Christmas blog

This was my first Christmas season away from home. In the past years, my time at home during December and January had been shrinking. Freshman year of college, I think I was home for an entire month. By sophomore year, maybe 3 weeks, but still a legitimate amount of time. Junior and senior year were the years of ski teaching, and Christmas means money if you're willing to carry 3 year olds up icy slopes after they wet themselves in their snow suits, so my time at home shrunk even more. But, regardless of the draw of ski school hourly wages and over priced ski-bar beer, I always made it home. Not this year.

I didn't really get into the Christmas spirit this year, and I'm alright with that. I think my lack of red-and-green cheer stemmed from the weather, the surroundings, and the repression of happy memories that would make me sad.

The weather here in Xingyi is great, hovering around the high 40's to 50's at night and sometimes rising into the 70's during the days. We're nearly the same latitude as Key West, so the warmth is to be expected. The weather deceived me numerous times; I caught myself thinking Shit! Its almost Christmas! alot.

The surroundings also through me off. The commercialized Christmas is creeping towards China, but not so much here in this city. I think Xingyi's sparse westerner population is part of the reason. I heard no commercials screaming "Try Dunkin' Donuts' new Rudolf flavored cappuccino! And while you're here, sample our Santa style breakfast croissant, complete with real elf meat!" With less emphasis on Christmas, I felt less obliged to... to do whatever it is that the free market economy wants me to do.

So, Christmas was special in its own special way. I talked to my parents, opened a few real neat gifts, and relaxed. I watched a play competition that ended up being a little comical. But really, it was a normal day, and that lead me to thinking...

Screw this prescribed holiday stuff. Christmas is hyped up to be a special day; our expectations are blown out of proportion and our psyches bruised if we come up short. It wasn't a special day for me, I'm not too thrilled with people telling me that one of my special days will fall on December the 25th of every year. It won't, and don't make me feel like a bad person when I feel no better, or worse, than on any other day. One of my special days, my holi-days, will be January 16th, when I see some friends from China that I haven't' seen in a while. Another will fall on January 30th when I start my much anticipated vacation down south. Some day in August of 2011, when I return stateside, there will be a very special day when I see my family again. Those are my days. Those are the days that stay with me forever. Those days are more important than any other day, and coffee retailers worldwide haven't dedicated a line of flavored products to celebrate. Come on Dunkin' Donuts, you're missing out on the days that really matter.

Jet fuel

A few years ago, while living in a little yellow bungalow in western Maine, my housemate Wil introduced me to the term, and therefore to the idea of "buying jet fuel". If I remember correctly, he purchased a round trip ticket to Alaska to taste the sweet winter nectar of the PNW, and was rightly excited. He had bought jet fuel, and with that fuel he bought possibilities, adventures, and of course, travel.

What impressed me, and eventually brought about my current train of thought, is that Wil didn't see himself buying a ticket or a seat. For him, it wasn't about the adventure had while covering the distance, it was about the destination. If you want adventure while on route, you don't take a commercial air line, you road-trip, or you get a dogsled, or you walk. I imagine that most adventures had involving a commercial air carrier either involve stewardesses with loose morals OR searches for black boxes and inflatable life vests. I am interested in neither.

And so, Wil's diction and my recent purchases from Air Asia bring me to this: I am not interested in comfort, swaddling, legroom, in flight movies, and in flight meals. I don't give two damns what color the seats are, what magazines are provided, or whether I can get another pillow. Today I realized I want to arrive at my destination safely and quickly, and thats about all I want. In all truth, I'd rather not pay for all the ammenities. I'd rather take a dirty, noisy cargo plane, because it probably costs less and I wouldn't have to wait at a carousel for my baggage.

So, why don't more people like me book dirty noisy cargo planes? Why don't I? Because commercial air carriers are more convenient to book, or at least that is the assumption. Take Air Asia for example. To book my tickets, all I had to do was...

1.Go online, create an account with Air Asia, search for my flights, and enter all my information for the billing.
2.Then create a Visa Online account, with all the same information.
3.Then, after the Air Asia window closed because I took too much time setting up the account with Visa, I only had to log back into Air Asia, and create my booking again, enter my payment information again, and pay, then log into my new Visa Online account to authorize the payment, and have my credit card denied.
4. DENIED!?! There's no balance! I cleared it to work overseas! WTF?
5. Then I had to call my bank, check to make sure my card was cleared for overseas purchases (which it was) and that my line of credit was active and in good standing (which it was).
6. Then I repeated the routine with Air Asia's website, including and up to the 2nd denial of BOTH my Visa debit and credit cards. It was at this point I slammed my laptop shut and walked away.
7. Later, I called Air Asia booking in Malaysia, waited for an english speaking salesperson, and created my entire booking again, only to be denied again, and told by a nice man with a thick accent to call my bank.
8. Called the bank, who said there as no activity (read: no attempted and denied purchases from Air Asia) on my card in the recent past. They told me to call back the nice man with the thick accent.
9. Called Air Asia, waited, got a salesperson, booked a flight, card denied. "No-can-do" said the nice man with the tick accent.
10. Cried a little.
11. Called Air Asia one last time after being tipped off by a friend that Visa and Air Asia aren't best friends. Dug up an old credit account that was Mastercard, not Visa, and finally, finally, finally booked a flight. Thank God almighty in heaven above.

In the time it took me to go through these steps the price of the ticket more than doubled from 358 RMB to 780 RMB. Awesome. Super cool.

What have I learned from this debacle? Three distinct things:

- Air Asia has cheap flights, a terrible billing service, and no more than three very busy English speaking salespeople.
- Visa, its everywhere you want to be, except you can't use it with one of the largest air carriers serving south east asia, the pacific rim, and Australia/NZ. But its everywhere else, they swear.
- I want jet fuel. I do not want candy coated customer service, extra pillows, or free in-flight movies.

Contact with questions

Only a few months ago I was a nervous PC applicant with invitation in hand, awaiting my departure date and my conformation as a PC trainee. Back then I received loads of help and encouragement from individuals from previous PC China groups. This help came in the way of packing lists, tips for travel, and conversations on what to expect.

So now, I want to offer my help, I want to be available to pay it forward. If you're out there, and you're looking to transfer or apply, or if you've been invited (although I don't think PC China 16 invites have been mailed yet), please feel free to contact me.

Christian.p.tuttle@gmail.com

China is calling, how far will you go?

It's begining to feel nothing at all like Christmas.

Its 60ish degrees (F) here, the sun is out, I'm wearing my Chacos, and a white Christmas is about as far away as possible. With the exception of the street cleaning trucks playing Jingle bells (they do that all year long) and the Christmas poster at Dico's (Chinese fast food joint), this city hasn't quite caught the western holiday fever.

Truthfully, this doesn't bother me at all.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Christmas. Great holiday, great season. Families come together, love is shown, and people get drunk on eggnog. That said, I don't miss the stupid, commercialized, in-your-face American approach. There's a fine line between celebration and exploitation, and that fine line was crossed decades ago in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Back to China, though. The decorations are slim here, although when I was in Guiyang for Thanksgiving I did notice decorations (trees, tinsel, posters, etc) in store windows the weekend after the 3rd Thursday of the month. I think there will be a celebration on the day itself; I have heard there is dancing in the street, even. Maybe a banquet or a feast, well-wishes from friends and faculty, and a present or two from back home. That's what I'm expecting. And, in a way, doesn't it seem more like a proper feast day, a proper holi-day, than what we've done in the past?

Gobble gobble.

I just spent my first thanksgiving away from home, but I was surrounded by family. The PCVs in the Guizhou province came together in the capital, Guiyang, for some old fashioned turkey, stuffing, and (God bless) pumpkin pie. What a great time.

I arrived on Friday after a longer-than-usual 7 hour bus ride. There was some hold up due to construction and a traffic accident, but I wasn't complaining because the seats on the bus were HUGE (think first class on an airplane) and there was an English movie, Transporter 3. I'm pretty sure that the bus drivers put on English movies just for the foreigners, but the other passengers seemed interested too, so no love lost.

After arriving, I indulged in some western food at Papa John's Restaurant with some friends from China 14. Very Delicious. It's difficult to figure out WHY you are serving in the Peace Corps while you are mowing down on fresh pizza; that's another topic for another post.

Back to T-day. SO EPIC. There's nothing like camaraderie when you're away from your family. The celebration was a great; the perfect mix of cooking and eating was achieved, and efforts in the kitchen segued into efforts on the plate. We even had a few expat families running around with little (and adorable) toddlers. I don't think a Thanksgiving is complete without a young family fussing about somewhere. Much love to those that were there.

After the dinner though, things got decidedly more young adult. A group of us ventured forth with turkey in our veins. We hit a local bar and had some Chinese beer while discussing the ins and outs of community development, global economics, and the pros of popping bottle tops on wooden tables. Very good.

An uncanny knack

I'm not a super good planner when it comes to most things. In the day-to-day, I'm one part frantic, two parts procrastinating, mixed over a generous portion of impulsive and topped with scatterbrained. I get the necessities accomplished, like classes, meetings, and the gym, but its the other stuff that takes thought in the morning (or, Lord forbid, the night before) and execution in the afternoon that tends to fall into oblivion. This includes, but is in no way limited to, cooking meals, laundry, cleaning, and shopping for things like soap.

However, I have possessed an uncanny knack for lining up the distant future. In 8th grade at Saint Francis Xavier Prepatory School I boldly told my Math and English/Religion teachers that I would teach English someday. Look at me now, half way around the world, teaching Chinese students that, despite what the text book says, 'Wazzup' is wildly inappropriate underneath any imaginable circumstances. In my junior year at Barnstable High School I decided that the University of Maine at Farmington was the school I would attend. Indeed, that was the only school I applied to; it was where I was going, and damn all the nay sayers (although there weren't any).

I started my PC application in junior year of UMF, and after 14 months of doubt, waiting only on my graduation, I was bound for San Francisco, and then the PRC. In all truth, I had the PC in mind way before that, pretty much from the beginning of my undergrad. I don't mean to brag; I don't think this is even a skill, it just happens. I can't guarantee I'll take the laundry out of the wash, but so far I've been able to tell you where I'll be in three years time.

And, with that in mind, I hazard this forecast: I'll be back on two planks (for those who don't feel the pull of mountains, two planks means skis, because there are... two of them) within 26 months, depending on the snowfall of the northeast.

Ultiamte effort

I've been active lately, starting to get my hands dirty in activities outside my main PC project (teaching English). For a while, namely the months of September and October, I was truthfully apprehensive, perhaps nervous of doing... anything. This nervousness, which manifested itself mostly in my subconscious (I think), was due to the ever present language barrier, the seemingly unscalable cultural barrier, and the practical issues of irritated bowels.

I think the change started a some weeks ago when I joined a local gym. Slowly I was a little more involved in things, a little more adventurous. Furthermore, I was tucked away inside my apartment a little less.

This week was a breakthrough. It started when I attempted (and, as far as I can tell, failed) to initiate an English Movie Night event on the campus. I showed interest in extra-curricular activities, and my students were crazy about the idea, which bolstered my confidence. When that fell apart, one of my coworkers here at the university asked what other activities I might like to try with the students, and I mentioned Ultimate Frisbee. Very few people know what frisbee is even when I explain it with the Chinese translation Fei Pan (literally means flying plate, no joke). My coworker, who is not only a great teacher but a great facilitator, organizes all the extra-curricular activities for the English Department students.

Last Friday I played Ultimate Frisbee with a group of about 20 students. I was beyond excited, and the event blew my expectations away. I want to create a competitive Ultimate club on campus, in the style of western (read: American) collegiate intramural sports. I figured that I would start by teaching the students how to throw and catch, and maybe in a few weeks get around to explaining the rules and playing a game. I was wrong. We played a game (seven on seven, full teams!) for about 40 minutes. It was GREAT.

One student stuck out of the bunch. David (we named him that day, and it fits him) has learned the basics of Ultimate in a little under 3 hours. He can throw a forehand, backhand, and fake a throw not two days after first seeing a Frisbee. He's short, so I'm working on his vertical but hes going to be great. Literally, he can throw a forehand 30 yards, flat, fast, and on target. It took me a month or so to be able to do that with coaching in my native language. Watch out Beijing Ultimate, Xingyi University is gonna give you a run for your money.

Goal two, check.

Peace Corps Volunteers aspire to fulfill three main goals of service. Our first goal is to provide skilled individuals to inviting countries. Our second goal is to share our culture with the host country; when fulfilling this goal, it is important to remember to inform, not indoctrinate. Lastly, we PCVs hope to share some of our cultural learning of our host country with fellow Americans (and, in this global age, perhaps any other world citizens) back home.

I believe that more goals exist, goals that extend far past the first three, but those three are the most important (and published) goals of the PCV.

Last night, I went to my local gym to get in a work out. I was excited because I knew Mr. Yang, my casual personal trainer, would be there to lead me through a solid leg workout. The past few days I had worked my arms, back, and core during the day, when the weight room, dance hall, and yoga den are nearly devoid of life or movement. Yesterday, though, I found time to exercise at night, which is preferable becasue the gym is alive, swarming with yogis, meat-heads, belly dancers, and the odd gangling teenager. And, of course, Mr. Yang, with his deadly workout routines.

Anyways, back to the goals. Sitting in the men's changing room last night, a youngish chinese man greeted me (He said 'good morning' even though it was 7:30PM) and took interest in my Ipod Shuffle. I forget the words that were exchanged, but the conversation culminated in us swapping Ipods for the evening, his older shuffle model for my newer brushed steel clip. My model lacks the normal buttons of an Ipod, eschewing them in exchange for weight and size reductions, so I had to teach my new friend to us the remote control built into the headphone wire. That was an adventure in pantomime.

In the end, we swapped Ipods for the better half of the workout. It was great, I was listening to older US stuff like Linkin' Park's breakout album and some new Chinese music, while he was jamming out to Bruce Springsteen, Xavier Rudd (I recommend him highly), and about a dozen Dave Matthews albums.

Cultural exchange is not simply watching ethnic minorities practice their ancestors dances, or what they think are their ancestors dances. Culture is dirty, grimy, and in this case a little sweaty and shaped like an earphone.

Goal two, check. And, seeing as you're reading this, check off goal three, too.

Culinary Adventures Update

Last night I at pig's huff. Fantastic! Aside from the huff, I've also eaten such exotic items as:

A variety of intestines, chicken, pig, cow, and I think goat.
A variety of stomach linings, mostly pig and cow.
Eel.
Pig's ear
Pig's brain (My host mother says "Pig's head is good for your head!")
Fish eyeballs
Pickled chicken foot
Duck foot (very different from chicken foot, due to the webbing between the toes)
The root of a lotus plant
Pickled duck egg
Tofu that smelt (and tasted, i think) like gym socks

I am pretty sure I haven't eaten dog yet, although I can't be certain. It's quite popular around Guizhou, I've heard.

A walking tour of Xingyi

My mum always said that running is the best way to discover the ins and outs of a new area, and I whole-heartedly believe her. There is something about foot traffic, pedestrian pursuits, that allows you to gain a fuller expereience of an area. For starters, I suppose, you are not in the bubbled, enclosed, airconditioned atmosphere of a four-whevehicle. Secondly, you're moving at your pace, slowing when you want to see something, and speeding up when you want to escape the fumes of a street vendor's wares. Lastly, when you run, or in my case briskly walk, you can go pretty much anywhere. Humans are built for long walks, and the world around us is built to be walked upon.

I have been exploring Xingyi mostly by foot, for the idealic reasons above as well as the practical reasons enforced by the PC and the environment. I can't ride my bicycle until I recieve my PC issued helmet, I can't ride a motorcycle at all due to PC safety standards, and I can't communicate with taxi cab drivers well enough to get anywhere in a decent amount of time and for a decent amount of money. Long story short, walking is a great last resort.

A few days ago I grabbed my camera, my money, and my aviators as I headed out for a walk. The skies were semi blue, and I hoped to get up to a park in the middle of the city that would afford some good views of the surrounding area. Xingyi has a few parks, and this one is by far may favorite. Its a limestone peak, not a mountain and not a hill, in the middle of the city. Its rather developed, with terraces, wide staircases, two pagodas, something that looks like an abandoned temple, and small grove of statues commemorating (I think) influential Chinese individuals. The photo to the right shows some of those statues, with the nicer of the two pagodas in the background, and a lollipop salesperson in the foreground.

The pagoda was really neat, to use a worn colloquialism. Its three stories tall, with a steep spiral staircase acting as its spine. Every inch that isn't covered in terra cotta tiles is decorated in vivid geometric hand painted designs. Very cool. Furthermore, the pagoda reaches up over the treetops are offers a five view of parts of the city. The pictures below show the view and the designs, respectively.

Basketball and hot pot

No classes today, so the morning was little lazy. Here's an adventure from the evening:

At four, after my nice, long, daily nap (they are mandatory), I woke up and donned my basketball gear. I'm getting pretty good, and the sport has more or less eclipsed running for me here. The streets are HECTIC and the pavement is a little slippery, so running is extra adventurous. Anyways, I went down to the courts, shot around, and waited for the usual "Holy-crap-there's-a-foreigner-playing-basketball-lets-go-watch-and-play-too" crowd to show up. We got some good three on three going, it was a good few games. I'm not that great at the sport; I make dumb passing mistakes, my shooting is a little off, and my ball handling is akin to that of an enthusiastic but uncoordinated child. BUT, I am large, tall, and rowdy, so my lay-ups looking more like bowling then they do basketball, and my usual position is directly under the net, hands skyward, catching any rebound God sends my way. These tactics have delivered limited to adequate success.

Anyways, after the games I showered up, and headed out to get me some food. I was planning on going it alone; the site mate was elsewhere and I had no other plans. Some of my students/basketball team mates grabbed me, though, and took me out to bean hot-pot (delicious) and took me for a walk (relaxing). I love China.

Thats all for now. More... later.

Played that for a while, went back to the flat, showered, and headed out to get some food alone. One of my students/team mates saw me, and we managed to communicate the idea of "dinner" through our mutually broken chingrish (chinese english, I'm not sure where the "r" come from). We met up with about 7 others, all of which were extremely delighted to meet and speak with a foreigner. Right now, there is only about three of us in the entire city. Got to restaurant, they took to long, so we straight bailed, walked right out, and got to another spot that served a local delicacy, Bean Hot Pot.

So my sitemate, Homer Wells, and Dan Brown walk into a bar...

Here in the PC, some volunteers serve at post with another volunteer. These volunteers are referred to as site mates, because the inhabit the same post. Living with a sitemate is often dependent on the school's need for teachers and the PC's ability to meet that need. That said, let me tell you a story...

So, I have an awesome sitemate. PC rules state that I can't tell you her name on my blog, its a secret, but I swear she exists. She lives upstairs in a flat that is enarly identical to mine, but with a few minor differences (my kitchen is better stalked; her ceiling looks cooler; she has a washing machine that doesn;t sound like its about to explode, attack you, or both). We share stuff, like English books and bad ideas, and sometimes we cook meals together if we really don't feel like braving the street of Xingyi.

So yeah, she's awesome, close to me in age and situation, and I think that we've developed a solid working relationship. I'm talking about the kind of relationship that lets you share embarassing college stories, fart in each other's proximity, and drink from the same bottle of wine, sans cup. When we need help, I think we are there for each other. For instance, if I need help lesson planning, I know she'd be there. And if she needed help breaking into her appartment becasue she looked her keys inside, I'd be there for her. Well, actually I was there for her. When she did just that. Yesterday.

Yup, my awesome site mate was locked outside, so she came and grabbed me. Of course, I was glad to help her after a momentary laugh. Actually, I was super stoked onthe situation; I grabbed some twine, some laundry clips, a beer for us to share, and said "Hells yeah, lets get these keys!"

We stood on her outsie, 4th floor patio and surveyed the situation. The keys were across the livingroom, on a table of sorts, gaurded by an Ipod and a set of speakers. The windows were open, but barred for safety (damn safety...). We tied the laundry clips to the string for weight, and started shooting for the elusive keys After the better part of 40 minutes, my sitemate decided to change position and toss the keys from a different vantage: the window above the locked door. She climbed on a chair, stuck her head and arms through the window took aim and...

said "Hey, I can reach the doo knob from here." And she did. Very anticlimactic. Moral of the story: there is fun to be had everywhere.

In an unrealted note, I just finushed John Irving's The Cider House Rules and Dan Brown's The Davinci Code. Both were good in their own rights. I've rediscovered my love for Irving's prose, and I want to reread A Prayer for Owen Meaney. I finished Brown's book in 24 hours, and I'm kinda proud of that.

Sobreity of distance

Brace yourself, I'm going to wax philosophic, with a touch of whiny emotion.

In this world of the new, in the wild river of the unfamiliar, I instinctively reached out and grabbed what I could. I looked for a rock, and found that most were too slippery grab, and some were jagged, only offering razor sharp handholds that would do more harm than good. As I was swept downstream, as my family, my home faded in the haze and distance, I found something to grab onto. It wasn't a rock, or a low hanging tree straining the river's surface. Rather, it was another hand, then another and another, all reaching frantically for something familiar, just as I was. I wasn't alone in the river, there were others in my same predicament; we had never known we were neighbors before, but looking at our past lives retreating on the same upstream horizon, we realized how similar we are. Instead of grabbing on to a rock, or swimming for shore, we created a human raft, a series of bonds that gave us strength as we navigated the holes and the hydraulics of the river of change. Once we had each other's strength, we could lift our heads above the froth of the waves and see the beauty around us. We started laughing, and enjoying the ride, even when the ride was painful, even when the journey was frightening.

Now that we have have navigated the first section of that river, the first rapids behind us, we've drifted into a large pool. This river of change has dumped us into a calm, but ahead there are more rapids. The river has spilt, though, and no longer runs as a single channel; a variety of separate waterfalls await us. We know we must split up, the hands must let go, but our voices will carry across the seperate rivers valleys. Our journeys will be more, although not entirely, individual. We'll drop each other's hands, but the support will not disappear, it will just be different.

And now we'll return to reality...

Joining the PC, and making my way to staging, was an ENORMOUS change for me. Never before, not even my departure to college life, involved such change. I left my family, my friends, my routines behind. Everything that I loved was back home, and in front of me was a cacophony of new-ness. When I arrived in China, roughly 8 weeks ago, everything was different. Actually, when I arrived in San Francisco for staging, everything was different. By the time I made it to China, things had begun to normalize. After 7 (or so) weeks at PST, I've gotten lax. I have grown accustomed to the food, the company, and even the minor pains are relatively comforting in the regularity. Most of all, I have found great comfort in being able to run to my American friends for support, camaraderie, and activities. Its great to be frustrated and sit around with 19 of your best friends, bitching about the same thing as you live in a alien world. Unfortunately, that all will change.

My site visit has shown me just how large China can be, especially for the ground traveler. The friends I have made during PST, all my folks at CDU, and the others at the other campuses, will be split up. We can visit each other, and the promises fly now; the validity phrases like "I'll see you at Christmas" and "At some point I'll travel to your site" will be tested. It is sobering to know that the friends I have made will be so far, so distant. I mean, really, traveling by bus and train from the northern most site to the southern, one would need at least 60 hours to make a one way trip.

I will try to see as many of my friends as I can. I will remember how great you all have to me. Without each other, who knows where we'd be.

Restless Legs

Its August and I feel it in my legs. I am subconsciously antsy, anxious, awaiting the winter. I've felt this before, the sensation is familiar, and in past years even welcome. I'm day dreaming more, drifting out of language class, envisioning snow on each steep pitch I see. More and more often I am replaying different ski runs in my mind, imagining what they would be like in different conditions. A minute ago I was racing down Gondi line, my skis arching big GS turn over fresh, responsive corduroy. Now I'm picking my turns through the trees at Saddleback, dodging the pines in Thrombosis, floating on 14 inches of new snow. The situation changes, but the sport, the spirit, the want stays the same.

Unfortunately for my ski-happy spirit, this new situation has landed me in southern, subtropical China. Turns out there very little snow, although no lack of steep peaks.

In past seasons, I have taken a very American, consumerist approach to quelling the angst: shopping. Usually around this time, from July through September, I'm hunting for new gear. Last year I bought an ill, super warm Sessions jacket and some new Spy goggles. They year before that I invested in a telemark setup. THAT was a blast; I purchased new Black Diamond planks, new G3 Targa bindings, and a pair of used Garmont boots.

The fall that I bought that tele gear, the fall of Junior in college when I was living in the yellow bungalow in Maine, still brewing beer and riding longboards, me and my house mate Andy were stir crazy for snow. It was September, we laid out a white polar fleece blanket, and tried on our gear. There we were, two dude in shorts and tee-shirts, but from the calves down we were skiers. I buckled up the boots and even dropped a few knees. In September. In my living room. The anxiousness got that bad.

Around the same time, on a warm afternoon, we threw on our snow pants, grabbed some beers, and sat around watching ski movies. Yup, we stay classy in Maine.

This season, as far as gear goes, I keep thinking about about the Icelantic (a ski company) Nomads or Scouts, the Full Tilt all-mountain boots (the ones with three different lasts for different conditions), and Marker's Jester bindings, those things look burly. That would be my wish-list for this next season.

So yes, I've been day dreaming, much to the dismay of my language class. I admit, I haven't been all there during some of the sessions. I need a release, another activity. I've been running, but its never been the same as skiing. Basketball is a little better, but it still lacks the necessary qualities. I need to get stoked on something. Don't get me wrong, I am happy here in China, and I am excited to be serving, and I am excited to teach, but there is no STOKE. As my buddy Johnny Tsunami would say, I've got to find the gnar (root word of gnarly). I haven't found my gnar here in China yet, but I think I've got a lead.

Near my site there runs a river, the Maling (or Malinghe) river, through a gorge of the same name. The gorge is known for its beauty, its size, and its international rafting competitions. They do some commercial rafting there, but it looks a lot different from rafting back home (for instance, they pole their way down the river and the customers don't paddle).

Retroactive Post: The Host Family

There is an 8 week span in the blog's history that lacks a post. I was without the internet, and writing wasn't on my mind. This is the first of (hopefully) a series of posts regarding those weeks of Pre-Service Training.

I would be remiss to not include a blog post about my host family. If had a stable connection to blogger for the past eight weeks, there would already be mention of them in my blog, but alas.

Host families are an important aspect of PC PST in China and, as far as I am aware, in other PC countries as well. The home-stay portion of PST allows PCTs to interact more directly with the host country culture, live in a full immersion language environment, and experience the support that only a family can provide. Long story short, host families are super important.

I live with a young host family comprised of Leaf (host mum,) David, (host dad), Aiyi (Leaf's mum, Aiyi means aunt in Chinese), Shushu (leaf's dad, Shushu means uncle), and Tiantian (literal translation: sweet sweet, she is Leaf and David's 11 month old baby girl). The family dynamic is great, they get along, and the household is upbeat and cheerful.

There are many very positive aspects to my host family, such as their concern for my well being, their motivation to show me the best parts of Chengdu, and their understanding of my need to see PCT friends and sometimes be alone. Despite their all around greatness, there is one trait that sticks out in my mind: Shushu's cooking. Shushu and Aiyi used to own a restaurant, but they have since retired and mostly take care of the house and mind Tiantian when David and Leaf are at work. Shushu cooks every meal for us, breakfast lunch and dinner, and he knows how to cook Sichuan dishes. AMAZING.

I'm definitely going to miss this family when I leave. Hopefully I can keep up contact with them while I am site.

Traffic jam on the information superhighway

As you may know my internet situation is, at best, limited. Right now I am sitting in a corner at my host family's house, riding on someone's unprotected wireless signal. God bless them for not using a password.

I've been writing recently and I've got about three posts saved up; one referencing my host family, one regarding my restlessness and seasonal anxiousness for skiing, and the last dealing with the imminent separation of the China 15 Peace Corps group as we head out to our permanent sites across China.

Writing offline has been great because it has thrust me back into the practice of revision and editing. Usually I don't revise, or even edit these posts; I just write them on the blogger website, give them a quick spell check, and send them on their merry way. Because I have been without a solid, ready internet connection, my posts have been sitting on my desktop, open to revistiation, revision, and (thank God) editing. Awesome. So yes, there will be more posts to come, and I think they are some of the best posts I've written. Enjoy.

10,000 peaks and nowhere to go.

Today my site mate and I were lead by our Waiban (Foreign Affairs Officer in the university) to a local located but nationally renowned geological treasure: the 10,000 peak forest. The Chinese characters translate literally to "10,000 peak forest", which make sense, because the attraction is literally tens of thousands of peaks formed by eroded calcium deposits left by (I think) sea water in the (I think) Triassic period. Regardless, the area is beautiful. Imagine a VERY steep, near vertical hill, roughly 500 to 1500 feet tall. Now imagine 10,000 to 20,000 of them. You get the idea.

Don't worry, photos will appear, once I find the cord to connect my camera to the laptop. Promise.

So, anyways, the adventure was great. We got the chance to have lunch in this fantastic local restaurant, known best for its hosting the president, or maybe the party leader, of China back in 2004. After that my site mate, my Waiban, and I walked a scenic road that offered great views of the area. A rain storm hit, but we were picked up by a little tour bus just in time. It was great, but...

But I had to ask I people were allowed to hike or climb in the mountains. I was given a questionable answer, "Why would anyone want to?" To which I asked, "Well, why the hell not?" These types of questions tend to chase each other like a dog and his tail, or a yin and an yang, so I will spare you the play by play. Long story short, I want to hike those hills, and I don't care if no one has done it before me.

Post a comment if you can see/explain/understand the cultural divide here. Gimmee some relativism.

Back on Blogger

Alright, after an 8 week hiatus, I am back to writing. I'm planning on doing some retrospective posts regarding my pre-service training later, but for now I'll pick up with the present.

I've arrived at my site in China, deep in the heart of Guizhou province, which is south of Sichuan province, which is where I have been during my PST. Right now I am on my 1 week site visit, which has thus far been AWESOME, and I will return to Chengdu and my host family on Friday/Saturday.

I left for my site visit last Sunday evening with my site mate and a handful of other PCTs and PCVs stationed in the province. The train from Chengdu to Guiyang, which is the capital of Guizhou, is a 13 or 17 hour expedition, depending on what ticket you book. The PC was nice enough to book us overnight tickets on the new, fast, and (most importantly) AIR CONDITIONED train. Very comfortable, not too cramped. Upon disembarking in Guiyang, my site mate and I were greeted by a University representative and ushered to the bus, which was the next leg of our journey.

In a single word, the bus trip was AMAZING. Guizhou is beautiful, and viewing the country side by bus isn't a bad way to see a lot of area in a short time. We traveled through some beautiful gorges, up and down mountains, through and in between peaks. The country side is like nothing I have seen before. Rice paddies and corn everywhere that is farmable, and sprawling mountains and forests everywhere else. The bus ride was over 5 hours, but well worth it.

My apartment is clean and simple, and I really like the city I have been stationed in. My new flat has a big bedroom, semi-outdoor kitchen, and clean floors (which are becoming dirtier as forget to put on sandals when I come home). The last volunteers that were here left a lot of English reading material as well as lots of teaching materials. My site mate and I are digging through it, mining for the gold and separating the chaff.

So yes, much more to come. I haven't written in a while, and there will be retrospective stories to tell.

Manifest Destiny

After a restless night, a 3:30AM wake up call, a 6AM departure, and cross-continental flight, I've arrived at staging in San Francisco. Unfortunately, I am roughly four hours early, but at least I have a free wi-fi connection and my blog to kill the time.

The morning was rough, mostly because my loneliness and nerves kept me up through the night. I felt like my sleep cycle was just starting as I forced myself to my feet at quarter of four. Too bad, I had business to take care of. The flight was uneventful, although United Airlines charged me $50.00 to check my bags, which is ridiculous. Hopefully (fingers crossed) the PC will throw that back at me.

In more interesting news, I sat next to a young couple from China. We only began talking towards the end of the flight, but I learned that they were working/studying engineering in Massachusetts after having moved from (no joke) Chengdu. Its a little, tiny world out there. They gave me some good tips, and told me the city is beautiful and filled with helpful people. Also, they spoke of an area outside the sity proper that was supposedly as beautiful as Yosemite. I want to find this place, although I don't really remember the title of the park/area. It sounded as if there are two words in its title, and strong "j" sounds began both. Jing Jao? Jiang Je? Ching Joa? I'm not sure.

The last time that I was in California was over 15 years ago for the passing of my Great Grandmother, so I feel that I wasn't able to fully appreciate the expanse of American land that passed 30,000 feet beneath the fuselage. Looking out the windows of the plane was pretty crazy; I'm a sucker for clouds and landscapes. I watched coast turn to farmland, then badlands, the mountains, and finally back to coast. Very cool.

Feeling lonely.

I'm sitting here at the Hilton at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, and I have never felt this alone. Ever.

Today I said goodbye to my girlfriend, my mum, my step-dad Tim, the house in new Hampshire and the two puppies. It was rough at times, tears mixed with dread and nerves, but it was far more comfortable than the loneliness, the isolation, that I'm sitting in now. I have left those that love me and I won't see them for two years.

I was talking to my brother a minute ago, telling him what I was feeling, and I wanted to compare the current situation with my first moments at college. There are similarities, but this loneliness, this alienation is far more intense, or perhaps more pure. At U.M.F. I was immediately surrounded by other freshmen in a locale that would be my home. Today, I am swimming in a sea of strangers, sitting in a room I may never return to after tomorrow's early morning. There is something very, very strange about this.

And yet, despite the strangeness, despite the nerves and the lurking uncertainty, I am ridiculously excited. This is my adventure. I've worked towards this departure for 15 months and now I am faced with the granting of my wishes. I am very stoked.

Let the goodbyes begin

I just returned home from a fantastic trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. Since Friday, I have driven over 21 hours on the interstates and byways of New Hampshire and Maine, and while interstate driving is not my favorite activity, especially during epic rainfall, I gladly made the trek with my girlfriend to go say good bye to a handful of close collegiate friends.

Bar Harbor is absolutely beautiful, if you can get past/around/through the tourist crowds that sustain the community's economy. I have no problem with tourists on the individual level, as I'll soon be one overseas. Its crowds of tourists that get my goat. Luckily its still early in the season and the weather sucked, so there weren't hordes of people out on the streets.

Its weird, with roughly a week left before staging, the real goodbyes have begun; other the past weekend I said au revoir to people who love me. Until yesterday, the common parting message would usually be See you tomorrow/in a week/in a month, but now that's changed. See you in 27 months, if all goes to plan carries a uniquely immediate and fatalistic tone. I'm trying not to be fatalistic about this, but I've never been staring down such an alienating and extended absense before.

In lighter news, I cut all my hair off. Well, almost all; I left about an 8th of an inch on the top of my head. Before I left for Bar Harbor I hit up a local barber and ordered a buzz cut. She was nice enough to take the razors to my face, as well, making the shaving process far easier. So now I'm clean cut and ready to look business-casual for staging and PST. Woo-hoo.

Evening blog

As I was just browsing facebook, and, more specifically, replying to a friend request from another China 15 member. I won't mention her name, to protect the innocence of FB users but I'll transcribe her recent status update: "Do you guys actually speak / understand Mandarin? Like, seriously? ohhhhh".

I'm a little nervous about heading to staging and PST, and I think that nervousness stems mostly from the looming, Berlin-esque language barrier staring me in the face. Reading that status update felt like a refreshing wave of community and commonality. My concern is pretty specific (How many people are really scared of not knowing Chinese?), so the relief of knowing someone else shares it, or at least possess the same lack of ability, is comforting.

My Dog ate my Chacos.

I've been trying to write this post for three days now. Time to just get it out.

Long story short, one of my dogs at one of my Chacos, which is really too bad, because I love my Chacos almost as much as I love my dogs. For those who aren't familiar with Chacos, they are a footwear company that produces tough, reliable, sandals. For those who aren't familiar with dogs, they are adorable, four legged mammals, sometimes equipped with unending appetites for love and loose nylon.

Damage Assessment: non-critical.

Flyer, my family's six month old mini Australian Shepard, gnawed into one of the buckle straps of my Chaco Hipthongs. The sandal was laying on the floor (go figure, its a shoe) and he got into it. He's just a little boy though, and he's still teething, so its really my fault. When I found the damage, I told him sternly "Flyer, you're VERY lucky that I love you." Then I scratched his belly. I can't hold a grudge against a puppy.

Seriously though, I love these sandals. I was an ardent Birkenstock devotee until about a year and a half ago when I was given a pair of Chacos. You could probably count the number of days I haven't worn my Chacos since then on two hands.

Just as an example, as evidence to substantiate my rave about these sandals, consider the following. I worked at Saddleback Ski School in Rangeley Maine nearly every weekend (and some weeks) last season. Sometimes the temperatures on the hour drive from Farmington to Rangeley, Maine, would drop below -10 Fahrenheit and there was routinely a 70 yard walk through the snow to get from the employee parking to the lodge. On any given weekend it was my Chacos that carried me through the ankle deep snow. If only I could have fit those suckers into telemark bindings, I would have skied in them too.

Needless to say, those sandals are going to see China.

Dreams and photos

This post concerns a dream I had last night. I've heard that reading and listening to other peoples dreams can be one of the more boring subjects, so I've added some pretty pictures of my parents house, my pre-staging staging spot, in New Hampshire. If you don't want to read about my dream, you can look at pretty pictures. And theres even a puppy!

I dreamed about the PC last night; I guess I've been thinking about departure so much that its permeated my subconscious. I don't imagine that China/PST/Chengdu will be anything like what I saw in my dream, but it was neat. I'll just paraphrase some of the notable moments:

The dream started with me waking up on a dirt country road with all my gear, in medias res, if you will. So very Dante-esque. I wasn't scared, although I knew that I needed to get huffing because I needed be at PST by 8 AM. SO I started to move it, running along this road with valleys and lakes to my left and pretty hefty granite rock slope/cliff on my right. On the walk I noticed three things: China looks a lot like New Hampshire (I don't believe this is true), I couldn't figure out what time it was back home so I was afraid to call (I'm not planning on carrying a phone), and my luggage felt rediculously light (80 pounds is 80 pounds in any country).

After running down a well worn dirt road, I found that PST was being held in a building that minutes late and looked quite a bit like an American public middle or high school. I arrived about fivefound a room full of Americans. Assuming the were all PCVs I set my gear down an searched for a bathroom. I think the difficulty I had with finding the restrooms symbolizes my apprehensions surrounding the Mandarin lanuage; I couldn't find what I needed, I couldn't ask for what I needed, and I really had to go pee.

Morning thoughts and a mini packing list.

One of my lesser fears regarding the PC at this point is forgetting some vital piece of paper work. I spent about an hour yesterday digging around for my chest X-ray films; they are safely stowed in my carry-on, next to the passport and the immunization records. I'm afraid of hitting mainland China and having an official hassle me for a document I didn't realize I needed. Maybe its an irrational fear. I guess in the big picture, being afraid of not having enough paper work pales in comparison to the fears of not being able to speak Mandarin (or the regional dialects), contracting food poisoning, or being detained while privately traveling. Speaking of which, has anybody else been following the news about the reporters in North Korea?

Things I think I still need before I depart:

• Sturdy trail running shoes
• Teacher shoes
• Electrical converter and a lightweight power strip
• Copies of various and sundry documents
• Teaching supplies - multi colored sharpies, lesson plan books, any ideas?
  
• Pictures of loved ones
• Spare earbuds?
• Packing tube for posters
• Mesh bags for laundry, storage. Someone mentioned it on Facebook. Couldn't hurt.
• Spare insoles for shoes
• What else am I missing...

Gotta get personal property insurance, too. Damn packing lists. T-minus 20 days until take off.

Extraneous punctuation.

I've been finding more and more and... more blogs from soon-to-be PCVs in China 15. This makes me totally stoked.

Packing is starting to dominate my mind.
Don't bring too much, I think one moment, followed quickly by another thought, as if shouted from across the table of my mind,
But don't leave anything behind! You'll never know what you'll need!!! WHAT IF CHINA DOESN'T HAVE ANY COFFEE MUGS??? HOW WILL YOU DRINK YOUR KAI FE?!?!?!

Seriously, the internal dialogue regarding packing is killing me. Whatever, it'll figure itself out. It better, or else I'll head to China without any luggage.

I'm getting nervous about the paperwork. I need to make sure that I know what to bring to staging and China. I know I need my Chest X-rays, but what else? Birth certificate? Teacher certification? Diploma? Transcript? If anyone has a working list, please share. I've emailed my PO, and I'll make a post regarding his answers if its worthwhile.

T-minus 24 days or so.

Pre Departure Paradise

As I think I've mentioned before, I'm spending the last few weeks before departure at my parents new house in New Hampshire. For all those who haven't been to NH before, it is just like the rest of New England during springtime: an emerald world of new growth; a cacophony of songbirds, crickets, an critters; an ocean of olfactory hues. Seriously, as a skier, I love the dead of winter, but I look forward to spring every year because it is BEAUTIFUL. Drop dead gorgeous. Spectacular. I'll get the camera going so you can see what I mean.

Went down to Boston, Mass this weekend for Dave Matthews Band live at Fenway park! It was awesome. Dave is fantastic, definitely my favorite musician right now, and Fenway is a great venue. The evening started out with a big barbecue in one of the city's suburbs, then we caught cabs to the park, had a drink at the bar, and danced the night away. The seats we great; public box seats way above 3rd base line, very comfortable and a great view of the entire stadium. There were four of us there, my girlfried, her housemate, one of our friends, and myself. Great crew, great music, great time.

Back to NH. This house I'm in is a project. The parents are renovating an old barn, and while it is beautiful, its a lot of wrok. All the big carpentry and building is done (foundation, drywall, stairs, etc) so now its on to finish work (trim, paint, deck). Today I'm wrking with my step dad Tim to put up trim around the exterior windows. Not a huge job, but you need to people. Its a beautiful day so its time for this post to end. Enjoy the sun!

T-minus 29 days. Oooooooh jeez.

Its been quiet on the eastern front. Too quiet. Where have all the China PCV posts gone? I realize that there's a ban on blogger, but I had expected some American ingenuity and technological side stepping.  I guess I'm just hungry for news from the nation.

I'm living with the parents now in their fantastic, newly renovated home in New Hampshire, USA. Even though I grew up by the ocean, with "sand in my shoes" as my mum says, I feel so much more at home in the hills and mountains. I'm very thankful/excited/relieved to have my parents living in foothills rather than sand dunes. Don't get me wrong, sand dunes are beautiful, I just happen to prefer rolling hills, solitude of the mountains, wilderness, etc.

Today I need to get more paperwork in line. My fantastic (ex)adviser at UMF pushed my transcript and teacher certifications through the bureaucratic tangles of various education offices, and now I need to send them away. Additionally, my $30,000 worth of loans need to be dealt with, and, oh yeah, I've got to unpack my entire life from my van. And then pack it up again and huff it half way across the globe. 

So yeah, and China PCVs or fellow applicants, post away and give me something to read!

Packing Lists

Next step: packing lists.

I'm being torn in two different directions when I compile packing lists for China. I don't want to forget anything, and yet I don't want to bring too much. The cause of the conflict is simple: I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

When I hiked Mt Katahdin for the first time, I definitely brought too much. My 3000 cu inch pack was full of photo gear, layers, bags of gorp, water bottles and bladders, spare socks, spare spare socks, mini med kits, hats, sun glasses, sun screen, bandannas, and so on and so forth. I learned my lesson: the next year I carried a tiny day pack with one layer, a liter of water, and a sandwich. It turns out you really don't need a lot of gear for a day hike.

All in all, I'm attempting to pack for 2 years over seas, and its not easy. I've got to remember, and correct me if I am wrong current PCVs, that I can find things I need in China. Its not like I'm living in uninhabited wilderness for two years; I'll be teaching at a university in a city. I can do this.

If you're in China or you've been there, please give me packing tips. I've heard shoes are tough to come by for Americans with big feet, so I'm packing a few pair, along with socks, spare insoles, etc. Anything else I should stock up on? I think I read somewhere that deodorant is tough to come by. True?

Loose Ends

I've been busy getting all of my documents together for the PC. Today I knocked off my Canadian travel passport and I tired to get all my med work out, but only my Chest X-ray was ready at the hospital. They promised me my EKG would be re ready by tomorrow. We'll see.

T-minus 41 days until departure. Packing lists have started to form, albeit in tenuous, unfulfilled states. Looking through various sites, including peacecorpswiki.org, I've found some good Do's and Dont's for packing. I've got a pair of Chaco flip flops that I LOVE, but the PC wiki says they are a no go for an American in China. I'm bringing 'em anyways for travel, lounging, etc. I love these things too much to leave them. I coach skiing in the winter, and I would wear them on the hour drive to the mountain and the walks to and from the lodge. Seriously, get a pair.

Tomorrow I've got to get my medical evaluations sent, apply for a US travel passport, and clean up everything I need for my final transcript. After that, I need to get my teacher certifications from Maine, move out, convince some loan officers not to bill me, and give my mum power of attorney. Then, I think, I'm good. Oh yeah, and learn Mandarin Chinese. Almost forgot.

Bonus question: What are the extremes of weather in Chengdu, China?

Getting that paper.

One day left of student teaching, three in my undergrad career. Its all coming to a close while its all opening up. How poetic.

So yeah, one more day in the classroom. I have unofficially passed student teaching, according to my advisor. I need to get my final transcript from the registrar ASAP because I need it to apply for my teacher's certification. Both of those items usually take weeks, if not months to procure, but I've got some folks at UMF willing to get loud for me. I don't know what I'd do without my advisers.

Graduation is on Saturday, and the weather is looking favorable; hopefully I'll march in partial sunshine. The Bar-B-Q afterwards might see some rain, but that's alright, we can party indoors.

PC paper work is coming along. Passport and Visa paper are going out to the PC tomorrow, come hell or high water. Fingers crossed, I'll kiss this continent goodbye in 47 days.

Boston Public Library

I've gotten more done in less time then I imagined. After catching the 7:30 bus from South Portland, Maine, to South Station, Boston, Mass, I've been attacking my to do list. So far I've found the Canadian Consulate, which was an adventure, collected paperwork for a Canadian Passport, and posed for a lot more passport photos. 

The consulate informed me that my US passport photos would not be sufficient, as the US standards are lax compared to other nations, and that I should find Matilde's Photo Finishing across the street for expert passport photography. After a little searching I found it, a little hole-in-the wall photo developer specializing in international passport and visa documents.  Matilde took my photo three times, not just once like the last place I went to, because she wasn't satisfied. Then, after growing worried that Canada would turn down my documents, she applied foundation to my face to lessen the glare. Legit. She said "Those Canadians are picky, and your shiny forehead might get your photos rejected." Damn you, shiny forehead skin. She even printed extra copies for me, cut them to US and Chinese specifications for the respective passports and visas, but only after chiding me for getting my original photos taken at RiteAid. "Those stores," she complained "They want to be everything. But for real passport photos, you've got to go to a photographer." 

So here I am, taking a break and making the most of BPL's free wifi. Next up on the to do list: Apply for a passport at a US passport office. Then, I'm back on the bus to Maine.

Rosetta Stone Training and Graduation

The PC has sent me a subscription to Rosetta Stone for some pre-training training in simplified standard Mandarin. Very cool. I've logged about an hour and half on it so far, and I'm very pleased with the software, ease of use, and pedagogical strategies I've seen so far. Has anyone else tried this software? Any China 14s receive this, or is it new for China 15?

Graduation is almost here. So close! 6 days away! Very excited to march and call an end to my undergraduate career. I've got 3 days of instruction remaining in my Student Teaching placement, and few loose ends to tie up, but otherwise I am set.

Medical, Dental, and Educational

I called the Placement Office today and officially accepted my invite. Super Stoked. China 15, here I come. The PO informed me that I've got some dental and medical work to do. China wants more tests, and tests is what they will receive. I've got a dental appointment tomorrow, including X-Rays, and I've got to call the local hospital to set a visit. All of this is getting done ASAP.

Monday I hope to head down to Boston for a visit at the Canadian Consulate. I'm a dual citizen, US and Canada, so I'm going to apply for a Canadian Passport for travel purposes. Why not? I don't think it could hurt. I've also got to get some photos taken for visas, PC passport, etc.

So, I'm deep into finals here at school. Because I'm student teaching I'm finishing up my professional portfolio, and I have no final papers or tests. Don't let that deceive you, I'm still teaching 7 hours a day, and the portfolio is a good deal of writing, rationalizing, designing, arguing, etc. 12 days until I graduate, though. 10 until the end of student teaching, 6 left in the classroom, and 56 until I ship out for stateside rendezvous. Not that I'm counting.

Offically invited!

I received my Peace Corps invitation packet today. The online toolkit said that it was mailed on the 27th, so I didn't know when I'd receive it. A week? 5 days? Nope, only two. I guess the PC gets shit done when they are in a rush.

Whose got two thumbs and is going to China in exactly two months? This guy.

The packet is thick! Three booklets, one around 90 pages, another a little slimmer, and another even slimmer; they shrink in size as they grow specific. On top of those, there are a few letters, one of welcome, one of congratulations, and then a series of documents that need to be filled out and returned in the addressed envelope included at the bottom.

I've got ten (or so) days to call the HQ and tell them I want to go. One of the letters says that the person on the other end of the phone is going to quiz me on the stuff in the thick booklet. We'll see what this brain, steeped in the hoop-jumping routine of American public education, can do with that quiz.

So, anyways, I am stoked. This will be an adventure, once I'm done wading through the paper work. What that you say? The paper work never ends? Well, at least that's another constant, on top of death and taxes.

Unoffically invited

I've recieved unoffical invitation to the Peace Corps, and it has put the ENTIRE prospect of going away into a brand new light. Before yesterday, the PC was a possibility, a tenuous, vapid possibility that existed in the clouds of the future, partly visibile, and mostly obscured by all the things that laid between then and now. But now, with a definite (albeit unoffical, I'll get to that in a second) date of departure and at least a nation to aim at, rather than a continent, things have became far more tangible. I am going to China. I am leaving in 64 days.

I missed a call last thursday from the PC placement office, and I didn't check my messages until Sunday morning. A placement officer had called, hinting at a "special oppertunity" for me if my schedule fit the timeline. I called the PC office back on monday, and after some phone tag I got in touch with the officer. Ihad a 20 minute conversation while pacing in the Wal-Mart school supply aisle. I've never enjoyed being in that store more than during that call.

Long story short, the PC had an opening in the Chinese program leaving June 29th that needed to be filled before it got to late. My window of placement was from July through September, but I don't mind being bumped up a little. My summer plans will change, but I can't wait to leave. A definite date is what I was waiting for; now i've got it.

SO now I'm waiting for the offical paperwork. My PC account has been updated, and I'm waiting to sign the volunteer papers. More later, my roomate wants to play ball.