Hanging out in Paris

"I am working in Paris. I cannot for a single day get the thought out of my head that there probably exists something essential, some immutable reality, and now that I have lost everything else (thank God, it gets lost all on its own) I am trying to preserve this and, what is more, not to be content. In a word: I am working."
-Chagall




I wish I was working. I'm really just trying to not fall asleep or starve to death. See...my flight back to Benin was cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow. But I didn't KNOW that until I arrived here in Paris. And since they made the cancellation long enough ago (like anytime before today apparently), they won't give me a hotel room. And since I decided that because I was going back to Africa and didn't need my American money and thus gave it to Colt in the Kansas City airport...I officially have no money and I'm stranded in the Paris airport...until tomorrow. And I'm hungry. But wait. I have no money for food! AHHH. It's like survivor. I seriously don't even know where I'm going to sleep. Probably in a metal chair. 


Lucky for me, the McDonald's has free wifi. Unlucky for me, my computer battery is slowly dying and my wall charger doesn't fit the freaky french plug ins. Also unlucky for me, I'm about to pass out from jetlagged induced exhaustion and seriously have no idea where I'll go. It's not like it matters if I go back through security or not any time soon since most people getting on this flight won't even arrive to the airport for another like 22 hours. 


I did walk outside into the Parisian air expecting a moment of awe or something. Mostly it was just cold and the ground was littered with cigarette butts. So I came back in to McDonald's...where I don't have any money for food, but at least the ole golden arches remind me of home.


Here goes another round of this whole across the ocean, Peace Corps thing. My heart is already aching but at least I'm too tired to cry anymore.


Elaina


PS. I got accepted to the University of Kansas School of Medicine! I got the letter last week and jumped around like a crazy person for a while. I'm gonna be a doctor!!!!!


PPS. This fact makes finishing up these last few Peace Corps months very difficult. It's like senioritis with a long distance relationship. Not a good combo. 


PPPS. I totally forgot to bring back Thanksgiving food stuff. I was really excited about being about to make pumpkin pie. Fail.

Check marks and the end of an era

So I've got all my check marks now!
I woke up this morning and had an email informing me to check my online status. Complete!

I accepted the invitation on Wednesday.

I have sooo much paperwork to fill out. I think I would actually enjoy it in a strange, masochistic way if I didn't have so much other work to be doing. I have 8 things to do before I can graduate--papers, finishing assignments, and finals--and this Peace Corps mass of forms just does not make my life easier right now.

On the bright side, I am now finished with all classes that I will ever have as an undergraduate at this fabulous institution. I've never been one for institutional pride, but I'm really going to miss this place, this experience. I'm not really ready to hash out my feelings about graduating, yet, but when I do it's going to make me cry lol.

I just need to get my stuff completed, get my passport situation figured out, meet with loan people, etc about deferments, figure out packing and shipping everything back to the Midwest for summer, and then relax for at least a week or two before I start worrying about getting everything packed and finalized for July 14th.

At least my senioritis is sort of under control. I don't really WANT to be doing any of my work, but I realize that it is necessary...I'm also realizing that a lot of these assignments and studying sessions are the last ones I'll ever be doing here. This stress is the last stress like this I'll be having. It may be weird, or corny, or whatever, but in a way, that actually makes me feel a little sad.

I'm at the point where I can really only emotionally focus on one big thing in my life and right now that is graduation. As ready as I've been for months and months to be out of here, the fact that it's just around the corner now is very bittersweet. I know it's time for me to be finished, but part of me is not sure I'll be ready for leaving this experience, these friends, this place.

I can't believe graduation is only 3 weeks away.
I'll be back to talk more PC in a couple weeks, once I have everything under control and i can emotionally handle Africa!

Elaina

INVITED!!!

Apparently my heartfelt letter did the trick because after a round of phone tag this afternoon, D called and said he had one last question for me and inquired after my best address. I told him and then he said "well, congratulations because you will be receiving your invitation in the mail!"

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I said "are you serious?!" and he laughed and said that he had to "go to bat" for me against his superiors and fought hard to allow me to be an exception to the rule. He then said "please don't prove me wrong" and I assured him that I would not ET.

And dammit, I really cannot ET now! Haha, not that I was that worried about it, but now I'll let other people down besides myself.

So now I have no idea where I'm going. STILL. I have to wait until I get the official invite package in the mail! He said it would be here soon next week, but could take up to 10 days. Ahhhhh, I guess I can wait 10 more days if i have to!

I am so stoked and thankful that this process is essentially over. I know I have a lot of paperwork stuff to look forward to now, but I am really grateful for the overall smoothness of the process. I got pretty frustrated with the Peace Corps relatively often, but in the end, it's all worked out for the best. Hopefully. I guess I still don't know my country.

Care to make a wager?

I absolutely cannot focus on my work now!
Officially I have 2 presentations, 3 major 15-20 page papers, a biology lab project/paper, and two class exam finals to complete before graduation. And I only have 4 days of college classes left EVER. Finals are the week after and then its senior week and graduation.

OMG I'm going be a Peace Corps volunteer!!!!

Stay tuned for the official country location.
The numbers of Sub-Saharan, francophone Africa countries with health programs leaving in July have increased:

Mali- July 1
Niger- July 7
Benin- July 14
Madagascar- July 19

Who knows?

E

On mango rains and speaking too soon

First off, I think someone must have read my mini rant and said to the boss "we'd better look into this Elaina chick. She could be trouble" because the ball is now rolling! I received an email from the placement office today asking me for my updated resume and romantic involvement questionnaire. The RI form was a lot more in depth than the original one I filled out at my interview, giving me three scenarios ranging from one where my partner asks me to stay at the last minute to constant loneliness and difficulties of communication with differing experiences. I read a couple paragraphs to Colt, but he decided that we've gone over it so often that he's probably the best Peace Corps partner out there and probably knows more about the PC process than anyone. So I decided to just fill it out quickly and send it off with my resume. I am confident in his love and in mine for him and am nothing but completely sure that we will get through this time together, no matter what sacrifices we will both have to make.

I also bought the book by RPCV Kris Holloway about her time of service in the late 80s/early 90s in Mali called "Monique and the Mango Rains: Two years with a midwife in Mali." I've only read the first chapter, but it reads a lot like many of the PCV blogs I frequent...but with better stylistic form. I think I'm going to try to write on this thing a little more entertainingly, try to tell a story with my experiences. There are certainly better blogs out there than others and I think the biggest difference has to do with how they choose to tell their stories. Some just list the day's events and give a basic play by play while others seem to infuse the same scenarios with humor and emotion. It is invariably the latter that continue to draw me in and I hope to maintain a similar level of good writing while actually a volunteer. So stop me if I get boring!

Life is good right now. I don't think I need a PC blogging hiatus; I constantly underestimate my ability to be patient. Even now with first official contact having been made, I'm not too stressed. I definitely have senioritis pretty bad. I have two major papers to write, a huge biology project, two more exams, and a final exam all to complete before my work here is finished and I graduate. I can't believe it was four years ago that I was getting ready to leave Kansas and finish high school. It seems like only yesterday and yet so long ago. I honestly don't feel too much different as a person, although I know that I've expanded my intellectual capacity to dwell on intangible issues in the world. The beauty of a liberal arts education I think, is the ability to confidently use in a sentence things like heteronormativity and white privilege while discussing molecular genetics at a competent level. Anyway, I am definitely starting to view myself as an alum of this great institution. Which makes it difficult to actually get my work done. =D

I am running a lot these days as the Boston Marathon is coming up in exactly 1 week and I am getting prepared! I'm getting excited, too. If anyone is inclined to help fund my run, I am collecting donations for Boston Children's Hospital and you can donate at:

https://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon/pfp/Default.asp?ID=ME0064

Thanks for your support!

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope my placement officer gets back to me soon. I'd like to know when I'm being officially reviewed. But yay! Things are moving along. FINALLY! haha

Elaina

On the woes of knowing too much

It's official-->someone has gotten a Mali invite from the health extension peeps. It's been announced on PC wiki and the future PCVs facebook group. Some guy knows he's going to Mali beginning on July 1st. Well, geez. I am going to send in my CPR certificate update tonight to the placement office and hopefully I will know soon.

Knowing that they are clearly giving out invitations from my program nomination is just completely nerve wracking and does not encourage me to try and fight my growing case of the unrelated to RAS syndrome, senioritis.

I think what I am going to do here is take a deep breath. Do it with me, my fellow applicants. In.........and out......sigh.

As long as it's Africa, I will be happy with my invitation, whenever it shall arrive. Happiness all around!

And, I thought I'd leave you with the words that I am officially getting tattooed on my body next week. (it will be healed in plenty of time for the Peace Corps):

let the future say of our generation that we sent forth mighty currents of hope, and that we worked together to heal the world.

E

*edit* I just found out Ashleigh has received contact with her placement officer! That seems to be the first step in getting the invite...the first contact, fishing out the details of the invite to come...the request for updated resume, romantic involvement forms, etc....please, oh peace corps placement gods, shine your love on me this week. I have also just sent in my CPR certification card copies to the placement office, so hopefully I'll hear SOMETHING soon **