7 weeks and counting

7 weeks (49 days!) until I leave for the Dominican Republic, and I am slowly but surely starting to get everything done with. Today I finished my new Resume and Aspiration Statement and emailed it into the country desk. I mailed in my visa application and emailed SATO Travel about my passport transfer. I'm just about done with everything I need to do until I get more information about booking flights and getting ready for staging.

I've begun uploading my DVD collection onto an external hard drive for my time in the Peace Corps. There were certain movies that were a must bring for the DR, and I have heard that volunteers share DVDs so I'm bringing my favorites to share with people. It's taking a lot of time to get everything I want uploaded, but it will definitely be worth it - especially when I am having a bad day and want to hear English spoken for a few hours!

I've also continued on my shopping for the Dominican. I got myself a bunch of tank tops for cheap from Old Navy that I can use to layer with button downs or wear alone with jeans or skirts on really hot days. I also picked up a cute little dress that is conservative enough to wear around. I got a pair of shorts that are a bit longer to be more appropriate in country. I got a few towels - one beach, one camping quick-dry, and one normal but thinner - for in country use. I've got a list of things I still need and slowly I am working on it.

I also have been working on some major room cleaning AKA trashing stuff I don't need and getting things worth donating together to give to someone who needs it. I have so many old shirts, shorts, dresses, skirts, etc. that I no longer fit, want, or need. I am happy that I will be able to donate some of the high quality stuff that I no longer wear to people who really need it and will appreciate it.

I certainly have a few exciting things coming up though! I leave for NYC on Saturday for a week and a half. It's going to be so wonderful to see my family and friends in the city and have some fun for a few days. I also have a family vacation coming up where we are going to go to Charleston for a long weekend. I haven't been there in years and remember very little of the city.

I will be sure to update as my adventures continue and preparations for the DR progress!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Yesterday I got another item checked off of my "Pre-Dominican Republic Bucket List." I headed down to Orlando for the day with my friend Meg to check out the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Islands of Adventure Universal Studios. We spent the whole day at the park, and most of it was in the Harry Potter section.

It's a bit sad considering how much I love Harry Potter that I hadn't yet made it to the park. I blame it on the fact that for the first year it had opened I lived in NYC and that I had a job with crazy hours.

Hogsmeade was exactly what I had hoped it would be. It was definitely ridiculously crowded, but that was to be expected. The one downfall I would say is the size of the stores. Several of the stores you actually had to wait in line for! We bought wands at Ollivanders, had butterbeer and British food at the Three Brooksticks, and purchased candy at Honeydukes! Just hanging out in Hogsmeade was tons of fun and made the crowds worth it.

Hogwarts was absolutely amazing. The major ride that they have for Harry Potter is inside of it. It was so cool to walk around the corner and see the castle ahead. However, the line was LONG. But if you go to the park, I am telling you, it is 100% worth the wait. It's completely unique is ridiculously fun. You don't even have to be a huge fan of the movies or books to enjoy it! We waited for 2 hours the first time, and with the single rider line cut our time down to under an hour the second time.

And of course, the signs all had to be in character! NO muggles allowed through this door - authorized wizards only!

And of course, now that I have my wand and some candy from Hogsmeade, I'm ready for the Hogwarts express to come pick me up! Any day now...

2011 in Review

Well it's officially 2012, which means 2011 merits a look back. It has definitely been a year of ups and downs. I first found out I was going to be delayed for Peace Corps in June and not leave in August like I had planned, got an invite for Honduras in July, got news that my program was cancelled in December, and a week later got my new invite for the Dominican Republic. I moved home for what was supposed to be 3 months only to stay here for 9 months. I've had to adjust to living with my parents, being back in Gainesville, and having few friends. However, the year definitely had some major highlights. I traveled to several new places - Chile, Nicaragua, Italy, The Netherlands, Canada, and Hawaii. I graduated with my Engineering degree after 4 years of hard work. I got to make new friends and spend time with old. It's been a great year, and I can't wait for the adventures waiting for me in 2012!

To celebrate they year, below is the highlights of some of my favorite pictures of 2011!

January 2011 - Chile

February 2011 - Senior Formal

March 2011 - Nicaragua

April 2011 - Order of the Engineer Induction

May 2011 - Senior Gala and Graduation

June 2011 - Europe - Venice, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, and London

July 2011 - Canada

Apparently August was a boring month, I don't have any pictures from it!

September 2011 - Surprise trip to NYC!

October 2011 - Hawaii trip

November 2011 - Florida/Georgia football with my mom

December 2011 - Ugly Sweater Parties and Christmas!

New Invitation!

This story starts about a week back, but I was waiting until I actually received and accepted the invitation before posting about it here. I wanted to learn more about my job and tell all my close family and friends about what happened before blogging about it.

Last Friday, December 23rd, I received a phone call from the Peace Corps. After finally coming to terms with the fact that I might have to wait until possibly September and likely not a Spanish-speaking country, the Peace Corps had to throw me another curve ball. When I got the call, I was extremely confused, since I wasn't supposed to hear anything until after the first of the year. My PO (who is probably my favorite person ever) told me that a last minute spot opened for a Water and Sanitation Engineering position in the Dominican Republic, and that he was going to send me an invitation that day! I was bouncing off the walls I was so excited.

The position sounds absolutely perfect for me. I will be an "Appropriate Technology Developer," which means I will be working on engineering type projects to bring better technologies to a small community. It focuses on community needs in potable water, sanitation, small businesses, and alternative energies (i.e. improved cookstoves, hydroelectic power, and solar and wind energy). I will likely be in a smaller, more rural community, but I am okay with that. The job description perfectly fits my engineering education at Columbia and my future hopes for work in developing counties. I really couldn't be happier!

Another wonderful thing about the Dominican Republic is that I am allowed to move out into my own house after 6 months. While I had accepted the fact that in Honduras I would have to have a host family all 2 years, I am excited for the chance to have my own place, cook my own food, and have some quiet time alone. It should be a really great experience.

Thanks to everyone for all your support during this time. I can't believe I was so lucky to get a new invitation so quickly and one that is so well suited towards my hopes for service. I'll post more about the country and things I learn as I get to them - now I've got reading to do and a Visa application to fill out and all sorts of things!

The New Waiting Game

Well, I have now talked to placement. They are looking for positions for me in the April to June range. However, I am being rather picky this time around and only want them to look at positions in my field - Water and Sanitation - rather than for all fields I am qualified for. Because of this, I may have to wait until July to September for a placement. I would prefer to wait and have a placement I am really passionate about and serve for 2 years than take the first thing available with the knowledge that I don't think I will be happy with it. I may be sent to a region other than Central or South America now. I am really sad about that, since I have been working hard on my Spanish and was really looking forward to gaining fluency in Spanish. I should be learning more in the next 2-4 weeks, so hopefully I will get some good news.

The news has come out that they will be pulling Honduras volunteers out and on administrative leave while they assess the country. El Salvador and Guatemala will leave their volunteers in but still monitor the situation. The fact that they have actually pulled out the volunteers shows how bad the situation really has gotten. I hope that Honduras can be a place that will become stable again - I would love to visit after all the research I have done.

I am finally getting to the point that I am accepting this and moving forward. I was really stressed and upset for several days to the point of barely sleeping, but now that I at least have a timeline, I am calming down and starting to plan my life for the next few months. Luckily, my work is really flexible, and they agreed to keep me on for a few more months, even though I had technically put in my last day for December 21st. I can make some more money before I leave and use that for a few more trips. I'm still going to go up to NYC to see friends and family in January, and I am going to try to plan more small trips to get me out of Gainesville and doing stuff. I may try to plan a trip to Europe, but that really depends on what month I leave for Peace Corps and how much money I have saved up.

While this puts a bit of a damper on the holiday season (especially since I know most of my presents are things to take with me for the Peace Corps), I'm trying to make the best of it. My family has been very supportive throughout this entire process and are very patient in listening to my obsessive wondering about what will happen next.

Happy holidays everyone, and let's hope the New Year brings great things for us all.