I received another email, 3 days ago, which contained a great deal of valuable information. This email prompted quite a bit of preparation activity. I just completed the Safety and Security Orientation online an hour or so ago. All you do is create an account on the provided website and do the lessons and then take a quiz. You can take it as many times as you wish and your highest score is counted. I, being the overachiever that I am, got a 98 on the first try, but decided I MUST get 100%. :) FYI, I got those two wrong answers because I accidentally skipped some of the lessons. I then completed two different press release forms, one for the Peace Corps Headquarters (which came in my original packet with the passport papers, etc.), and one for the West Cost Division of the Peace Corps (this one came separately in an email from the West Coast Regional Office).

I also had to make several calls to the Peace Corps Operator. One of my issues is that I have not been reimbursed for my blood tests/physical and my Yellow Fever Vaccination. The lady said something about needing authorization first, which I'm quite sure is NOT the case. It'll get fixed though. I also contacted a friend about taking part in the Correspondence Match program, where I will be set up with a US class/teacher and we will correspond while I am in Namibia I am doing this with a personal friend of mine and possibly with some other classes in Ohio (You can do as many a you want. Some people have even done eight classes, which is overboard for me). Next, I called Verizon, asking if I could save my number, even when I disconnect my US service. They said no, which made me a bit sad. Oh well, it's a minor sacrifice.

The main part of my last few days has been planning and packing. I am more than two months out, but I believe in being proactive. Some items may take weeks to get to me. Also, my mom is an EXPERT coupon clipper/deal getter, and  we went to Kohl's and got most of the stuff I needed. If not for my mom, the stuff I bought would have cost around $350, instead of the $185 I paid. Thank you Mom! Most of the stuff was boring, such as slacks, socks, flip flops, toiletries, etc. The most exciting things in the bunch were my new running shoes (I've had the same running shoes for 3 or 4 years) and my portable, foot-pumped air pump. But, the real fun stuff is coming up! I am going to buy Keen Newport H2 hiking sandals (http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/product.aspx?sku=110230), which are more recommended than Chaco or Teva. On all the many hiking websites I found, Keen was most often mentioned. And this story was encouraging (http://www.keenfootwear.com/blog/?p=4396#.UPBqLmc1CSo).

I am also excited about getting a good Leatherman, which I have heard come in very handy. Apparently,  some of the Peace Corps Volunteers in Namibia have had to cut the head off a chicken. I wouldn't be surprised. Most of all, I am excited for the 1-2 Terabyte external hard drive I am going to get. This was widely recommended due to Volunteer's sharing a significant amount of music, TV shows, movies, an pictures. Just some advice, a 1-2 Terabyte hard drive will cost you between $90-$200. Also, make sure you get one that does NOT require you to be plugged in. http://www.toptenreviews.com/ is an amazing website to help you out! Make sure to pay attention to the warranty length as well. Make sure to check out the Peace Corps list of brands that offer Peace Corps Volunteer's discounts (http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Volunteer_discounts). Or you can ask the companies directly.

At this time, I also need to start looking a personal property insurance, which comes highly recommended. I've heard it basically comes out to an ANNUAL premium of $5 per $100 value. However, I need to get all the stuff first. I will post a complete list of stuff I am bringing in this post, when I have everything, or a later post.

One other note, I found the Namibia Peace Corps Volunteer fb page and my specific groups page (Group 37). Friend adding will commence soon. I am stoked to start seeing the people who I am going to become friends with and work with for over 2 years!!

Why am I doing Peace Corps?

It's funny, but I just realized I never said WHY I wanted to join Peace Corps! Silly me. But it's better late than never! Anyways, it all started during my master's program at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. I was thinking about what I wanted to do "when I grow up." I wasn't particular to any specific job, but I wanted it to do with community and social development (my concentration). I had heard about Peace Corps before, but to be honest, I had a very negative view. I had some pretty ridiculous ideas about what the Peace Corps is. I can say wholeheartedly that it was out of ignorance. As I asked more questions, I began to realize that all my preconceived notions were way off base. The Peace Corps is extremely diverse in every way. It has people of all degree levels, ages, ethnicity, background, etc. I was also able to read some very helpful Peace Corps material. I began to get excited. I looked at the benefits and these definitely factored in to my decision. Here are some of the tangible benefits from the Peace Corps website:

• Student loan assistance
• A "readjustment" allowance of $7,425 (pre-tax) upon completion of service
• Language, cross-cultural, and technical training
• Travel to and from country of service
• A monthly living and housing allowance
• Full medical and dental coverage
• 48 paid vacation days
• Unique graduate school opportunities
• Leave for family emergencies
• Transition and job support and social networking after service
• Advantages in federal employment
• Opportunities for short-term assignments through Peace Corps Response
• No fee to participate

Some personal factors are:

• I am young and single and this is my time to have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. 
• I have a desire to travel.
• I am a really outgoing person and I want to make friends from all over the world.
• I want to build a valuable pool of international connections and resources.
• Peace Corps looks awesome on a resume.
• I want to be able to tell my kids stories of "When I was working in Namibia..."

These factors, coupled with my motivation, convinced me that the Peace Corps was worth the effort to apply for. Here are some of my overall motivations by the way:

• My desire to help others.
• My desire to learn.
• My desire to interact with another culture.
• My desire to get out of my comfort zone to force myself to grow personally and professionally.
• My desire to make others feel loved and unique by being intentional about my actions.

 The Peace Corps fits perfectly into my career dreams (the word "plans", sounds too inflexible for me). Although I, originally, wanted to be placed in Jordan or Tunisia, I was just happy to be accepted. After 2 years in Namibia, I would like to make my way up to Egypt or another Middle Eastern country. There, I would like to either perform research or work in a humanitarian aid related field, for three years. After that, I would like to attend the University of London (or another university) to get a doctorate in some international studies related field, such as Middle Eastern Studies or International Relations. Then, I would like to obtain employment with the United Nations or some other similar, reputable international organization. I would like to build a career and then, towards the end of my career, I would like to teach at a university. These dreams are very lofty, but the most exciting part is that they are entirely possible with God's help.