My favorite Chinese restaurant gave me food poisoning. I am so disappointed. If I have to spend that much time being sick, I want to have a better story than "I ate Chinese" to go with it. On the bright side, it was a Chinese restaurant and not a Mongolian Grill, so it could be worse. I think I am going to be ok and I may even want to eat something today. I finished my French paper and my English paper was postponed until next week! Yea!One of the M18s (PCVs in the 18th group to go to Mongolia who are already there...I am a M19) posted new pictures on Facebook. It so surreal to think of me being there soon. My cousin Ellie called yesterday and is really excited about the short, wooly Mongolian horses that I will be riding. They are so funny looking and small. I am going to be afraid that I will break them. Honestly, it looks like you could reach the ground with your feet if only you extended your legs.Gabb (my BFF...heehee) is STILL in Costa Rica (or is it Guatemala...jk) She will be back on Sunday and I cannot wait. I love hearing stories of peoples world travels.The picture-posting M18 also has a dog, that may be part fox. I would love LOVE love to get a dog while I am in Mongolia. It would help me from being lonely and it would be a great present to a new PCV when I leave.I am reading The Village of Waiting by George Packer. So far my favorite book about being in the PC has been Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village by Sarah Erdman. That or So You Want To Join The Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go by Dillon Banerjee which had a lot of practical advise. All of the narrative books about being in the PC I have found are about serving in Africa. What? No Mongolia? Perhaps this is something I should amend...
Today is my last day of Spring Break. It was not nearly productive as I had hoped it would be. I am feeling a little stressed about all I want to accomplish in 68 days before I leave for Mongolia. Perhaps a list would be helpful. These are in no particular order.-2 papers for French and 1 PowerPoint presentation-2 papers for Literature, 1 presentation, and 1 course narrative-Look into taking the GRE and getting grad school credit for the Peace Corps-Work out more in order to lesson the shock of moving to Mongolia-Pack or get rid of everything I own-update my music on my computer and on my iPod-Learn Mongolian-Graduate from Collegeok, this is totally doable. Doable is not a word you see written often, it just doesn't look right. "Tell me, are your duties doable? What is it that you do do?" On the upside I did finish watching The West Wing, so now I have more time to accomplish the above list. Anyway, I am actually going to start on my paper now. I had to watch a movie called A Day In The Country for this paper by a filmmaker Jean Renoir, who was the son of the artist Pierre Auguste Renoir. It is based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant. The story was good, the movie was bloody brilliant. The only downside was the subtitle were hard to see, but I suppose I should be listening to the French anywho. If you ever get a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it. It is only 37 minutes long and for a movie made in 1937 is more than a little risqué. Claire (my 7 year sister) just came into the study room I am using at the Rapid City Public Library. She is so cute. The door is too heavy for her and she got a little stuck between it and the frame, almost fell down, gave an exasperated sigh, and went off to play on one of the computers as if nothing had happened . Leaving my family for 27 months is going to really hard, but I have no doubt that it will be worth it. On to French!
I want to get this blog started before I depart. I have never done this before, but here it goes. Here is a quick catch up as to what has been happening and what the plan is for the future. In August 2007 I applied to the Peace Corps. (hence forth known as PC) On November 1st I was nominated for a Youth Development Program in Asia/Central Asia. This came as a bit of a shock as I had been planning on Africa, but I was excited and began my medical clearance. This was a hugely frustrating experience, but I have now been medically cleared. On February 28th, 2008 I was accepted as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in the Community Youth Development Program as a Life Skills Trainer in Mongolia. MONGOLIA! Today is March 18th. This coming weekend I am in Rapid City for Spring Break. Next weekend I work. The weekend after that I present at the Upper Midwest Honors Conference in Wisconsin. The weekend after that I work. The weekend after that I go on a mini-vaca to Lake Pickerel. The weekend after that I work. The weekend after that I graduate from College!! The next two weekends I will be traveling to North Carolina with my grandparents to see my Uncle Dave, his wife and daughters, the mountains, and the ocean. The weekend after that I pack. The weekend after that I leave for Mongolia. And for the next 108 weekends or so I will be in Mongolia. I guess you could say I have weekend plans.
