My Peace Corps Experience

Three Days Before Departure

2006-07-19T01:02:00.000-04:00

Wow, how quickly time has passed! It is weird to think that in just four days I'll be in Philadelphia for orientation and then boarding a plane two days later to South Africa! The past few weeks I've been able to spend a lot of time with family and friends. It's been great just catching up with old high school/college/teacher friends as well as all my extended family . My parents had a going away party for me on Saturday that was a bit overwhelming and emotional for me, but it was great to see everyone. On Monday I was able to go to Cedar Point with Lacey, Kelsey, and Alisha (three of my cousins) which was a "screaming good time"! Unfortunately we don't have any pictures from the rollar coasters to prove it, however I think that's in my best interest not to have them!! Tuesday was spent packing and really trying to determine what was "essential items" that I feel like I have to have during the two month training and then determing items that I could have to consider "non-essentials" that I could do without for the first two months. Today was spent running errands/taking care of last minutes things and then spent the evening with a few of my best friends I also had the opportunity to talk with Rena, one of my team teachers that I taught with, who is just fabulous and so encouraging! Tomorrow my parents and brother are going to dinner and bowling as a family. Friday I plan just relax around the house, watch a movie and maybe catch Oprah, eat some icecream, spend a little time with my cats (ha ha), no real set agenda for the day which should be relaxing. Saturday we're having a huge family game night. Nothing like a flashback to childhood like a family game night!! Then Sunday at 11am I'll be flying out of Columbus to Philadelphia for staging.

For the first two months of Pre-Service Training, there may or may not be regular communication with me (based upon what I've read, heard from county directors, and other volunteers). I might not have telephone access and internet access at all, so postal mail letters will be the best form of communication during the first two months. Once Pre-Service Training is completed (end of September/beginning of October) I will be able to get a cell phone. If you want the number you can call/email my parents or email me (ladybuckeye22@yahoo.com). Also, once training is completed I will have more access to internet so I'll be able to email and/or post message to blog. As far as letters and packages go, they say it usually takes 2-4 weeks for letters to be received. Please date and number letters so I'll know if/when I'm receiving letters. If you're planning to send a letter during Pre-Service Training, send it to:

Sarah Gray, PCT
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

If I gave you an address that included Hatfield in address please discard, I have been informed that it is an old address and the one above should be used instead.

Less than a month before departure

2006-06-30T21:13:00.000-04:00

Alright it's been about a month since I've posted anything so here is a brief update....

I finished teaching and moved from Wilmington about three weeks ago. The last few weeks of teaching was a little hectic as I was trying to keep the attention of sixth graders who were ready for summer break, cleaning and organing my classroom, and packing everything in my apartment. I don't know if realized how close I had become to some of the teachers I worked with. It was kind of a sad ending and hard to say goodbye to some of the friends I had made in Wilmington.

The month of June has been both busy and relaxing. I've spent a lot of time catching with old high school friends, meeting up with a group of teachers I went through grad school with, having lunch and shopping with a teacher I taught with in Wilmington, and spending time parents, brother, and extended family. I've been reading and relaxing quite a bit. I've also been able to talk with some fellow Peace Corps volunteers going to South Africa in the same group through a yahoo message board. It's been nice exhanging ideas, concerns, packing tips, and reading through blogs of current volunteers serving in South Africa.

Staging (2 day orientation) has been pushed back one week. I will now be flying to Philadelphia on Sunday July 23rd. On the 24th and 25th, we will meet as a whole group (both EDU and NGO volunteers) to briefly go over safety, a few Peace Corps policies, and get our shots. We will fly out of NY on July 26th, first landing in Dakar, Senegal, and next fly to Johannesburg, South Africa. The flight totals 17 hours, however with the time change it will be approximately 6pm (US Eastern Time) to about 6pm the next day (South Africa Time). The first 8-10 weeks will be spent living with temporary host familys. Also during this training time we will be attending intense classes where we will learn local language, culture, food, safety, our primary assignment jobs, etc.

Things I'm Going To Miss...

2006-05-26T22:18:00.000-04:00

Friday May 26th (10pm)

Things I'm going to miss....
My parents 50th birthdays
My great grandma's 100th birthday
Lacey's 21st birthday
Alisha's graduation
Charlie's wedding
Dark chocolate
Donato's pizza
My quiet little private apartment
Cell phone and internet access
Seeing a classroom full of middle schoolers
YMCA classes
Talking on the phone to family and friends
Oprah
Driving
Walmart
Family cookouts
The spring and fall seasons
Middle schooler's humor
Washer and dryer (soon be hand washing)
George Foreman grill, toaster oven, and refridgerator
Popsicles (with the cheesy kids' jokes)
Spaghetti, alfredo, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes
American food
Vanilla candles
Bath & Body Works
Privacy / alone time
Relaxing on the couch with a good movie
Air conditioning
Sleeping in
My bed
The convenience of a Wendy's drive thru
Getting pedicures

People I'm going to miss...
Everyone :)
My parents
My brother Charlie
My grandparents
My aunts and uncles
All my cousins
All my friends
Teachers I teach with
My students
My cats

Things I'm not going to miss...
Balancing my checkbook
Paying bills
The feeling of rushing from place to place
Cold snowy winters
Traffic
One-way streets
Cat litter box

Feeling A Little Overwhelmed

2006-05-22T17:29:00.000-04:00

For some reason the dates and times are often incorrect when posting so I think I need to start including the date and time of post each time :)

Monday May 22nd 6pm

Alright so I've gotten through the application process, survived the huge medical portion, practiced patience as I awaited my invitation, talked to my placement officier and have accepted my invitation, completed my passport and visa paperwork, notified my landlord, transferred my car and started to sort other finanical obligations, packed everything into boxes, taken apart furniture, make donations to Salvation Army, talked to my family, friends, and co-workers, made lists of things I want to pack and take to South Africa with me, made list of books I want to take with me, and am in the process of completing my updated resume and aspiration statement. The past month has been very busy and emotional. I think it is partially because its the end of the school year and the kids are getting excited for summer break. Another part is due to my decision to move at the end of May to be able to move home to spend the last seven weeks with family and friends rather than staying in Wilmington through June. Right now I think I'm just feeling a little under the pressure to complete PC paperwork, plan lessons, teach, grade, pack everything in my apartment, organize and clean my classroom, and I still feel like there are so many things that I can't keep up with right now. So like I said, I'm feeling just a little overwhelmed right now.

Reality Sets In

2006-05-07T22:59:00.000-04:00

I've talked to a few of my friends this past week about my invite to South Africa. I know that I've mentioned it to them before but I don't know if they really took me seriously then. I had a really good talk with Rebecca (my old M.Ed study buddy, co-RA, roommate) and she got me even more excited about it! She confirmed a lot of the things that I had been thinking. She kept saying that it was a perfect time in my life: being in my early/mid 20's and being flexible at this point in my life, bachelors and masters degree as well as two years of teaching experience under my belt, and financially nothing holding me back. We also talked about how it would be a good time for me to get a fresh perspective on another culture, how education is structured and valued and implemented in another country. She was excited for all the possibilities and doors it could open for me. I hadn't talked to Rebecca for probably two months so it was great to talk to her and hear her be so positive and encouraging.

I went and talked to my landlord Wednesday about ending my lease. He said there are no middle of the month pro-rated options so I could either end it June 1st or July 1st. I decided that I would go with June 1st and plan to move Memorial Day Weekend. That means I have three weeks before I have to have everything packed! So tomorrow (Sunday) I decided I would get started with the packing! Several things went through my mind as I begin packing this afternoon.

Wow, I've got a lot of crap was one thing. It was exhausting to go through everything and decide what I wanted, what I didn't want, and then getting into it to fit neatly into boxes. As I kept packing more boxes, I kept reminding myself to pack each box full because I have limited storage space, yet at the same time I didn't want to throw anything out that I am going to need in a few years. It's really amazing how much stuff one person can have. I think Peace Corps is really going to help me to sort out what's important and what's not important. I know that all the material things that I have aren't important, but I don't think that I truly know how much I have compared to how little others have in other parts of the world. I think reality really hit today as I was packing. I would not be using or seeing any of the stuff that I was packing for probably two and a half years. Peace Corps was no longer something that I had thought about, it was now something that I was going to be doing very soon. Another thing I kept thinking about was how much 80lbs. is and how much stuff I would be able to take with me. I want to be prepared rather than wish that I had brought this or that, yet at the same time I don't to stand out by having a lot of things that others don't have. I assume, based upon what I've read from information PC has given me, that I will be in a rural area so I'm not sure what will be available and what I should bring. I guess I have two months to decide on all that. I think reality really kind of started to set in today. My mind was wondering all day as I packed up my apartment stuff: what will my living conditions be like? how rural of area will I be living in? will I have running water or electricity? will I live in separate house or in room attached to host family? how close to a city will I be? how close will I live to other volunteers? what the climate really going to be like? cold and hot weather, what clothes will I take that will allow for layers? are hba or other personal items will I take that won't be able to be bought in South Africa? what teaching resource books and leisure books will I take? would it be more benefical to just have people send me 3-4 books in an envelope or would be better to just pack them? wonder how many pictures I'll take and how many memory cards I'll need? should I take a laptop or will that make me stand out? what other technology items do I want to take? I don't know if I have ever been so excited and so nervous about something in my life like this.

My Invite

2006-05-07T22:56:00.000-04:00

I spoke with my Placement Officier on Monday May 1st and he said that my invitation would arrive within the next day or two. Just hearing him say that got me excited that I was finally going to know exactly where and when I'd be going. The next day, May 2nd which just happens to be my birthday, I decided to drive home during my plan period to check to see if the invite had come. As I pulled into my drive it didn't look like any big package was waiting for me, but when I opened the screen door I saw the big package I had been waiting for! So I'll be headed for South Africa July 17th as a Primary Math Education Teacher Trainer! The packet had lots of information specific to my program, general information about South Africa, a Peace Corps volunteer handbook, a CD-ROM full of information about South Africa, a packing list, etc. As if that wasn't enough reading material, I went to Barnes and Noble to buy a few travel books on South Africa the next evening! Well, I've got enough reading material and more paperwork (passport, visa, aspiration statement) to keep me busy. I've had a lot of good birthday and lots of neat birthday gifts, but I think my Peace Corps Invite package might be one my biggest birthday gifts so far!

Medically Cleared

2006-04-23T22:59:00.000-04:00

I sent my medical kit through Fed-Ex on Tuesday April 4th and my online toolkit stated that PC received my medical packet on Monday April 10th. I have read that it often takes 4-8 weeks for medical clearance so I was nervous if I would receive medical clearance in time for my July nomination.

I just checked the online toolkit and found out that PC medically cleared me on Thursday April 20th. That's right...in just 10 days!! I am so excited and feeling like things are falling into place.

I am simply waiting on dental clearance (I had to resubmit after denist signed paperwork stating that cavity had been filled). I know that dental clearance doesn't stop you from getting invite so I'm just glad that medical clearance is done and the placement office now has my file in front of them. Now I just need to sit back and wait on that big invite packet to come in the mail. I think that's when it will really feel real. I'll know for certain where and when I'll be going!

Telling Family About PC

2006-04-16T19:49:00.000-04:00

Okay, so if I plan to do this whole PC thing I need tell my close family and friends....

I told my brother Charlie, my friend Tyler, and my friend Rachel in February, shortly after attending the information session, completing the application, and having the interview. Not wanting to get too excited as I was only in the first stages of the process, yet still wanting to share my excitement of idea of PC with a few people. Charlie and Tyler both thought it was an awesome experience and were very encouraging. Rachel laughed and said she remembered me talking about it high school - I knew that I had thought about PC for a long time but I didn't remember actually saying it outloud to a high school friend.

I received a nomination the first week of March for a Math Resource Education Position in Africa leaving July so I then realized that I would need to sit down and tell my parents, as July was only four months away. I was a little scared to tell them mainly because I was afraid they'd think I was crazy. They actually responded very well to the news. They asked a lot of good questions as well some silly ones (as you can guess that would be mom would came up with those ones). It seemed like very time I was on the phone with them, they'd be asking more questions and basically just trying to get more information.

Currently I am in the process of going through medical clearance and of course the next step is to receive an invitation. I decided that it might be a good idea to tell some of my extended family as July is quickly approaching. I thought about telling my grandma or one of my aunts, however I wanted to be the one to tell people so decided that I'd announce it mid-April at Easter dinner. I think my Aunt Laura and Aunt Marsha asked a lot of good questions. I think I caught Grandma Margaret off guard as she asked if it was a 3 month program. Lacey had told me that she thought it was an awesome opportunity, however she is an international business major so I would expect that of her. I can understand that it can be a lot to take in when you first hear it - only months away in July, a 27 month program, and the idea of being in Africa. The room was a little quiet as I don't think they knew what to say at first. I shared some stories about some returned volunteers as well shared the "use left hand only" stories which helped to lighten the mood. So the ice is broken and they now know my plans of joining the PC.

The HUGE Medical Packet

2006-04-14T18:23:00.000-04:00

I received the HUGE medical packet March 9th and picked up the phone the following Monday to make doctors appointments. I had already gone to dentist to have cleaning and cavities filled, as I knew that I would need a clean cavity free mouth to be accepted. I went to family doctor to have routine physical, went hospital to have about 8 tubes of blood drawn for tests, went to health department for TB test, and back to the family doctor to fill in the PC medical form. I then had to simply drop off forms to dentist and eye doctor. I decided to have wisdom teeth out before sending in medical kit so that I wouldn't get deferred when they saw x-ray with impacted bottom wisdom teeth. The whole process of having everything checked, tested, test results back, and forms filled out took about four weeks. I sent my completed medical, dental, and vision packet to PC Headquarters in Washington D.C. via Fed-Ex on April 4th. My toolkit on PC web site was updated on Friday April 7th stating they had received my medical packet and that my file was being reviewed. I've read that medical clearance typically is 4-8 weeks, however heard that some people are medically cleared in 2-3 weeks. I'm only at the one week marker right now so I haven't hit that impatient stage where I want to call the PO (Placement Officer) yet. However I realize that with a July nomination that it is crucial that I get medical cleared fairly quickly. I'm hoping to end clearance by the end of April or very beginning of May so that perhaps I can have invitation by mid-May.

Application Process Begins

2006-04-14T18:22:00.000-04:00

In January 2006 I began to fill out the online PC application. It was quite in depth so I did small parts off and on for a few weeks. During this time I also updated my resume and wrote two essays as part of the application. I submitted my completed application on January 20, 2006. I also had to decide who I would have write me recommendations. This was a little tricky because once again I was just in the beginning stage of the process. It still seemed far fetched and I didn't want to get my hopes up or really have a lot of people know that I was seriously thinking
about PC. I decided to have two teachers that I currently worked with, my principal, and a professor from grad school. My recruiter (Katie) emailed me a few days after my application was submitted online and told me that she would be interviewing at University of Cincinnati and Xavier University campus the second week of February. So I had preliminary phone interview on February 3rd with Katie, attended an evening information session at UC on February 7th where I met Katie and other return volunteers, and had in person interview on February 9th at XU. Following the interview, I had additional paperwork (FBI fingerprints, student loan deferment forms, education/volunteer experience addendum, resume, etc). Once all references had submitted recommendations and I had completed forms, I was received an email from Katie on February 28th asking if I would be interested in a math resource/secondary education position in Africa leaving in July. I was amazed at how quick the process was going. It sounded like the perfect fit...at the end of the school year, education related and more of a training/leadership position rather than simply being a teacher, and of course the whole Africa thing fits the picture of what most people have in their head of what PC is. So I emailed her right back to tell her that I would accept the nomination. About a week later, I received the official nomination as well as the HUGE medical packet.

Just Thinking About It

2006-04-14T18:20:00.000-04:00

So I've been thinking about the whole Peace Corps thing for a long time. I remember hearing about it in middle school and thinking in the back of my head that it sounded kind of interesting. I first began to really research Peace Corps my first year of college after taking a cultural anthropology class and a service learning class. I remember in the anthropology class my first quarter of college reading a whole book on the Ju'hoansi people. They were hunter-gather people who lived in parts of Nambia, Botswana,Zambia, Angola, and other parts of southern Africa. I was so fascinated that these people still lived like this. There were lots of different cultures that we studied and it really started to open my eyes a little more as to what else is out there and how different other parts of the world are. My second quarter of college I took a service learning class where I met Kori. She was my volunteer leader who set up my group's volunteer site at a local elementary school for tutoring. Kori also got me interested in Big Brothers Big Sisters and other community organizations. She was in AmeriCorps and spoke very highly of the program. I began researching AmeriCorps and as a result came back to thinking about Peace Corps again.

Meanwhile, I realized that I was only 18 and had to stay focused my college education. I think when I really started to think about PC again more seriously was my senior year of college. I was about to graduate and was still waiting to see if I got into grad school. I remember telling myself that if I didn't' get into grad school that I was going to apply for PC. I did get into the grad school so I put PC on the back burner. However, 14 months later as I was finishing my master's and trying to find a teaching position, I began to think about PC once again. However, I did find a teaching position teaching sixth grade math, which I had done two student teaching placements in so I felt it was a perfect fit.

My first two years of teaching had ups and downs, as all new things do. I was able to try out many of the teaching strategies that I had learned about in college on real kids in a real classroom of my own. I was able to experience what it felt like to be responsible for real kids' learning while feeling the pressure from statewide testing. I was able experience what it feels like to be a room with thirty 11-12 year old kids and be the only adult :) I learned that I thought I had a lot of patience, but now had the opportunity to practice that patience even more. I was able to work with some of the most amazing educators who I know I will long remember as people who helped shape me as a teacher and as a person. I was able to work with a diverse group of kids. The socioeconomic range of the kids I worked with was interesting - some kids had next to nothing while the kid sitting next to him would be talking about his latest luxery vacation. Some kids had so much support from their families while other kids it seemed had little or no support from their families. I guess I knew that it was like that but it was very frustrating to not have control or be able to help more. In many ways I entered teaching hoping to "make a difference". After two years I realize that my goal shouldn't be so broad. Instead it should simply be to let kids know that I do care and that I want them to be successful in school and in life. In the context of a school, I think its easy to lose sight that that should be the ultimate goal. I learned that kids and people in general are really all the same - they want someone to listen to them and care about them. In many ways I questioned myself and my abilities. Part of that I think is due to lack of experience -lack of teaching experience, lack of my own life experiences, and lack of my understanding of the community that I was teaching in.

This is when I began to think about Peace Corps very seriously. I remember over the holiday break of my second year of teaching reading and researching PC online and reading several books from the public library. That's when I decided that I would apply. I really felt that PC would give me an opportunity, over two years that is, to really learn about other people, learn about myself, and better understand what direction I want to take with my career/life.