Packing Hell….

Well I have managed to make it to the last week… only a couple more days to go!! Im so happy I could cry, I want to get to Ecuador so bad, at this point I am considering hitchhiking there now…

But before I do, I have been doing a lot of prepping in the last two weeks, getting all of the paper work in order, quitting my job, relaxing, stressing, and most of all packing. I think I set a personal record for packing, being ready two weeks a head of schedule! And come to find out I was way under weight for my bags! :)

But then came the real fun of trying not to use any of the stuff I had already packed. Which I think I did quite well, though I have been living in the same ratty jeans and sweat pants for a couple of days. But now everything is all in bags and sitting next to my room waiting for the big trip down south. I only have a day left before I had out of Seattle, and the weather is going to be great for my last couple of days :)

I will leave you with a couple of photo’s of my last week or so on the West Coast… Now its on to DC!

-J

 

I have not posted in a long time... in yet another waiting game...

Well... Its been a while since I posted last, but really not much has happened since the last time I post. After the shock of finally getting my invite, reality set in.... 'Holy crap, I have a lot to do in the next... oh, ummm lets see 75 days'..... Well that has turned into 'OMG, OMG, OMG.... HOLY CRAP.... I have 34 Days to get this stuff done!'...

Well I have my little check list, have my packing list done, done with getting everything for my trip, but now its just getting to the point where I can do a practice pack, so I can see if i actually bring everything on my list.

Now I'm just waiting for my staging packet... wiating... yet again...it hopefully will come this week :). I also am going to a Peace Corps Nomination/Invite party in Seattle so that should be interesting to meet others :)

Well, on to packing.... I will post pictures from my packing experience....

-J

Ecuador!!!

Once they said South America leaving mid-June, I was pretty sure that I was going to be going to Ecuador... Which I am totally excited for!!! How could I not be?

So I have watched the Anthony Bourdain episode from Ecuador about three times since yesterday! Now its on to other more pressing stuff, getting though all this paper work, getting passports, and most of all finalizing my packing list and getting things together. One things that im dont know what im going to name my blog now that I know where im going.

-J

INVITATION!!!!! AHHHHHHH

Finally after months of waiting, My invitation is in the mail. After I got an email from my PO yesterday about my willingness to go to Central/South America, I knew something was up. My dad said...'I say you are going to get an invite within a week..'..... I had asked my PO when I would expect to hear about an invite.... low and behold 24hrs later, I get another email telling me that my invitation was sent out today..... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHH... needless to say im REALLY excited!

The only thing that is different is that im leaving about two weeks later (whatev..), and im not going to Africa :(... My friend Perry is going to kill me! meh... he will just have to come see me then!

So now its just stalking my towns Postmaster for my mail!

So for now South America here I come!!!!

-J

I didn't know that Honduras is in Africa?!?!

Ok.... So I get an email today from my placement officer, and I was like Yesssss, I am finally hearing back from someone about my placement! I'm at work so I'm just skimming the email and it goes on to say something like '... there is another health program leaving in mid-June, going to Central/South America.... you down for that?'....

...First, that would be just as amazing as going to Africa, like I told them in the interview, I don't care where I go, I just want to go.... Then it hit me... Wait what?!?!?!?! South or Central America?? Sweet, I'm down... I'm ready to go... its only like two weeks later than I was going to be leaving for Africa....

I'm not really surprised as to this latest development, I have known lots of people to be going one place and not the place that they were originally going.... I still don't have my invite but I have a feeling that I will be getting it soon.... There are three countries that are posted right now leaving mid-June, Ecuador, Honduras, Peru..... we shall see, ill keep you updated....

-J

Pics of the Storm

These are all pretty thick limbs that fell on the house. Luckly we didnt have any serious damage to the house, but we did get another limb about the same size the next day. The crazy thing was no one new that this wind storm was going to hit, and it only lasted about 2 hours...

This is tree #3, I think someone had already chopped it up for firewood.

This was tree #2 across the road. You had to drive in the ditch to get around it, this was before the road crews showed up and there was just that lonely cone. It only took them about 1 min to chop it up.

-J

My name is Jackie... and I have a problem.....

No seriously I have a problem, but I am recognizing that before it gets out of hand..... I know alot of my fellow applicants kno what I am talking about.... its the addiction in PCJ and PC wiki....

I have noticed that alot of people have been posting that they have been obsessing over finding out the whens and wheres of their invitation. I am very much in that group, and I will admit that I have checked out to see if others have received their invites and if there are any new staging dates list, about 20 times a day. What can I say I am just really excited to go!! One thing that I have noticed is that I have actually been waiting 7 months now since I finished every thing, which at times feels like twice that long, others it feels like yesterday.

Something that did get me through another week of waiting on pins and needles is that another post on PCJ by someone who just got her invite this week and is leaving in mid/late April.... ahhh getting closer and closer to May departures :) I just have to keep the mind set that they will get to me soon...

To pass the time me and my dad started to bet on what day I will get my invite (which as of midnight the 18th I loose, damn!)... I got my lightweight computer fixed so I don't have to get a brand new one, and can trash it even more than my senior thesis did.

On a non-PC related topic this week we had a massive wind storm in the NW! (One thing that I am going to secretly miss, that and earthquakes) I will post pictures later, but for two hours we got 65mph winds, two tree across the road, no power, and some wind damage at home.... It was fun until I tried to drive in it!

Till next time, and if any one from May health ex. SSA group has heard anything I could really use a fix, LOL....

-J