Adventures in Mexico

Adventures in Mexico
At a tequila distillerywith the daughters over Christmas

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Mexico here we come!

At the very last minute we were invited for Mexico. I'll be doing conservation work and John IT consulting. We are so excited. Today was my last day at my job. We can't wait!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Maybe Mexico?

We have an interview tomorrow morning at 7 am. Maybe maybe we'll get an invitation to Mexico. Here's hoping!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Calm down, Barbara

I know I shouldn't nag our placement officer. I know they are trying to find a spot for us in the Mexico program. I think we'd both do really well there.

If that doesn't work there's one more possibility for fall and after that it would be February. I'm leaving my job at the end of this month. I know Peace Corps says not to quit until you have your invitation but sometimes it's not ethical to do that. We could end up with no income and no health insurance until February.

Calm down, Barbara, I say to myself. Maybe Mexico will come through. It will be a lot of work to leave then but we can do it. We should hear soon. I'm sure they are working on our situation.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Mexico please!

We hope we'll get the call and the interview for Mexico tomorrow. It's very difficult dealing with the uncertainty. It would be much easier if we weren't going to Europe for the month of July but that was planned a long time ago. So we are getting our house ready for the house trade with the nice family from Albertville, and keeping in mind that we might be leaving for two years on August 17th, or not. If not, maybe no invitation until February of 2010.

If there's anyone who has been invited to Mexico who'd be willing to talk to us, that would be great. My e-mail is blkdye@cox.net and John's is john.dye@cox.net.

Mexico sounds better and better as we think about it. I hope it works out.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Beware the mammogram!

A warning to all of you in the application process. If you need a yearly mammogram, that knocks out a lot of countries, including possibly the one for which you have been nominated. We were happy to pass dental, medical and legal, but then found out that we were no longer able to go to the country in Sub-Saharan Africa in September (whatever it was) because of that requirement, and the psa test my husband needs once a year. We offered to fly somewhere to do the tests but that's not allowed. They call this passing with an acommodation. I wish we had realized this sooner so I'm passing on this warning.

Hopefully we'll get another placement, since I quit my job. I sympathize with Kyline and her job dilemma!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

No Africa but maybe Mexico?

This process is complicated! We passed legal and thought we were just waiting for our invitation. Then yesterday we got a phone call asking if we would be interested in Mexico. Evidently our medical approval wasn't totally clear - we have to go to a country with extra medical support and the program we were nominated for doesn't qualify. We said yes to Mexico, but that's not certain either, plus it leaves on August 18th, which would be a huge amount of work to make.

I understand that they say not to quit your job (which I did) until you get your invitation, but when you are being asked to sign a one-year contract with a 90-day notice period and you care about the place you work and making sure they can find someone else, it's difficult. For older couples, six weeks is not much notice to pack up 35 years of stuff and arrange to rent our house.

I wish medical had told us that we were no longer qualified for the African program, whatever it was, that we were nominated for. Now I hope Mexico accepts us (it's a special program and that's not for sure) because we could be in big trouble if they don't. There may be some departure dates this fall, but we know it's difficult to find positions for both of us in a program. The next batch aren't until February. Aghhh!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Tanzania is up on the wiki!!

We are mid-September in Africa. Tanzania just posted on the wiki with invitations for the 20th. I think that's mid-September. And Cameroon is still a possibility. Hopefully we can get legal clearance and get our invitation before the end of the month when we go traveling. What happens if you are away when the envelope comes? Do we have to have someone overnight the package to wherever we are? How does that work?

Thursday, June 10, 2010

We got our medical clearance! - what could go wrong now?

I wrote a beseeching e-mail to our medical nurse asking her how close we were to getting our status finalized. I told her that I had had a second interview for the Botanic Garden Executive Director job and that I really needed to know about our medical. She has been so great. She e-mailed that we both were officially cleared. So when I called the recruiter back I told her that I was doing the Peace Corps. It's too bad in some ways since that would be a great job and it was nice to be offered it after they did such a big search, but I guess life is full of choices. Now, how long will it take to get an invitation? What do we have to do for legal? What else could go wrong now?

John (my husband) wants me to wait until we get our invitation to tell them no officially. I don't think that's fair. I told the recruiter about where we were, and she actually agreed with John and told me to think about it. But they're a great group of board members who are excited about a new direction for the garden. I don't think I should string them along just in case Peace Corps doesn't work out. What else could go wrong now?

Monday, June 7, 2010

Nothing venture nothing gain

They want me back for another interview at the Botanic Garden. This would be such a great job. But I really want to do Peace Corps. Can I and should I do an interview for a job I really don't want? I wish Peace Corps would clear us and we'd get an invitation. It would make our lives so much easier to have a straightforward future. The lovely medical person said there are no more issues so why aren't we cleared? All this uncertainty makes me feel like such a whiner!

I don't think there's any way to pressure Peace Corps to make a decision. I thought about asking our recruiter but I don't think there's anything she can do. We are busy upending 35 years of settled lives to take a chance that we'll end up in Peace Corps. I remember that when, all those years ago, we were in Peace Corps Ghana, there were trotros (trucks) with painted slogans. One said on the front "nothing venture," and on the back, of course, "nothing gain."

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Patience is her middle name

I love the Peace Corps wiki and seeing who's going when. I wish someone would post that they've been invited for Tanzania. I'd love to be thinking about that as a possibility for sub-Saharan Africa. Protected lands management there could be fabulous. Cameroon would be fine as well but Tanzania!

I hope we'll get our medical clearance this week. We'll find out more about the legal stuff and maybe get an invitation. I hope they send an invitation by e-mail as well since we'll be in Europe for the month of July. I know, patience. I need to be patient. My husband always said, "patience, Barbara, patience. We'll have to name our oldest daughter Patience." We actually did name her Katherine Patience. When someone says that to her, she can say "Patience is my middle name."

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Will he rescue Guinevere?

We're busy organizing our house on the assumption that we are leaving in September. We have 35 years of stuff to go through. We must be crazy but we are redoing our kitchen and both bathrooms right now. I have to work full time until the end of June. It's even more complicated because we are going to Italy and France for the month of July, and doing a house trade. A very nice French family will be living in our house while we are gone. Will we get it all done? I feel sometimes like the end of the movie Camelot, where they are singing "Will he rescue ... Guinevere ...?" and the drums are pounding and the horses are galloping and it's very suspenseful.

I hope the medical approval will come through this week. And I wonder what they'll want in terms of legal. Has anyone dealt with mortgages and so forth?

I think I just have to take a deep breath and keep going. Back to sorting books.

Our daughter in Peace Corps Panama just posted photos. We're still not sure she'll be staying but her assignment sounds great - mountain views, running water and she can have a horse. What more could you want!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Go Huskies!

Life goes on while you are waiting. I had my second interview for the Executive Director job at the Botanic Garden. I sent in the minor administrative stuff on my Peace Corps Medical (I had my polio booster but they forgot to put it on the form, etc.). If I get my medical clearance, I'll probably tell the garden I'm not interested but it's tempting to keep that open as a possibility. They may not want me anyway. I wish the medical clearance were done.

At the school where I work the softball team (the Huskies) is in the state finals tomorrow. Should I go to the game or work on the house to get it ready to rent while we're gone? I think I'll go to the game because I care about the girls on the team. Only a few parents know I'm leaving. I wonder if others have a hard time sharing the news with people at work. It seems hard to tell people that you chose adventure over working at a place that's so important to them.

It's interesting how people react to the news that we are going to Africa in the Peace Corps. I like best the people who say "that's great! What an adventure!" with real enthusiasm. Others get a worried look and start asking questions, like "where in Africa? (we don't know yet) Where will you live? (we aren't sure). Many look really uncomfortable with the idea. Our friends and family are worried about having us so far away but are more-or-less supportive. Do others find this dichotomy of response?

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

What could go wrong?

The very helpful Peace Corps nurse called today to say that we were almost cleared! My doctor forgot to put the polio shot on the form (although I got it), and we didn't enclose the results on one of the tests even though she marked that I was clear. So I'll see her tomorrow and get that taken care of. I'm going to the second interview for the great job tomorrow even though it looks like Peace Corps is going to come through.

I don't see how legal could be a problem and we've cleared medical (almost) now. I guess we'll be off to sub-Saharan Africa. I keep refreshing the Peace Corps wiki to see if Tanzania posts. I can't help thinking they'll have a September departure as they did last year.

Another person at work found out today and her reaction was great: "that is so cool!" It's interesting how different people react. Some are shocked. Some are excited for us. Our friends want to visit us, and we've promised to come home at least once.

Our daughter who is just starting in Peace Corps Panama, on the other hand, is having doubts. She just got her post today and it sounds fabulous. She's going to be 10 miles out of a provincial capital, in a town with running water and great mountain views where she can have a horse. She will live with a family for three months and then build a house. She'll visit the site and then decide if she wants the adventure or to go back to her college town and teach riding and hang out with her friends. We'll see. Of course we think she should go for the adventure but we are really trying not to pressure her. If it's right for her, she'll do it.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Choices, choices

I am interviewing for a fabulous local job being the Executive Director of the local Botanic Garden. It's a job that I'd like much better than what I've been doing, that would pay even more and be more satisfying. I really want to do Peace Corps. What if we can't work out the medical and I have to decide whether or not to take the job without knowing if Peace Corps is going to happen? I'm confident that we are healthy enough but it seems as if there are often issues. What to do?