My Invitation Arrived...Drum roll please.

A white package was waiting for me in front of my door when I arrived home yesterday. My blood rushed to my legs and I jumped up and down when I saw it because I immediately knew that it was my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps.  Seconds later, I called my mom and she listened on the phone as I opened the package.  Take a look at this clip of me opening the envelope...

Legumes or Lamb Chops?

Have you ever had to alter your beliefs/lifestyle in order to "fit in", avoid criticism , or to even survive?  I've been thinking about having to change my eating habits once I move to my host country.  I've been a vegetarian for most of my life and the last time that I ate animal flesh was about 11 years ago.  On January 18th, 2012, I made a conscious decision to become vegan.  That's right, I don't eat animals or animal based products.  My diet today consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, herbs, beans, and grains and nuts.

Maybe I'll discuss why I became vegan in another post, but for now, I just want to express how uneasy I feel about the possibility of having to eat animal products.  I still don't know which country I'll be staying, but I've contemplated, "What if my host community eats mainly goats from their backyard where they slice off their heads and serve the guts for dinner? How will I manage to survive?" I'm hoping that there will be enough plant based foods for me to eat year-round where I won't have to compromise my values and lifestyle.  This will be a challenge since I may not be able to  walk to a farmer's market and select as much juicy fruit as I wish.  At the same time, I may be placed in a community where there is an abundance of fruits and vegetables and I may be able to do okay.

I'll definitely revisit this topic once I get to my site.  Have a fabulous day!

Invitation in the mail!!!!

On June 18th, my placement officer emailed me a questionnaire to complete and return.  There were questions about my flexibility to serve in a different region other than Africa and to see if I would be willing to depart in late August/September.  I said that I was flexible, even though I want to go to Africa.  Another question was to see if I have had any medical or legal issues since I began my application.

This morning, I woke up to an email from the Peace Corps stating that my application status has been updated.  I logged in to my PC account and it reported that I have been invited to serve and that my invitation is in the mail! I am beyond enthralled.  Where could I be going?  The suspense is killing me.  Based on my research, it looks like I might be heading to Latin America.  That would be amazing!

Anyway, I need to get some work done.  Have a fabulous day!

Resumé! Hey, hey, hey!

Hello there! So where were we? I think we left off at the part where I just submitted my medical forms.  Well, today is June 4th and on March 21st, I received a medical and dental clearance notification.  This was very exciting news but I had to wait until today (almost 11 weeks later) to hear from my placement officer.  She stated that she would like an updated resumé within the next two weeks.  I think after I submit my resume, all I have is a final phone interview with her and then I find out where I'm going! :D

There is one thing that I'm wondering.  I'm wondering if I'll still be going to sub-Saharan Africa this October.  Because of my nut allergy, the Peace Corps nurse informed me that my nomination may or may not change because they have to accommodate to my needs.  I really hope that I'm still going to Africa.  At the same time, if I go to a different region, I'm sure I'll like it there as well.

The suspense continues...