down. And for some reason...I didnt open the Peace Corps package. I let it sit while I opened my other mail. Once that was done, I attempted to open my makeup, but of course it was nearly impossible (it was basically wrapped in packing tape..) Then I went to my room, put my phone on the charger and distracted myself. All the while, the invitation packet sat on the couch. 20 minutes later, I decided I was ready to face my future (after struggling with and subsequently giving up on opening this stupid package of eyeshadow...) And there it was in bold letters: MOZAMBIQUE.
I started crying again. Then I started laughing. Then I just sat there in utter shock.
So now, here we are. I've officially accepted the invitation, notified my job, and started a blog. Next up, paperwork, planning and packing. Each day brings a new mix of excitement and fear. Here I sit...5 weeks away from getting on a plane to embark on this new chapter of my life. My official Job Title: Community Health Promoter. The program: Health & HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Project. I will be gone until December 4, 2012. It seems like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things...it really isn't. People waste two years of their lives in unhappy relationships, dead end jobs...I've decided to take two years of my life to make a difference in the world, and to not only help improve the quality of life for others, but to also enrich my own life, learn and experience a new culture, and to just...EXPERIENCE. Any and everything.
Am I ready?
Who knows if I'll ever be...
Adaptability is key. I've learned that if you find that your life is being taken into a new direction, either you change the direction...or you just go with it.
