Waiting

So nothing to really report yet. As you know, I mailed in my medical packet last Thursday. They say it usually takes a week or two for PC to notify you that they received your information, so hopefully they will send word soon that everything made it OK. I am so paranoid though that it will be lost in the mail, but I'm sure that feeling is common among everyone in my situation. I definitely think that this process and the entire PC experience will definitely teach me a thing or two about patience. I am usually pretty good about that sort of thing, but this is a huge transition for me, probably the biggest transition I will have experienced in my life so far.

To make all this waiting worse (in my opinion), each nominee has what is called a "toolkit" on the PC website that tells us our status during this long process (here's a copy of mine to the right - notice the glaring red exclamation point). I keep checking my e-mail a couple dozen times a day to see if they have updated my toolkit, but then I don't believe my e-mail, so I have to double check the toolkit just to make sure. I know this is only the beginning of the waiting period, but I get so antsy about it all. As school is coming to a close, I feel like it is bitter-sweet. On the one hand, it will be weird to say goodbye to the comfort of my college town, the annoying tourists who drive 10 mph through Colonial Williamsburg (25 mph, people!), my circles of friends that make my life interesting, the randomness of my many adventures on and off campus, some great professors (if you are reading this, you know who you are), and as nerdy as it sounds, it will be sad to stop learning in an academic setting as amazing as this. Not to say that I won't continue to learn throughout my life, but when will I get another chance to take classes like Arabic, Anthropology of Alcohol, Study of Language, and many others? I also feel like this last month of school will not be satisfying enough for me. It will be full of papers and exams and not enough of the things that really matter. I digress. On the other hand, I am absolutely ready to enter the next phase of my life's journey. I don't think it really just the waiting that bothers me but also that fact that I won't know for awhile to where exactly I am going. I wouldn't mind waiting so much if I knew my country because I could begin planning all the details, researching my new homeland, and putting up more specific blog posts for all of you. So that's my rant about waiting (one of many I'm sure).

On a side note, I was able to watch "American Idol Gives Back" tonight which brought loads of celebrities (really, it seemed like it was almost as big as the Oscars) together to raise money for the US and Africa. Now I am definitely a bit skeptical when it comes to the motives of celebrities. There are only a few who I feel do not use humanitarian work for PR purposes (Bono and Angelina Jolie, for example), but I know last year they raised somewhere in the 70 million dollar range, so I can't argue with those numbers. Plus they had some really amazing stories out of Africa from people like Bono and Annie Lennox. Can you tell that I am a big Bono fan? It really re-inspired me watching it all and definitely reaffirmed my motivations for working with Peace Corps. Until I get an official invitation to an African country, I don't want to go into great detail about my feelings toward Africa (if you know me well, you already know my passion for the continent), but I can promise you when I get an invite I will definitely open up more to the rest of you about this fervor that fills me. I am just not one to count his chicks before their hatched. Until next time, hopefully with some good news.