Spring Break is here!

As of yesterday afternoon, spring break is here. My mom, however, is not. She was supposed to fly in yesterday at 5ish, but then...her flight was cancelled. Thank you, winter. Then, she was supposed to fly in today at 12:30ish, but then...her flight was cancelled. Thank you, winter. Now, she is supposed to fly in at 11:30 tonight. Winter, you better not get in the way or I will NOT be happy! I wish she would just be here! But, these things happen and I just have to constantly tell myself that. But unfortunately we missed out on the nice dinner I had planned with her and my friends last night, and this morning she missed walking the 5K run/walk with me for Missoula AIDS Council. But, she was able to extend her stay from Friday until next Saturday, so that gives us an extra day or two in Missoula!

Today, Lindsay, Julia, and I will be heading to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. I've never been there so it should be some fun - it's about a 2-mile hike into the springs and I believe there are a few pools to choose from. We'll soak and talk and enjoy some wine/PBR, whatever floats our boats.

Tomorrow, my mom (assuming she's here) and I will probably hit up some Easter church and then head to Columbia Falls for the week for some great snowshoeing and skiing at Glacier. Never mind that I hate winter! I'll pretend it's warm and sunny.....or, I'll hang out in the hot tub all week.

Also, a tentative date has been set for moving back to Wisconsin! However sad I am to leave my friends, I am excited to be back in the state o'cheese. Lindsay and I will be caravanning together, as she will be headed back to Chicago, and we'll be leaving Missoula around May 16th, hoping to get near home by the 19th or 20th. We'll find some fun along the way perhaps....camping, Badlands, friends in random places, Mount Rushmore....who knows? So, in between now and then I need to sell anything that does not fit into my car and that I will not need in the Peace Corps - should be a great chore.

Also, for this summer, if anyone knows of any families that would need a babysitter/nanny (up to 25 hours a week, or casually and sporadically), I am hoping to make that my temporary summer job. So feel free to spread the word and pass on my contact information!

Happy Easter all, if you celebrate, and otherwise, Happy Weekend and/or Happy Spring Break.

New Adventures...and Old Friendships

Just an update - this morning, I officiallly accepted my invitation to be a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines, beginning in the middle of August. I am psyched. Today, I started to get nervous thinking of my life not being driven by school deadlines, papers, exams, professional projects, advisors, etc. What will I do without my color-coded calendar (it's true)? I hope they have highlighters in the Philippines, where I am still able to code "fun" as yellow, "volunteering" as blue (well, everything will be blue then), etc. My life has been driven by school for the last 19 years. It all started with those harsh deadlines in Kindergarten and has culminated in me being used to planning out the next 15 weeks of my life every January and September, when I sit down with my syllabi and write everything down. When assignments are flexible (meaning I can sign up for them for a certain date), I look at everything that I have going on for each week, and choose from there. That will no longer be an option. Beginning in August, my life will be driven by fantastic training and cultural immersion. After November, I'll be living in a community and working with an agency on whichever project the wind blows me to. Wow. Drastically different than right now. I love it. I love the idea. I love the fact that I will live in a climate that has an average yearly temperature of 75 degrees for two years and where I will have virtually unlimited access to my most beloved fruit, bananas. I love people and the world.

This all comes after a somewhat stressful day, but hey, there are things to look up to. Just yesterday, I was thinking "I haven't had a bad day in a while"...well, beginning this afternoon I found myself getting edgier and edgier. Don't worry - I'm alright. I did have the chance this morning to meet with an amazing woman who runs a children's shelter here in Missoula. She came and spoke to our non-profit class a few weeks ago, and Linday and I were captivated. Fortunately, she agreed to meet with us today and just discuss her life and her challenges that she faces everyday. We talked about everything from being a woman in a male-dominated role, fundraising, relationship building, balancing family life, etc. She is the president of the Missoula rotary club, which has an average age of 60 years old and is dominated by males. She is an energetic 38-year-old woman who has her stuff together. So that set the day out right. Then, we all met for lunch (the cohort) at Food for Thought to kind of have a "good-bye" lunch before spring break. Kendra left tonight for Seattle and then will fly to Spain on Friday, where she will be for two weeks. Because we all realize that the semester is dwindling down, we know that time is precious. Once May is here, people will be dispersing or staying. It is sad - and I am trying to imagine my life without my social support system that I've had for the last 7 months. Craziness that I just met all of these wonderful people 8 months ago. It feels like it was yesterday. Ahh, time for new adventures and the celebration of old friendships and loving family members.

Good night all.

Info? Yes, Please.

So, I've had some time to let it settle. Well, enough time, you ask? You may be right. Does anything like this ever really settle until you are actually on the plane, leaving your country and those you love for two whole years? I am not sure if it does. All I know is that I've wanted this for pretty much my whole life. I've felt pulled and compelled to learn about other cultures and offer my skills in a way that would both benefit others and return benefits for myself. Selfish? Maybe. Maybe not. I think it's just a side effect of helping - anywhere. Some tidbits that I've learned about the Philippines in the last few days:

• The Philippines is the 12th most populated country in the world.
• There are over 7100 islands, and it is the only southeast Asian country to not share any land borders with its neighbors.
• Almost one-third of the Filipino population are between the ages of 15 and 30 years old.
• Sixty percent of children drop out of school when the reach the second grade.
• There are five million Filipino child laborers, one and a half million street children, and 60,000 children involved in prostitution.
• The Philippines were colonized by both the Spanish and the Americans, claiming independence on July 4, 1946.
• Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion throughout the Philippines (81%).
• Contrary to what you may think, the Philippines is spelt with only one L and a double P.
• Official languages are Filipino and English, with over 180 languages spoken throughout the islands. Tagalog is the standardized version of Filipino.
• The staple food is rice, with a lot of seafood, seafood, seafood. Fresh coconuts and bananas are everywhere.

Clearly, this does not give a clear picture of the complexities of cultures within the Philippines, but it is a general start of where I will be in 5 months. I'll be calling tomorrow to accept my invitation, and hopefully they still want me! Cross your fingers.

Love you all!

The Package

So, as you know, I've waited...and waited...and waited. On Saturday, I practically tackled the mailman as he was doing his job. Unfortunately, no package arrived on Saturday. I had to wait two whole days until Monday! It was difficult, but a great lesson in patience. In the meantime, I was busy doing research on the possible countries I could go to, based on where the Peace Corps has youth development programs in Asia. I found myself prioritizing them and re-prioritizing them. My list of most-preferred to least-preferred was: The Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Mongolia. I was so worried about Mongolia because it is SO cold! But, that's what my gut feeling told me.

Anyways, I got home tonight at about 8:00 and checked my mailbox...2 envelopes...and a key. A KEY! A key means that I have a big package! How excited. I saunter over to Mailbox D (which holds amazing pieces of mail, always promising to have good surprises), and there it was! My Peace Corps Invitation Kit. I could barely contain myself as I ran into my apartment, trying not to drop the other envelopes, my bookbag, and the 6-pack of beer that I had bought on the way home (hey, it's spring break week...and my fridge is empty...don't judge, friends). I calmly removed my jacket and got ready to open the package. Of course, it's one of those silly envelopes that has the ridiculous amount of glue on it, making it almost impossible to open it smoothly or quickly. My eyes searched the letter - where am I going? Where am I going? Finally, I saw it - the Philippines! THE PHILIPPINES! Amazing! So excited! Of course, I need to do some research before I officially accept it, but I am pretty darn stoked at the moment. That was tops on my priority list if they were going to send me to Asia. So, I hope you all understand that I need to do what I need to do. I need adventure and exploration and learning and working, all in another culture. I want to learn so much about myself and others, about living in another country, about everything. So, I'll keep you updated on my official status, but as of now, I am 97.9% sure that I will accept it. More information to come...

Peace, Love

Not yet...

Every day since Wednesday, I have literally ran to my mailbox to find my Peace Corps assignment. Yesterday, Lindsay even drove me completely out of the way so I could go home and check my mail. Today, I biked so fast home from work that I almost got a speeding ticket. And still no placement! Tomorrow perhaps? Patience is a virtue - that's what I have to keep telling myself! I do, however, have it narrowed down to four countries in Asia where there are youth development programs (that is what my placement will be in - youth development). According to the website, they are Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Phillipines. I think I would jump at the last three, but be hesitant about Mongolia - it is REALLY cold and the people are very sparsely populated! But, it's definitely a country I would think about for sure. We'll see! My hesitation from the other day has slightly worn off, and I think it was because I was caught so off guard when my placement officer said "Asia". I was not expecting that! Anyways, I think it will be a great opportunity. And I better find out SOON because I haven't been sleeping or concentrating, and I've been having wierd dreams! Bring on the weekend!

Asia? That's a big continent...where?

So, as of late, I have been patiently (or impatiently) waiting for my Peace Corps assignment to arrive on my doorstep. You may say to yourself, "What? This isn't news." On the contrary, I talked with my PC placement officer on Tuesday morning while standing in the dairy section of the grocery store, and I found out that they want to send me to Asia. I asked him, "So, does that mean like Southeast Asia?" He answered with a very vague, "No, that could be anywhere in Asia." It was clear that he had a specific country in mind but did not want to tell me over the phone! So right now, I am just thinking "Okay, Asia...Asia...Asia. What does that mean? Vietnam? China? Mongolia? Cambodia? Philipines? Kazakhstan? Kyrgyz Republic? Turkmenistan?" Ahhhh I don't know! It could be any of those places.

Part of me is very unsure because Asia was the lowest on the priority list. Part of me, though, is very excited for the chance and opportunity to go there because it is a part of the world that I have little knowledge of and would like to explore. Part of me is nervous for Asian food - I have tried to like it, but haven't had success! What will I be eating? Raw fish? Innerds of lambs? Eels? I am not sure! Part of me is curious and excited about the new kinds of food that I will have to learn to eat. Part of me is anxious to go to a place that seems so different to me, a place that I have no comprehension of what it may be like. Part of me is so ecstatic to have that feeling. Part of me is not wanting to go that far from home. Well, all of me is not wanting to go that far from home. Part of me knows that it will be okay, and part of me has doubts. Part of me knows that I do not want any more cold winters! Part of me just wants to take any assignment they give me, seeing it as a sign of meaning or calling. Part of me just wants to continue learning Spanish! Part of me knows that I have already been to three Latin American countries, and although each culture is different, the language and values are the same throughout. Part of me just wants this darn package to arrive on my doorstep!!!!

Good night.

"I didn't know female baseball fans existed"

I am currently finding myself amidst a pile of papers about 1/2" thick that are surrounding my computer and travelling onto the floor. There are piles here, there, and everywhere. I have been trying to get them sorted out! Three big things have happened as of late:

1. I went to Phoenix for Brewers spring training with Al
2. I found out my roommate is moving out
3. We found out about our Ethiopia grant

Our trip to Phoenix was an absolute BLAST. First of all, can I say that I completely love being in a city? Like, an actual city! I love it. We both arrived at the airport at the exact same time on Friday, ready to watch some baseball! We were shuttled to the car rental center and given a free upgrade to a sporty little Chevy Cobalt. It was a much-enjoyed upgrade from the economy class we originally rented. This is perhaps because the agent felt bad at my complaining because of the $50 charge for being under 25. Did I mention that I'm almost 24 1/2? Did I also mention that I have nothing, absolutely nothing, on my driving record? Gr. I believe it's called ageism - a form of discrimination. And it's frustrating, annoying, unfair, and expensive. Anyways, we were happy with the car.

We headed directly to Maryvale Stadium to check out the Brewers playing the Texas Rangers. Fortunately, they came from behind and won. We had great seats along the first baseline, and our ticket prices included a beer and a T-shirt. Nice. After, we headed to the Super 8 motel (the prostitutes were not out yet...not until 10:00 at night) and checked in. After looking at a Phoenix brochure, we decided to head downtown to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. There was a Phoenix Suns game going on downtown, so things were pretty darn busy. It was a great time, and downtown Phoenix was beautiful. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and yes, were in bed by 10:00! We felt a bit old...but we were exhausted.

Saturday, we woke up early and headed to the baseball park at about 10ish after stopping for Subway and a nice refreshing Milwaukee-brewed 12-pack (most of which we ended up leaving for the Super 8 housekeeping staff, but that's neither here nor there). We checked out batting practice, pitching practice, and the young kids baseball camp-type-thing. We bought lawn tickets (only $8!!!). What a deal! It was pretty darn warm out, and since I was still recovering from sunburn from the day before (my fault, I know...), we moved to the shaded part of the bleachers for the last three innings. The Brewers won against the Kansas City Royals. You could definitely tell how the crowd picked up on Saturday though - a lot of Phoenix locals just out enjoying the day. It was pretty cool.

Saturday night, we found ourselves not sure of what to do, but we knew we didn't want to spend the whole time in the hotel. So, we checked out the events and decided to head to Margaritaville for dinner and to the Phoenix Coyotes game. Who are the Phoenix Coyotes, you are asking? Well, we asked ourselves the same thing, until we arrived in the parking lot and saw that everyone was wearing hockey jerseys. My first NHL game! We went to dinner at Margaritaville, thinking the game was at 7. However, after telling the bartender that we were going to the game and we took our merry little time eating our dinners, he kindly informed us that the game had started at 5 (our watches said 6). Hmm...well, we paid quickly and headed out. The cheapest tickets were $28 in the box office (it was an important game apparently), so we bought two tickets off of a scalper for $5 off the ticket price. Good deal. We made it in for the 2nd and 3rd periods. Although they lost, it was still a great time and a good addition to our vacation.

Sunday morning, we woke up at 3:00 to make it to the airport for my early-morning flight. I was hoping to bump my flights all day and keep racking up Delta vouchers, but no luck. In Salt Lake, I had to run to catch my flight to Missoula and thankfully made it with only minutes to spare. Anyways, that sums up my weekend. I made it home and headed to the International Culture and Food Festival at UM with Julia, Lindsay, and Becca. I was exhausted!

Pictures are unfortunately a pain to post on here (yes, they have been the whole time). Try following this link to my photo album on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2188136&l=d969a&id=26716841

Sunday night, I also found out that my roommate is moving out, so there will be big changes around I21. I will spend the next few weeks on my own until Nicole comes home in the beginning of April! Maybe I will be able to get some work done...

We also found out about our grant to Ethiopia today. We got it! Tsk, tsk, tsk...just kidding. It was unfortunate, but at least we'll be able to plan our summers now. We were also sort of dreading the amount of work that trip was going to take, but hey, it was a great learning experience. Now I just have to figure out what I am going to do this summer. Any suggestions? Please tell me....

Good night. Love. Peace.

Wierd Day

Well, it snowed last night - a whole few inches! Rah. Don't like it. But it's very important background information for the story I'm going to tell you. So, today, I woke up after having a not-good-night of sleep (tossing and turning, insomniac-like-ish, etc.). I headed to the gym after stopping at Julia's to exchange The Kite Runner, which I had borrowed, for another. This is because I simply could not think about going to the gym without a book. Ew. Anyways, that has nothing to do with it. I biked an hour, showered and got ready for the day, and then went to meet Becca to give her some readings that she was borrowing from me. As I turned around from talking to Becca, I felt myself slipping....slipping...yes, that's right....I fell on my butt right in the middle of campus. I am SO smooth. Then, I walked away discreetly and could not figure out why my right arm in particular was so warm and oddly sweating. I kept thinking of what it could be. Why the right arm? So wierd. Well, I figured out that my wool scarf that I wore that day was actually completely shoved into my right sleeve along with my hooded sweatshirt sleeve and my right arm. So it was getting extra insulated. I had to try to figure out how to remove my scarf from my sleeve without looking like a complete idiot - for if I didn't, I knew I would show up at my next place sweating bullets. I quietly tugged, tugged, tugged it out of the bottom sleeve. I hope no one noticed. Yikes! I need a vacation...

Oh, and during my not-able-to-sleep stage last night, I woke up and created a list of internship/summer options for me. There are 11. Nice. I need a vacation.

Peace.