Shout-outs

I’ve been restless. All day I’m packing, planning, and organizing saying hellos and goodbyes. At night, tonight being no exception, I think about what I’m forgetting, who I’m missing, what fortune I have in this life that I will miss  when I’m away. Not to be too sentimental or philosophical, but one of the biggest questions that continues to present itself is: How did I get here? I’m not asking to be reminded about the day my mom received a stork at her doorstep. I’m referring to this moment, where I am back at home, unable to sleep as I anxiously await my departure.

My mom, me and Trixie.

My friend Stasia (who’s headed to Peru for PC in 10 days!!) recently asked me:

“Where did you come from? Are you more like your mom or dad?” 

My best guess would be that I’m a fair blend of both. I’ve got my mom’s sensitive heart which provokes me to squeal at baby animals and avoid stepping on worms after a rainstorm. Most importantly, she has helped nurture my compassion and desire to help others. My dad’s confidence and bullish attitude allows me to get way in over my head and weasel my way through it. He has been a great role model to show that being nerdy is cool and he has also spent years toughening me up through various acts such as tricking me into eating strange foods (f.y.i. goat’s tongue can taste like chicken, and I’ve recently had to turn down dried seahorse).

Grandma and me at Waldport, OR

My grandma is also a big role model for me. She’s lived long enough to know that life is too short to sugar coat. If I’m acting like an ass, being a slacker, stealing things from her pantry, or moving too quickly to appreciate the grass growing under my feet she is the first one to let me know about it. I admire her strength (physical and mental), generosity, intelligence, work ethic and her willingness to make ridiculous voices for her cat, no matter who is around.

Though we fail to be blood related, my stepmom Barbara and I seem to be from similar stock. I would like to blame much of my sense of humor and my inability to control my sugar cravings on Barbara. She has also taught me to curb my ego, embrace the unknown, and appreciate the little things and to spend time with those who love and treat you well.

Pat, my dad, me and Barbara

My former nemesis Patrick, who has used his position as brother to humiliate, teach, frighten and help me try new things. We’ve shared a lot of bizarre experiences growing up together, and no one else may understand or appreciate them the way we do. Pat frequently and kindly remind me that I’m never as smart or funny as I sometimes think I am. He has also taught me that doing things differently means having more adventures.

I am spoiled by the love I have in my family, which gives me the flexibility to try new things and always know I have a safety net.

FRIENDS!

I’ve got friends like a stray dog has fleas. How did I manage to be so lucky as to surround myself with people I admire, and also have the privilege of calling them “friends?” I have friends young enough to be attending grade school, friends cool enough to stick with me since high school and friends who are 20+ years wiser than me.  All of my friends challenge me to be more cultured, educated, kind, athletic or adventurous. They accept that I am rarely punctual, embarrassing in public, flighty and forgetful, off-tune, opinionated and bad at returning phone calls. Thank you for your unconditional love.

Me, Valeria, Hannah, Zilpa and Priscilla

Sarah and Anne

My Montana tour guide, Joe, and Me

This summer, I have been lucky enough to spend time with a number of you that I adore. As always, I wish I had more time to visit, laugh and make memories with you. Please know that I am grateful for everyone who has been with me, for any length of time, because you have taught me the skills and helped shape my character to best prepare me for my biggest adventure yet.

Me and Syd

Women with moustaches are
 commonplace in MT.
Edie, me and Stasia

*As a side plug, I am anxious for any of you to share this adventure with me. April of next year I will be able to have visitors in Ethiopia. www.Kayak.com has great flight deals into Addis Ababa.  When you think about how much money some of you spend on dog food, gas, tuition or health insurance each year it’s really not that much money. You just have to stop feeding your dog, ride your bike everywhere, drop out of school and be uninsured in order to afford the visit.  ;)

29 days away from being 8,502 miles away

in ETHIOPIA! 

   Initially, I was preparing to leave for Honduras July 6, but due to a $25 million Peace Corps budget cut the Protected Areas Management program in Honduras lost funding for volunteers this year. I talked myself out of prolonged disappointment by considering the opportunity that existed once more. I would receive yet another blue envelope from the Peace Corps with exciting information I could jump up and down about (and believe me I did and I do).

My second invitation was in Mexico for "the most prestigious opportunity in natural resource management that the Peace Corps offered." Most of you may know that Mexico would have been a cozy fit for me for me.  In addition to the robust beauty Mexico's dramatic landscapes and diverse cultures, one of my dearest college friends, Valeria, lives there. The girl who has been inspiring me to embrace my inner Latina by learning to salsa dance, improving my language skills and eating spicy foods.

Valeria and me
2010 grads from WSU

Va Le is there attending medical school in Guadalajara (you bet your boots I'm proud of her!). In Mexico it only takes one contact  to open the floodgates for 100's of acquaintances. Va Le told me once that she was just 1 of 13 women in her family named "Valeria." In my family we only have about 13 women total, which includes 3rd cousins, and none of us share our grandmother's names! Undoubtedly, it would have been easy to race down to Mexico to serve as a PC volunteer in such an amazing location that includes instant friends and family. The only catch: it was an office job in an over-sized city in Central Mexico.

After much consternation I rejected the offer because I realized that my intentions as a volunteer were more social than professional. I want to be in a smaller town where I can know my neighbors well enough to celebrate holidays with them, lend a hand with a friends garden, watch a sunset from my front door and find a different definition of job besides a 9 to 5 Monday through Friday cubicle time card job. No Gracias!

In Latin America I was comforted knowing
             I could get home quickly in a family emergency
                 Risk of serious illnesses such as malaria or yellow fever are lower
                    The most hungry neighbor will be a mangy dog, and not an orphaned child
                       Expectations based on previous trips abroad will minimize the culture shock                                                                                           
                         I can communicate even if my Spanish is a bit rough

None of this holds true in Ethiopia, which is exactly why it is the best place that I didn't ever know I wanted to go. I will be completely out of my element without even enough general knowledge to make assumptions about what I will see, feel or do. I am a fish out of the water, a potato out of Idaho, an uncultured white girl headed to one of the oldest, richest and most proud African nations in the world...

                                                   How lucky am I?

Nostalgia

So it begins: The Itchy Gringa.

Well, I may not currently be itchy as I lounge comfortably on my grandma's overstuffed couch. Though she is not aware, she shares this moment with me as she sits nearby in her equally cozy leather recliner. We are relaxed, full of homemade lemon meringue pie, and silent as we share each other's company.....I cherish these moments.
As my leave for the Peace Corps approaches this summer I am becoming more nostalgic as well as increasingly anxious.

I am itchy 

to become an active Peace Corps volunteer

I am anxious

to live in another nation, learn from another culture and embrace the challenges that find me

I am fidgety 

about how to prepare, though I feel it is sometimes inappropriate and presumptuous to try

I am antsy 

to make unimaginable transitions

currently I am itching to get going, anxious to see what awaits....

r                                                                                                                                                                          I anticipate that I will be physically itchy come this summer with the help of my first Latin American friends: mosquitos, black flies, ticks and bees. I suspect insects will be the first to reach out to me, as they will be elated, not flabbergasted by the white pigment in my skin, and they will also not be bothered by my mediocre Spanish, clumsy rhythm, and abnormally large pupils. As a means of avoiding loneliness, I will embrace these 6-legged irritants by announcing now, and regretting later "Welcome Friends!"

Let's hope I haven't cursed myself. 

While waiting I have been reading a lot of journal articles to become more informed about what I could study. Here are some of my googlescholar.com searches: 

Rural land transitions in the neotropics

Consequences of development in rural Latin America

Results of neotropical deforestation

Ethno-ecology

Payments for environmental services

Agroforestry

Tropical forest regeneration 

 While this is fascinating (at least to me) and reminds me of my scholastic responsibilities I wonder if it will be a waste when, against my strong assumptions, I am asked to serve in Azerbaijan.... or some other country I have never heard of, in a region I am not so familiar with and a language that would make Spanish seem as simple as peeling a banana. So to ameliorate this concern I have been feverishly reading Peace Corps blogs,  journals that describe hilarious language barriers, terrible sicknesses, blooming friendships, exotic culinary challenges, inimical encounters and seemingly impossible goodbyes. Additionally, there are also stories of people who have chosen to leave their service early due to unforeseen circumstances.  All of these blogs are candid and unique to the authors who have volunteered and discovered the threshold of their character. Most importantly, they have agreed to experience life outside of the comfort of their Grandmother's living room..... 

So here I sit nostalgic and anxious.