Just wanted to update you on the countdown...
Yes, that's right! Only 50 days until I'm in Nicaragua. ¡Ay caramba!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Dust Storm Blows through Spokane
It has been really nice in Spokane this past week and it hasn't rained in awhile. However, because it hasn't rained, the dust was ready for an adventure. It was sooo windy today, and I haven't seen many windstorms like the ones in Spokane. (Maybe I haven't traveled that much, but that's beside the point) Well, it was windy * dusty! I could taste dust in my mouth and feel it in my eyes...ugh! Just to show you a little glimpse of how dusty is was, here are some pictures. The first one is in the midst of the dust storm--notice the gray "sky"behind the red building...
Well, here is what the dust was hiding...
Yes, the whole south hill of Spokane... It's still a little hazy in this picture, but I thought it was crazy how thick the dust was.
I had the "opportunity" of walking through this while carrying a large easel notepad...not very fun when it's windy. The thing is awkward enough to carry on any regular day, but when it's windy, the papers fly everywhere, it's flat so the wind pushes against me even harder (imagine walking in the wind with a large piece of cardboard & trying to keep it in your hands and straight), and it almost flew away. I bet I was funny to watch :)
Well, speaking of the awkward easel notepad...Sarah (my teacher partner) and I taught our first day of Spanish camp today! We had a total of 14 students and that was such a blessing! I'm so glad we had so many students, and not too many more, because 14 was enough :) It was kind of a slow day because it was the first day with introductions, rules, etc. but we tried to make it fun. We have some rambunctious 6 year old twin boys that like to talk! It's quite a variety of ages in there, but we are optimistic about the rest of the camp. We have some sweet kids in there and I'm excited to keep going!
Well, here is what the dust was hiding...
Yes, the whole south hill of Spokane... It's still a little hazy in this picture, but I thought it was crazy how thick the dust was.
I had the "opportunity" of walking through this while carrying a large easel notepad...not very fun when it's windy. The thing is awkward enough to carry on any regular day, but when it's windy, the papers fly everywhere, it's flat so the wind pushes against me even harder (imagine walking in the wind with a large piece of cardboard & trying to keep it in your hands and straight), and it almost flew away. I bet I was funny to watch :)
Well, speaking of the awkward easel notepad...Sarah (my teacher partner) and I taught our first day of Spanish camp today! We had a total of 14 students and that was such a blessing! I'm so glad we had so many students, and not too many more, because 14 was enough :) It was kind of a slow day because it was the first day with introductions, rules, etc. but we tried to make it fun. We have some rambunctious 6 year old twin boys that like to talk! It's quite a variety of ages in there, but we are optimistic about the rest of the camp. We have some sweet kids in there and I'm excited to keep going!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Spanish Camp
For those of you who didn't know, I'll be teaching a Spanish language camp at Gonzaga starting Monday with one of my fellow classmates. We will be working with elementary age students and we have 10 students registered, but possibly two more might sign up. I am so excited because we've been planning this for quite some time now. Yesterday, Sarah (my co-teacher) and I spent over 5 straight hours collecting materials and planning Week 1 for our camp. It's exciting now that we're so close and I'm looking forward to meeting our students. After what has been a pretty rough and frustrating time thinking we might have to cancel the camp due to low enrollment, we finally got more kids signed up. Please pray for us! Check in for details on how things go...
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Oregon, Sweet, Oregon
So I went home to Oregon for a short break in between classes and it was nice being back there, especially with it being summertime :) The flowers were blooming and the sun was shining. I love Oregon summers!!
Before I get into the details, I have to tell you a crazy story about the actual drive to Oregon. So, I was about at the half way point--I had just filled up with gas in Biggs and was continuing through the Gorge--and I see billows of smoke up ahead and tapping brake lights in front of me. Hmm... Everyone came to a stop ahead of me and the oncoming traffic stopped as well. We were clearly not going anywhere for quite some time so I got out of my car, along with many other people, to see what was going on. Here's what I saw:
Um, what?! Even though there was a median, they stopped oncoming traffic because there was so much black smoke and large flames. I still had no idea what was going on though. It looked like there might be a large truck involved, but I wasn't sure. I waited there for about 30 minutes while they got the fire under control. This shows some of the flames.
After waiting, and then watching the oncoming traffic pass by, along with people videotaping us from their camera phones to show how far the traffic was backed up on our side, we finally got to slowly drive past the wreckage and see what held us up for so long.
I'm still not entirely sure what happened because there was only one vehicle involved, but apparently this truck was pulling a long trailer (flatbed) which contained something explosive because the entire thing was charred. I just hope that whoever was in the truck was able to get out before the explosion took place. This was quite an eventful drive home. It was a clear day, so I had a nice view of Mt. Hood.
While I was home, I spent a lot of time lounging around the house and then started feeling kind of lazy, but a good kind of lazy, if one does exist. It was nice to not have plans and just be. It was fun playing with our dog Stevie and spending time with my parents--catching up on their favorite shows. There is always something on TV to watch when I go home because here in Spokane, we only have about 20 random channels, and most of them are public broadcasting. I do every once in awhile catch Cash Cab, which is pretty funny. Anyway, TV really isn't that important, as I have definitely realized while being in Spokane and not turning on the TV in weeks. It's actually refreshing. There are some fun shows, but it's not absolutely necessary to watch them.
I was actually productive when I was home, and completed about half of a Young Life t-shirt quilt that I've been working on. I did not realize how difficult this one would be! I made a quilt for my mom about 2 years ago, which I have to say was quite good, especially that I hadn't made a quilt before. However, this t-shirt quilt is much more difficult for a couple reasons. First, t-shirts stretch WAY more than regular fabric. I have used this material as backing to help fix this, but they still stretch. Second, the pieces are all random sizes that I have put together in a crazy design, meaning, there are straight lines, but very few. Third, because t-shirts are stretchy, when sewing them, they often turn out weird, and not very straight, and then sometimes don't fit together with the other pieces :( Last, I'm a perfectionist and so I've taken out A LOT of stitches and re-sewed a good amount of pieces together to make it look better. Along these lines though, I heard from my sewing teacher a few years back that quilts are not supposed to be perfect. The Amish would actually mess up their quilts on purpose (usually a small part) because only God is perfect. I thought this was interesting, and it actually encouraged me when I made small (or big) mistakes with my quilt (or in life). Here is a picture of my quilt before I started sewing, so the pieces are just laid out. It's a collection of my Young Life t-shirts, some of my brother's, and some from friends.
One of my friends, who lives in Tennessee now with her husband, was in town and invited me to play Bingo in Salem. Well, I of course said yes haha My mom found her old Bingo daubers and we met Kristin and Holly at the Bingo Hall. It was hilarious! We had a fun time and I felt so nervous listening to them call the numbers and trying to mark the numbers on all 12 of my Bingo cards. It was a little crazy, but Holly won $130 and we all had a good time. The funniest part about Bingo was that everyone is silent during the game and I couldn't help but snicker and make comments the whole time. My mom kept telling me that the people were going to come tell me to be quiet, but I guess we weren't too loud. Apparently my mom and her friends have been shushed a couple times when they played Bingo at the casino years ago.
Besides quilting, watching TV, and playing Bingo (wow, do I feel old haha), I got to visit with friends and go fishing with my parents. This was a fun trip, except that we had to get up so early. If you know me well, you know that I am NOT a morning person...at all! Well, getting up at 5am was not exactly what I was expecting when my parents asked if I wanted to go fishing, but I made it. I slept the entire 2 hours there and 2 hours back. We got there around 8am and we were the only ones on the lake. Well, I would say, duh, because who else would get up that early, but I guess people do get up before 8am and actually accomplish quite a lot in those hours before I wake up :) Anyway, we had a great time and I caught the first fish, just had to put that out there.
We all ended up limiting out, which means 5 fish each--it used to be 10 some years back. It was fun spending time with my parents (and of course our dog).
Dad and me...I was trying to be taller than him, and he didn't want that to happen :)
Here's Stevie checking out a duck. Fortunately for the duck, he's not a water-dog. I think the duck was taunting him though.
Needless to say, we had a great time fishing, and ended up making it home before noon. Wow, I didn't realize how much could be accomplished in the morning :)
The next mini-trip while in Oregon was to Eugene to visit my friend Lindsey who is working down there, and my friend Kimmie is working at Camp Harlow. On the way there, I saw a gorgeous rainbow! There were actually several cars parked on the side of the freeway taking pictures, and I kind of regret not pulling over too.
The colors were so bright! And, it turned into a full rainbow. (there was a reflection from the car window)
I finally got to Eugene and my good friend Lindsey had some plans for us that night. We went to Sweet Life and got some desserts to go and then went to David Minor's which is a little theater & pub. We ended up watching the Goonies, a classic :) It was a very fun night and I was glad to see my friend! In the morning we went to The Vintage for brunch, and had mimosas--Lindsey hadn't had one before.
We walked around near campus (U of O...not my fav, because of course I'm an OSU fan--go BEAVS!) and then met up with Kimmie. We browsed some thrift stores, had a light lunch, and got bubbletea :) I didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked, but it was so fun seeing my friends.
On the way back to Keizer, I stopped at my grandparents and we talked for an hour. It was really nice. I remember going to my grandparents (or any relatives' houses) when I was younger and not having much conversation, mainly listening to the adults talk. It's great to be able to talk with my grandparents and share our lives. I felt so grown up haha
The fourth of July was pretty uneventful. We didn't buy any fireworks, as we haven't for a couple years now. I did spend some time with just my parents, which was great. As my departure date quickly approaches, I am cherishing these moments more and more. We sat outside under the the vines and flowers and had a small fire to make s'mores and then we watched our neighbors' fireworks.
The last night I was in town, I took Kristin over to my friends', James and Annaleah, house. I used to lead in our church high school youth group with them, along with Chad & Jessica Harvey, who joined us, along with Melissa Kramer (who has come to our girls' nights at Annaleah's) & her boyfriend. We relaxed, enjoyed each other's company, and spent another night by the fire.
The next morning was kind of sad and I didn't really want to leave. Maybe it was because the sad eyes our dog gave me after I had to tell him to get out of my car (he jumped inside when I wasn't looking). But, maybe it was something more. I had to tell my friend Kristin goodbye for 2 1/2 years. I won't see her before I leave for Nicaragua and I suddenly started to realize that saying goodbye to family and friends for 2 1/2 years might be harder than I thought. I usually don't get emotional telling people goodbye because I know that I'll see them soon. I didn't get emotional talking to Kristin, but it hit me the next day. Two and a half years is a long time! I know everyone says it will go by so fast, but I also know that there will be SLOW days, weeks, and even months. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to go to Nicaragua, but it definitely is going to be hard. This is where prayer and faith come in. I've been praying for Nicaragua for quite some time now and I have faith in God's plans for me there. I appreciate all of the prayers that have included my name & what I'll be doing in Nicaragua. I am thankful for all who have supported me so far. It is incredible to know that God has something so wonderful in store for me and He has blessed me with people in my life to intercede for me, to petition for safety and protection over me and my travels. These are things that add to my faith and encourage me in my journey.
Thank you Lord for my trip to Oregon and thank you for your protection and guidance every step of the way.
Before I get into the details, I have to tell you a crazy story about the actual drive to Oregon. So, I was about at the half way point--I had just filled up with gas in Biggs and was continuing through the Gorge--and I see billows of smoke up ahead and tapping brake lights in front of me. Hmm... Everyone came to a stop ahead of me and the oncoming traffic stopped as well. We were clearly not going anywhere for quite some time so I got out of my car, along with many other people, to see what was going on. Here's what I saw:
Um, what?! Even though there was a median, they stopped oncoming traffic because there was so much black smoke and large flames. I still had no idea what was going on though. It looked like there might be a large truck involved, but I wasn't sure. I waited there for about 30 minutes while they got the fire under control. This shows some of the flames.
While I was home, I spent a lot of time lounging around the house and then started feeling kind of lazy, but a good kind of lazy, if one does exist. It was nice to not have plans and just be. It was fun playing with our dog Stevie and spending time with my parents--catching up on their favorite shows. There is always something on TV to watch when I go home because here in Spokane, we only have about 20 random channels, and most of them are public broadcasting. I do every once in awhile catch Cash Cab, which is pretty funny. Anyway, TV really isn't that important, as I have definitely realized while being in Spokane and not turning on the TV in weeks. It's actually refreshing. There are some fun shows, but it's not absolutely necessary to watch them.
I was actually productive when I was home, and completed about half of a Young Life t-shirt quilt that I've been working on. I did not realize how difficult this one would be! I made a quilt for my mom about 2 years ago, which I have to say was quite good, especially that I hadn't made a quilt before. However, this t-shirt quilt is much more difficult for a couple reasons. First, t-shirts stretch WAY more than regular fabric. I have used this material as backing to help fix this, but they still stretch. Second, the pieces are all random sizes that I have put together in a crazy design, meaning, there are straight lines, but very few. Third, because t-shirts are stretchy, when sewing them, they often turn out weird, and not very straight, and then sometimes don't fit together with the other pieces :( Last, I'm a perfectionist and so I've taken out A LOT of stitches and re-sewed a good amount of pieces together to make it look better. Along these lines though, I heard from my sewing teacher a few years back that quilts are not supposed to be perfect. The Amish would actually mess up their quilts on purpose (usually a small part) because only God is perfect. I thought this was interesting, and it actually encouraged me when I made small (or big) mistakes with my quilt (or in life). Here is a picture of my quilt before I started sewing, so the pieces are just laid out. It's a collection of my Young Life t-shirts, some of my brother's, and some from friends.
One of my friends, who lives in Tennessee now with her husband, was in town and invited me to play Bingo in Salem. Well, I of course said yes haha My mom found her old Bingo daubers and we met Kristin and Holly at the Bingo Hall. It was hilarious! We had a fun time and I felt so nervous listening to them call the numbers and trying to mark the numbers on all 12 of my Bingo cards. It was a little crazy, but Holly won $130 and we all had a good time. The funniest part about Bingo was that everyone is silent during the game and I couldn't help but snicker and make comments the whole time. My mom kept telling me that the people were going to come tell me to be quiet, but I guess we weren't too loud. Apparently my mom and her friends have been shushed a couple times when they played Bingo at the casino years ago.
Besides quilting, watching TV, and playing Bingo (wow, do I feel old haha), I got to visit with friends and go fishing with my parents. This was a fun trip, except that we had to get up so early. If you know me well, you know that I am NOT a morning person...at all! Well, getting up at 5am was not exactly what I was expecting when my parents asked if I wanted to go fishing, but I made it. I slept the entire 2 hours there and 2 hours back. We got there around 8am and we were the only ones on the lake. Well, I would say, duh, because who else would get up that early, but I guess people do get up before 8am and actually accomplish quite a lot in those hours before I wake up :) Anyway, we had a great time and I caught the first fish, just had to put that out there.
We all ended up limiting out, which means 5 fish each--it used to be 10 some years back. It was fun spending time with my parents (and of course our dog).
Dad and me...I was trying to be taller than him, and he didn't want that to happen :)
Here's Stevie checking out a duck. Fortunately for the duck, he's not a water-dog. I think the duck was taunting him though.
The next mini-trip while in Oregon was to Eugene to visit my friend Lindsey who is working down there, and my friend Kimmie is working at Camp Harlow. On the way there, I saw a gorgeous rainbow! There were actually several cars parked on the side of the freeway taking pictures, and I kind of regret not pulling over too.
I finally got to Eugene and my good friend Lindsey had some plans for us that night. We went to Sweet Life and got some desserts to go and then went to David Minor's which is a little theater & pub. We ended up watching the Goonies, a classic :) It was a very fun night and I was glad to see my friend! In the morning we went to The Vintage for brunch, and had mimosas--Lindsey hadn't had one before.
We walked around near campus (U of O...not my fav, because of course I'm an OSU fan--go BEAVS!) and then met up with Kimmie. We browsed some thrift stores, had a light lunch, and got bubbletea :) I didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked, but it was so fun seeing my friends.
On the way back to Keizer, I stopped at my grandparents and we talked for an hour. It was really nice. I remember going to my grandparents (or any relatives' houses) when I was younger and not having much conversation, mainly listening to the adults talk. It's great to be able to talk with my grandparents and share our lives. I felt so grown up haha
The fourth of July was pretty uneventful. We didn't buy any fireworks, as we haven't for a couple years now. I did spend some time with just my parents, which was great. As my departure date quickly approaches, I am cherishing these moments more and more. We sat outside under the the vines and flowers and had a small fire to make s'mores and then we watched our neighbors' fireworks.
The last night I was in town, I took Kristin over to my friends', James and Annaleah, house. I used to lead in our church high school youth group with them, along with Chad & Jessica Harvey, who joined us, along with Melissa Kramer (who has come to our girls' nights at Annaleah's) & her boyfriend. We relaxed, enjoyed each other's company, and spent another night by the fire.
The next morning was kind of sad and I didn't really want to leave. Maybe it was because the sad eyes our dog gave me after I had to tell him to get out of my car (he jumped inside when I wasn't looking). But, maybe it was something more. I had to tell my friend Kristin goodbye for 2 1/2 years. I won't see her before I leave for Nicaragua and I suddenly started to realize that saying goodbye to family and friends for 2 1/2 years might be harder than I thought. I usually don't get emotional telling people goodbye because I know that I'll see them soon. I didn't get emotional talking to Kristin, but it hit me the next day. Two and a half years is a long time! I know everyone says it will go by so fast, but I also know that there will be SLOW days, weeks, and even months. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to go to Nicaragua, but it definitely is going to be hard. This is where prayer and faith come in. I've been praying for Nicaragua for quite some time now and I have faith in God's plans for me there. I appreciate all of the prayers that have included my name & what I'll be doing in Nicaragua. I am thankful for all who have supported me so far. It is incredible to know that God has something so wonderful in store for me and He has blessed me with people in my life to intercede for me, to petition for safety and protection over me and my travels. These are things that add to my faith and encourage me in my journey.
Thank you Lord for my trip to Oregon and thank you for your protection and guidance every step of the way.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
73 days and dwindling...
I can't believe we're already half way through June and I can count the number of sunny days of summer on one hand! I guess I'll have plenty of sunny, hot, humid, sweaty days to come in Nicaragua...speaking of which, I leave in 73 days. I was just thinking about how I contemplated Peace Corps service 2 years ago and the days until I depart are closing in quickly. I started this process back in the summer of 2008 and began my application in the fall as I began my senior year at Western Oregon. I was getting my Bachelor's in Elementary Education and I knew that I wanted to teach, but I also wanted to travel. However, I knew that if I went off and traveled, or went into the Peace Corps for a couple years, I would not want to go back to school to get my Masters. This was inevitable though, because I would need to get my Masters to retain my teaching license. There were so many thoughts flying through my head...should I go straight to graduate school, get my Masters, and then get a teaching job? Should I look for a job and try to go to graduate school while I'm teaching? Should I try subbing for a year or two while I look for a full-time teaching job? Should I travel--oh wait, I don't have any money for that! Ha! *Enter Peace Corps*
I read stories about Peace Corps service and looked into the programs that they had, what I could possibly do in another country, where I might be able to live... Then I saw that Peace Corps has a Masters International program, where anyone can do graduate study while serving in the Peace Corps. Hmmmm....well, then the next thought was, which Masters program do I want to do? I looked into Education, but I desired to do something a little more than what my Bachelor's degree provided. I was already interested in ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) and was hopeful to work with English learners in the future, so this seemed like a good fit.
Now, what school shall I choose??? It's all about location, right? Well, I saw schools with TESOL programs in New York, DC, California, Colorado, so many places except Oregon. Even though I love Oregon, I decided that it was time to stretch my wings and try something new. I considered a school in Colorado when my friends were thinking about moving there, but that didn't happen. Then I was looking at DC and California...hello, have you seen the price tags on housing there? Yeah, right! So I figured that if I was going to have to pay for graduate school tuition (taking out loans that will be with my for the next, let's say 20 years or so) I could not afford to pay for housing in downtown DC or upscale neighborhoods of southern California, nor did I want to for that matter. The search continued for awhile, and THEN, I saw a new program open in Spokane, WA at Gonzaga University. I remember hearing of this university before with all the basketball hype, but didn't know much. Then, I realized that I had actually been to Spokane for a Christmas conference with Campus Crusade 3 years prior. Small world, I tell ya.
I requested information from Gonzaga and got the ball rollin' with the application process. I had a phone interview with my Peace Corps recruiter and emailed back and forth with the program director at Gonzaga, and by February, 2009, I was nominated for Peace Corps service and accepted in the Masters in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) program at Gonzaga. The only thing left to do was graduate from Western.
In the summer between schools, I really started looking into places that I could possibly go with the Masters in TESOL program. The options are vast, but I was desiring a Spanish-speaking country because of the population of students I have worked with in the past, and the ones I want to work with in the future, but also because the passion I have for the language. I started praying about countries that I might be sent to and for the people whom I would serve. As I browsed the list of countries where Peace Corps volunteers serve, my heart was pulled to Nicaragua. I wasn't sure why then, but I felt a nudge to pray for this country and the possibility to serve there. I printed out a map of Nicaragua, and made a prayer list: Pray for the country's needs, employment, education (English), families, leaders, current Peace Corps volunteers serving there, and then also to pray that if I would be selected to go there, that God would prepare that place for me and give me the skills I would need to serve the people there. This seemed strange to some, but my faith became stronger.
My parents drove with me up to Spokane in the end of August 2009 and I really enjoyed the heat that summer (hint hint). I started classes in a new place with entirely new people and everything was exciting and intimidating all at once. I quickly made friends and endured coursework that turned out to be enjoyable and very interesting. I knew within the first week that this was the place I was meant to be for graduate school. In this crazy thing called life, God really does have a plan for us.
Well, I made it through my first semester, then Christmas break, and on into the next year. My plan for departure was September 1, 2010, meaning that this was availability date to enter the Peace Corps (anytime after this). As I was in the middle of spring semester and sitting in the airport waiting to fly out to Denver to visit my best friend Laura, I received an email...it was from my placement coordinator, whom I had never met, stating that she saw that my availability date was September 1st and my preference was to be in a Spanish-speaking country. She had a project that she thought I would fit, but it would be leaving in August. If I was available then, I needed to let her know, otherwise, the only programs of this sort wouldn't be leaving until 2011. Sitting in the airport, I began shaking with joy, my eyes teared up, and began typing as quickly as I could to tell her that I would definitely be available in August. I was so nervous and excited to get her reply.
I did not receive a reply from her, but I did receive an email from the Peace Corps website telling me that my online toolkit (my files) had been updated. As soon as I got to a computer I found out that my invitation kit was in the mail. Sadly, this was being sent to my "current address" in Spokane, while I was going to be in Denver for 5 days, then Oregon for 5 days, before returning to Spokane. Really? This timing could not have been worse... I was going CRAZY! Ask my friend Laura :) I emailed my placement coordinator only to hear that she is not able to "divulge" the information to me and I would have to wait for my packet in the mail. Well, there's two things you have to know about me, sometimes I'm not the most patient person in the world, and I also eagerly await packages in the mail when I know they're coming, so this was so difficult for me. Oh, also, I love to know things and plan things out, so realizing that the package containing the information about my two years of life in another country was floating off to Washington leaving me far behind, was devastating. Ok, not that horrible.
Things do work out for those who wait, right? Well, my dad ended up having to go to Spokane for work and was able to stop by my place and pick up my mail, which came the day before he got there. He arrived in Oregon a day after I did and I attacked him at his car when he pulled into the driveway. I ran to a room to be alone and opened the package. "Your Assignment....Country: Nicaragua...Job Title: TEFL Teacher & Trainer...Orientation Dates: August 31, 2010...Pre-Service Training in Nicaragua: September 1-29, 2010...Service Dates: September 30, 2010-October, 2012" Ahhh! I was so excited, but felt so at peace because I had been praying for this country for over a year I knew that God had put Nicaragua on my heart for a reason. After all of the emotions and finally telling my parents, calling my brother, and some friends, I read through all the paperwork as quickly as possible and emailed Peace Corps to accept the invitation to serve.
My excitement grew as I returned to Spokane and got to share the news with my classmates and professors. I was relieved because I wouldn't have to sigh or blush when asked "So, where will you be going in the Peace Corps?" because I actually knew the answer. Phew! I continued on with classes and the Friday before yesterday, I gave a presentation on PCMI Nicaragua for our First Friday Forum here at Gonzaga. It got me excited all over again to prepare for my service.
That brings us to now. I am sitting at my desk, glancing up at the map of Nicaragua tacked to my wall with the date 8/5/2009 on it. I can't believe that I will be leaving so soon, but I am really looking forward to what is in store for me. I am looking forward to sharing my experience with everyone and hopefully some inspiration too :)
I read stories about Peace Corps service and looked into the programs that they had, what I could possibly do in another country, where I might be able to live... Then I saw that Peace Corps has a Masters International program, where anyone can do graduate study while serving in the Peace Corps. Hmmmm....well, then the next thought was, which Masters program do I want to do? I looked into Education, but I desired to do something a little more than what my Bachelor's degree provided. I was already interested in ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) and was hopeful to work with English learners in the future, so this seemed like a good fit.
Now, what school shall I choose??? It's all about location, right? Well, I saw schools with TESOL programs in New York, DC, California, Colorado, so many places except Oregon. Even though I love Oregon, I decided that it was time to stretch my wings and try something new. I considered a school in Colorado when my friends were thinking about moving there, but that didn't happen. Then I was looking at DC and California...hello, have you seen the price tags on housing there? Yeah, right! So I figured that if I was going to have to pay for graduate school tuition (taking out loans that will be with my for the next, let's say 20 years or so) I could not afford to pay for housing in downtown DC or upscale neighborhoods of southern California, nor did I want to for that matter. The search continued for awhile, and THEN, I saw a new program open in Spokane, WA at Gonzaga University. I remember hearing of this university before with all the basketball hype, but didn't know much. Then, I realized that I had actually been to Spokane for a Christmas conference with Campus Crusade 3 years prior. Small world, I tell ya.
I requested information from Gonzaga and got the ball rollin' with the application process. I had a phone interview with my Peace Corps recruiter and emailed back and forth with the program director at Gonzaga, and by February, 2009, I was nominated for Peace Corps service and accepted in the Masters in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) program at Gonzaga. The only thing left to do was graduate from Western.
In the summer between schools, I really started looking into places that I could possibly go with the Masters in TESOL program. The options are vast, but I was desiring a Spanish-speaking country because of the population of students I have worked with in the past, and the ones I want to work with in the future, but also because the passion I have for the language. I started praying about countries that I might be sent to and for the people whom I would serve. As I browsed the list of countries where Peace Corps volunteers serve, my heart was pulled to Nicaragua. I wasn't sure why then, but I felt a nudge to pray for this country and the possibility to serve there. I printed out a map of Nicaragua, and made a prayer list: Pray for the country's needs, employment, education (English), families, leaders, current Peace Corps volunteers serving there, and then also to pray that if I would be selected to go there, that God would prepare that place for me and give me the skills I would need to serve the people there. This seemed strange to some, but my faith became stronger.
My parents drove with me up to Spokane in the end of August 2009 and I really enjoyed the heat that summer (hint hint). I started classes in a new place with entirely new people and everything was exciting and intimidating all at once. I quickly made friends and endured coursework that turned out to be enjoyable and very interesting. I knew within the first week that this was the place I was meant to be for graduate school. In this crazy thing called life, God really does have a plan for us.
Well, I made it through my first semester, then Christmas break, and on into the next year. My plan for departure was September 1, 2010, meaning that this was availability date to enter the Peace Corps (anytime after this). As I was in the middle of spring semester and sitting in the airport waiting to fly out to Denver to visit my best friend Laura, I received an email...it was from my placement coordinator, whom I had never met, stating that she saw that my availability date was September 1st and my preference was to be in a Spanish-speaking country. She had a project that she thought I would fit, but it would be leaving in August. If I was available then, I needed to let her know, otherwise, the only programs of this sort wouldn't be leaving until 2011. Sitting in the airport, I began shaking with joy, my eyes teared up, and began typing as quickly as I could to tell her that I would definitely be available in August. I was so nervous and excited to get her reply.
I did not receive a reply from her, but I did receive an email from the Peace Corps website telling me that my online toolkit (my files) had been updated. As soon as I got to a computer I found out that my invitation kit was in the mail. Sadly, this was being sent to my "current address" in Spokane, while I was going to be in Denver for 5 days, then Oregon for 5 days, before returning to Spokane. Really? This timing could not have been worse... I was going CRAZY! Ask my friend Laura :) I emailed my placement coordinator only to hear that she is not able to "divulge" the information to me and I would have to wait for my packet in the mail. Well, there's two things you have to know about me, sometimes I'm not the most patient person in the world, and I also eagerly await packages in the mail when I know they're coming, so this was so difficult for me. Oh, also, I love to know things and plan things out, so realizing that the package containing the information about my two years of life in another country was floating off to Washington leaving me far behind, was devastating. Ok, not that horrible.
Things do work out for those who wait, right? Well, my dad ended up having to go to Spokane for work and was able to stop by my place and pick up my mail, which came the day before he got there. He arrived in Oregon a day after I did and I attacked him at his car when he pulled into the driveway. I ran to a room to be alone and opened the package. "Your Assignment....Country: Nicaragua...Job Title: TEFL Teacher & Trainer...Orientation Dates: August 31, 2010...Pre-Service Training in Nicaragua: September 1-29, 2010...Service Dates: September 30, 2010-October, 2012" Ahhh! I was so excited, but felt so at peace because I had been praying for this country for over a year I knew that God had put Nicaragua on my heart for a reason. After all of the emotions and finally telling my parents, calling my brother, and some friends, I read through all the paperwork as quickly as possible and emailed Peace Corps to accept the invitation to serve.
My excitement grew as I returned to Spokane and got to share the news with my classmates and professors. I was relieved because I wouldn't have to sigh or blush when asked "So, where will you be going in the Peace Corps?" because I actually knew the answer. Phew! I continued on with classes and the Friday before yesterday, I gave a presentation on PCMI Nicaragua for our First Friday Forum here at Gonzaga. It got me excited all over again to prepare for my service.
Presentation day
That brings us to now. I am sitting at my desk, glancing up at the map of Nicaragua tacked to my wall with the date 8/5/2009 on it. I can't believe that I will be leaving so soon, but I am really looking forward to what is in store for me. I am looking forward to sharing my experience with everyone and hopefully some inspiration too :)
Friday, June 4, 2010
Idaho trip!
Well I was texting my dad last night asking him a cooking question and he wrote "Oh, I forgot to tell you I'm in Idaho for work". Um, what?! Apparently he was in Seattle, then drove with his rep through Washington to Moscow, ID stopping at garden centers here and there. He was having a meeting this morning and then going to head back to Seattle before flying home to Oregon. So, I looked up directions to Moscow and found out that I could drive there in about an hour and forty-five minutes or so and I haven't seen my dad in a month so I thought this would be a fun trip. There's a small catch though--his meeting was scheduled for 9:30-10am, then he would be leaving around noon for Seattle. Ok, well then this meant that I would need to leave around 8am and I'm not a morning a person :( I decided to go for it anyway because I do love my dad :) So, this morning I got up around 7am, ugh!, then ate breakfast, got gas, and headed out for Moscow.
I got to Moscow in record time and actually beat my dad to the meeting. He asked if I was speeding and I said, "I just drove like my dad does" haha Anyway, I meandered around the store checking out all the hot new gardening tools...um, yeah. Fortunately, the meeting was very fast so I talked to my dad while he organized some shelves of his products in the store. We then met up with his rep and went out to lunch at an Italian restaurant. Well, at first we thought we were out of luck because the doors were locked. Apparently nobody eats lunch at 10:45am... They let us in anyway and the waiter came quickly to take drink orders as he was still putting on his name-tag.
It was so nice spending time with my dad and sharing a meal. I know my mom was a little (hmmm, maybe more than a little) jealous of me spending time with my dad without her, but I did just spend a whole weekend with her a few weeks ago, so I think that made up for it. Anyway, we had lunch and then sat around for a little while chatting before they had to get back on the road. This trip was pretty crazy, getting up way early (yes 7am is way early for me), driving an hour and a half to Moscow, then spending about an hour and a half with my dad, then driving an hour and a half back to Spokane. Even though the drive time was long and then shared time was short, it was well worth it. What I realized from this is that we never know how much time we have to see people or how much time we have here, so embrace life and take chances. Spend quality time with those you love any chance you get.
I got to Moscow in record time and actually beat my dad to the meeting. He asked if I was speeding and I said, "I just drove like my dad does" haha Anyway, I meandered around the store checking out all the hot new gardening tools...um, yeah. Fortunately, the meeting was very fast so I talked to my dad while he organized some shelves of his products in the store. We then met up with his rep and went out to lunch at an Italian restaurant. Well, at first we thought we were out of luck because the doors were locked. Apparently nobody eats lunch at 10:45am... They let us in anyway and the waiter came quickly to take drink orders as he was still putting on his name-tag.
It was so nice spending time with my dad and sharing a meal. I know my mom was a little (hmmm, maybe more than a little) jealous of me spending time with my dad without her, but I did just spend a whole weekend with her a few weeks ago, so I think that made up for it. Anyway, we had lunch and then sat around for a little while chatting before they had to get back on the road. This trip was pretty crazy, getting up way early (yes 7am is way early for me), driving an hour and a half to Moscow, then spending about an hour and a half with my dad, then driving an hour and a half back to Spokane. Even though the drive time was long and then shared time was short, it was well worth it. What I realized from this is that we never know how much time we have to see people or how much time we have here, so embrace life and take chances. Spend quality time with those you love any chance you get.
Weekend. What weekend?
Sooo, the holiday weekend went by too fast and now it's already the next weekend. I don't know how these days go by so quickly. It's just crazy! Well, to update you, my Memorial Day weekend was fairly boring until Monday when I had "brunch" with some friends. I went over to my friend Erin's house and she was making quiche and an apple tart, and then fruit, crackers with goat cheese and honey for hors d'oeuvres. Her husband Drew was there gardening and taking care of things around the house--what a great husband :) Then Piah came to join us and we dug into the delicious meal. Wow! That girl can cook ;)
Oh, and did I mention mimosas...
Yes, we let Drew join us for "girls' brunch" :)
After we were stuffed full, we decided that we would hang out in the basement/den/movie room and watch Sex and the City. Drew made us popcorn on the stove, again what a great husband Erin has :) We ended up watching Sex and the City for a couple hours and just hanging out. This was so fun and much needed! Erin & Drew's friends came over to hang out for awhile and invited us to dinner at their place, so of course we accepted. After hours of lounging, we crawled out of the dark den and returned to the daylight. Erica made us breakfast quiche and blueberry pancakes. So, we had breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for lunch (or brunch), and breakfast for dinner. I felt like the whole day was morning because we were crawling around and so lazy haha I did work out before brunch though, so I felt like I accomplished something for the day :)
Oh, and did I mention mimosas...
Yes, we let Drew join us for "girls' brunch" :)
After we were stuffed full, we decided that we would hang out in the basement/den/movie room and watch Sex and the City. Drew made us popcorn on the stove, again what a great husband Erin has :) We ended up watching Sex and the City for a couple hours and just hanging out. This was so fun and much needed! Erin & Drew's friends came over to hang out for awhile and invited us to dinner at their place, so of course we accepted. After hours of lounging, we crawled out of the dark den and returned to the daylight. Erica made us breakfast quiche and blueberry pancakes. So, we had breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for lunch (or brunch), and breakfast for dinner. I felt like the whole day was morning because we were crawling around and so lazy haha I did work out before brunch though, so I felt like I accomplished something for the day :)
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