Christmas break from packing

So it's less than two months now before the Malawi staging. I know that I was really lucky to get my invite so early, but that's also making this time of waiting seem to drag on and on. Someone at work asked if I was afraid to leave, and I said no.
"Afraid of anything??".
 "No, if I could I would leave next week."
"That's not normal.......".
Yeah, maybe its not, and I'm sure some fears will wriggle their ugly little heads out in the coming months, but I plan to swat them down like flies. And maybe cry a little. But then get back up and on my way.
This Christmas was wonderful. Very damp and dark outside- perfect for remembering Seattle. I got everything I asked for- right down the gardening gloves and the new Bible with my name one it (spelled correctly- WOW!) I asked for some odd things and my parents are troopers for cooperating ;-)
Still left to get:
Solar charger
hammock

Still left to get rid of:
three rooms chock full of stuff I suddenly don't need (or did I ever really need?)

Lessons Learned this month:
Furniture is surprisingly hard to give away
I am going to miss bedside nursing like crazy, even though I know it's time to move on
My cat has impaired depth perception

Merry Christmas!

Grace and Peace-
Elizabeth

Trimming Down for Malawi

So in the six days since I found out I will be going to Malawi, I have learned a lot. One is that a picture of Madonna invariably shows up on the first page of any Malawi-related Google Image search. Another is that most people respond with a blank stare when I try to explain that the only "for sure" means of communication will be snail mail. One person thought this meant that I would only have e-mail and not Facebook (the horrors!)
I bought Lonely Planet Southern Africa and a few other books, I caught the tail end of a big REI sale and got luggage and some other goodies. I spent an hour at work being questioned by two other nurses- one  emigrated from Zanzibar and the other from Nigeria- about what the heck got into my head that i would want to leave America and go someplace even poorer than the lands that they themselves left.  There was a lot of "You know people there are going to think you are crazy- why don't you just stay here and get married?" They also thought that I was going to be living in some ex-pat compound. I took some time to explain that will be integrating into a village, eating the same food, wearing the same clothes, etc. (They still think I'm off my rocker. )
Now comes the great trimming down time- i.e.- the purge of all the stuff I have accumulated since college. I figured I would start with my precious fiber and yarn, and put a very general ad on Craigslist offering free fiber for those who were young or beginners. Enter lots more confused people- giving things away is harder than I thought. Maybe I should try charging a nominal amount next time and see if that goes better.
I'm writing my aspiration statement and all the paperwork that goes with that today, then comes more shopping for gear, more explanations to skeptical friends and co-workers, and much, much more "purging of the stuff".
But SO, SO, worth it :-)
Grace and Peace-
Elizabeth

MALAWI BOUND!!!!

Got my invite today, more info to come, but I wanted to post ASAP- invited to Malawi, staging FEB. 24!!

K, now the dust has settled here is some more info- first of all, Malawi has always been my first choice. I tried to keep a really open mind, but Malawi was the one I was always pulling for. Considering the my nomination changed from Jan to Feb due to a medical restriction makes it all the more special and amazing to me that I got my secret first pick :-)
I had been told that PC FedEx'd invite packages, so all day I had been listening for a delivery person to be buzzed in to my building. Finally around three I decided it wouldn't hurt if I left my apartment for a second to get my mail, and of course, there it was. It had been delivered by the postal service. It was sent on the 14th and arrived in Seattle on the 19th. Pretty quick. I promised myself I would wait and open it with my parents, so I called and told them the good news. I started to put on some makeup and noticed that my hand was shaking. Forget makeup then! I drove the half hour to their house and ripped open the kevlar-sealed-with-cement-envelope, scanned the top sheet and went right to the country name in BOLD. Malawi. MALAWI. Malawi, I said, to my parents. That was my first choice....Malawi. My mom got out her beach ball globe and found Malawi, and I started tearing up. this was really happening.
My official Job Title is Community Health Advisor, in the Community Health HIV and AIDS Program. Staging is Feb 24-25, Training in Malawi begins Feb 27, 2011.
What a wonderful day :-)
Grace and Peace-
Elizabeth

News and Speculation

I got a call from my placement officer this morning, (who was quite pleasant, BTW, which was the cherry on top of my exuberance at finally having contact with DC). Based on reading lots of other blogs, I was expecting to get some questions, maybe resubmit an essay, or at least fax in an updated resume, but NOPE :-). She just cheerily said that my file was looking good and she didn't need anything else. One small change though, she said that a medical restriction precluded the location for which i was originally nominated (Sub- Saharan Africa, January 2011, Health degreed). Momentary heart stoppage at hearing this!!! But she went on to say that I could be part of another program, still Sub Saharan Africa, still Health Degreed, leaving "mid to late February". Was I ok with this, she asked? Ummmm, yeah. Yes yes yes yes yes. And was I ok with riding a bicycle? Oh yeah a million times over! (Note to self- switch form elliptical machine to stationary bike at the gym) She verified my current address and said to expect to receive my invitation in about a week.
This afternoon I had not yet received any e-mail notification from the PC, so I checked my toolkit and it hadn't changed. I'm thinking (and hoping) that this is just a technicality, since she specifically told me that my invitation was on the way.
Now here's the rub- I had thought for sure that I was headed to South Africa- since last year they were pretty much the only African country to stage in January. But why would I be medically barred from South Africa, since that is where all PCVs in Africa get medivac'd to and has such great infrastructure in the cities???? Who knows. Now I truly have no clue where I am headed since there are at least 5-6 other Sub Saharan departure dates for February. Or Maybe South Africa is going to be staging in February after all?
Bottom line- my invitation will almost definitely be a total surprise.
Any thoughts?
Off to work the night shift tonight.... have to think about my patients and not about that thick envelope that is on it's way...
MINOR UPDATE- at about 2 am my profile was officially changed to reflect that my invitation is in the mail.

Waiting time = time for spinning

I read another Peace Corps blog (can't remember the name), that described RAS- Restless Applicant Syndrome. In my second week since getting medical clearance, without hearing anything from placement, I am fighting the urge to recheck my applicant toolkit every fifteen minutes. In an attempt to keep my fingers busy and not hitting refresh on my keyboard, I have been spinning and knitting even more than usual this week.

Habu Stainless Steel/ Wool yarn

Today I am experimenting with Habu wool/ stainless steel yarn. It is a laceweight (really thin) yarn, made of 75% wool, 25% stainless steel. I spun some naturally grey Romney wool and plied one of each type for a nice boucle yarn with a strange little "memory" due to the tiny stainless steel thread. I think it will probably be a nice cardigan by next week, provided I haven't heard from placement

Unspun Romney

One Strand of Each

I am also editing a pattern for a different cardigan made from handspun. My goal is to have this finished and posted as a free pattern on Ravelry in a week or two, so stay tuned...
Are there any more crafty/ knitty Peace Corps applicants/ volunteers out there??

Medically Qualified

I got the letter this week that  says (after months of waiting) that I am medically qualified to volunteer with the Peace Corps. That means that after all the visits to specialists last Spring, the poking and prodding, and LOOOngest physical of my life, I have been deemed healthy and sane enough to travel. Now all that is left between me and leaving is placement clearance, which means making sure that I am still qualified and competitive for the post that I was nominated for back in March, and that it still exists (No coups now, please!) Hopefully I will breeze though that and get my invitation in the next few weeks, which is the formal decision on where I will be going and what I will be doing. In other news, the sink in my bathroom decided to stop functioning yesterday, as though it wanted to say "Congratulations! Now try living with iffy plumbing as a way to prepare!!"

Hand Dyed Silk from Victoria

I found the shiniest, softest hand-dyed silk from an amazing, stuffed-full-of-fiber-goodness shop, called Knotty by Nature in Victoria a few weeks ago. It looks like a mermaids tail, and was a dream to spin. Now to decide what to make out of it....