Official Peace Corps Invitee

It has been an inordinate amount of time since I last posted. Again, my life has fallen into something of what I deem a boring routine. This is all about to change very shortly however. After having spent the last 18 months as a corporate drone, I am finally leaving! The following lyrics drummed through my head for the last few months. I think that it sort of pertains.

Map of the World

By

Monsters of Folk

There's a map of the world
on the wall in your room
Green pins where ya wanna go
White pins where ya been
there isn't even ten,
you're already feeling old
Pretty faces stare back
from a magazine stack
that you read when
you're feeling bored
Look through a telescope lens
it doesn't make sense
you think you've been there before

Some far off feelings
Some up close kind of ache
White screen reason to
look the other way

There's a place by the lake
that you go when it's late
it was summer and the crowds were gone
and you sit all alone with
With your thoughts, gettin stoned
just waitin for some peace to come

Like the thing thatcha
tried that you thought that you liked
for a minute then it all felt wrong
So your changing again
All your clothes, all your friends
It's the same as it ever was

That far off feeling
That up close kind of ache
Some white screen reason to
look the other way

It's a road that you've paved
over Indian graves and
you wonder why your dreams are crazed
So you cling to your wife,
your kids, and you life
There's nothing that you're gonna save
Put the razor to your face,
Hot water for a shave
Kill the shadow of yesterday
Clean shirt, clean pants,
clean slate second chance

You're going by another name

Some far off feeling
Some up close kind of ache
That instant karma
That always comes too late

I applied for the Peace Corps in July of 2009 and recently received/accepted my invitation to serve in Ukraine. Barring some unforeseeable disaster or something of the like, I will be leaving March 29^th. The time it is taking to depart seems to be idly pacing itself at the slowest possible rate. Looking back however, the application process seemed to fly by! The time frame in which I submitted my application and received my actual invite was approximately 7 months; it will be a total of about 9 months from the click her to submit and the “I’m Leaving On a Jet Plane” outcome. Apparently the 9 months it took me is about the shortest time it takes most volunteers. Many of the other upcoming volunteers I have spoken with applied 1 to 2 years prior before actually receiving their invite! I am thankful it did not take me that long.

My job title will be Youth Developer. I’m still not really sure what that means. The Peace Corps tends to be very vague in almost everything. It could range from working in secondary schools teach HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention, creating outside activities for kids to be involved in, mentoring at risk youth and orphans, to maybe teaching some English. I don’t even know where in Ukraine I will be! The first three months will be living with a host family while I train. After that I will be sent to my placement site for the remainder of the two years. I will be learning either Ukrainian or Russian. I am hoping to pick up both. I have recently started to study Ukrainian in an attempt to not sound like a complete idiot when I move in with my host family. Yes, it is true. I will spend only 2 days at “staging” in the US. I will then immediately fly to Ukraine and be placed with my host family. I would like to have at least a few necessary words and phrases down before I arrive.

Anyhow, I will likely be making my blog private shortly. I have been told that this might be necessary with being in the Peace Corps. Let me know if you will want to be added. I will post again soon with updates on things like address, finalized items and whatever else may be of interest. Cheers!