Hello & Good-bye

  “Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed—doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps—who works in a foreign land—will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace."

-John F. Kennedy Jr.

50 years after JFKs tragic death, his vision lives on and I’m so honored to be a part of it! Tomorrow I begin my journey as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in Uganda…. FINALLY!

 

Pre-departure: The Saga

For those of you who are new, you just don’t understand; my journey to the actual journey, at this point, is comical. Long story short I’ve wanted to join the Peace Corps for a while and I applied in February… of 2012.  Things seemed to be going just fine. I interviewed and was accepted on the same day that June.  I was told, via e-mail, shortly after that they planned to send me to ‘sub-Saharan Africa’ in Spring of 2013 to teach math (!!!!), and I was to complete my medical clearance through their brand new online portal.  It sounded great, Peace Corps is going digital, but little did I know that this would be the ultimate test of my commitment to volunteer with this program. 

To sum it up, I spent 10 months in this medical approval labyrinth, getting nowhere.  I uploaded all my physicals, dental exams, prescriptions history, mental health check-ups, etc. to the online site, by fall of 2012.  I then sat waiting for months without any updates.  I would email whomever I could to check in from time to time but still nothing.  Friends, Family, co-workers, everyone constantly asked for updates, but I had none.  I even asked my not-so-thrilled-about-this-adventure-Mother if she sabotaged my acceptance!

June 2013 came around and I was beside myself; I’d been waiting for a full year without any news.

 

  At this point I called every number I could find related to Peace Corps, and I actually got the ball rolling again, so I thought.  A really nice lady at the D.C. office made my case her priority, and out of sheer sympathy for making me wait so long said I’d have an offer within a few days.  This was great, I was refreshing my e-mail while on hall duty during finals week (when I should have been grading finals) in anticipation of my official offer.  Then I got it! But when I read that I’d be in Jamaica, teaching English, leaving in March 2014 I ran to a co-workers office in tears (thanks Jen!).  Did I really just wait 12 months for a position that I had fewer skills for in a place that I hadn’t researched and though about? It was clear, that this wasn’t meant to be; I decided that I’d waiting this long, I can continue. 

Again, I called every number I could find and I was continually told that my ‘medical needs’ were limiting my options.  This lead to a confusing and in retrospect, hilarious, conversation with a PC nurse.  I mean, yeah, I only have one kidney, and I take the occasional Xanax, so what could be holding me back? Come to find out, somehow it was noted in my medical file that I needed to see a dermatologist once a month….. WHAT!? I’ve literally never been to a dermatologist!? So of course I wasn’t getting placed, that’s an impossible request.



Left: Roomie/BFF        Right: Adorable kiddies I nannie for

So that was cleared up and that same lovely lady continued to make my case a priority. The twist is that (refusing the wait around anymore) I moved to the city for the time being and was working as a nanny for a lovely family. So OF COURSE I was notified of my dream PC placement not 2 weeks after I moved down there. I was to leave for Uganda in November to teach math & SpEd!!!!

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Okay great Rachel, you had to wait a while and some stuff got messed up but you’re in, you got this!” NOPE.  The government shutdown.  It shutdown a week before all of my final paperwork was due.  The final paperwork that ensures I have seat on the planes to Uganda.  The final paperwork that informs the medical teams over there of my history.  The final paperwork that verifies that I am Peace-Corps-worthy-eligible to teach math and SpEd. To say the least I was in shambles.  Peace Corps employees in D.C. couldn’t go to work, and the site I needed to upload all this paperwork to was shutdown, I seriously thought I wasn’t going to Uganda. I was sending e-mails to ANYONE at 2 in the morning because I couldn’t sleep.  If I was unable to go because the government was shutdown I would have lost it!

ALAS, I get a phone call from D.C. at 9am a few days after the panicked 2am emails.  Another amazing lady went into work during the shut down because a few people were in the same boat as me.  She saved me from almost losing my cool and helped me get all my paperwork to the right people.

 

It’s actually happening!!!

So here I am, mere hours from heading down to Philly for a quick 24 hour intensive staging program from which I go to J.F.K airport (very fitting) to start the 20+ hour journey to Kampala, Uganda!



I can’t post this without thanking everyone who’s supported me throughout this pre-journey. It means so much to me how so many people from every part of my life have been there for me and my parents.  I truly think that my parents are the bravest people for letting me go through with this (although I don’t remember asking them, it was more me straight up telling them).  But that is what makes them so great.  I tend to do what I want and they have always supported me.  Having both of them show so much love and concern make me feel like I may actually be able to change the world.  Mom & Dad, Ang & Joe, you don’t know how much everything you do for me means to me.  Your warm hearts, humor and unconditional love made me who I am today! 

 

 

You can always tell a Milford Man, Steve.

I also want to give a shout out to my brother and sister.  You two have shaped who I’ve become and I thank you.  Steve, you’re always my reality check when my mind dreams maybe a little too big.  Thanks for always bringing me back down to earth. & thanks for making me look cool because I’m related to you!  Joce, you are my best friend and you always brighten my day.  I really don’t know how I’m going to live without your quick wit, lack of emotions, or our binge eating when we’re together!

If I thanked everyone whom I appreciate and/or helped me get to this awesome point in my life I’d have to publish a book.  If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them so give yourself a high five, I’m forever grateful!

 

 

 

 

Lastly: What I’ll Miss (materialistic version):

1. Food delivery
2. Hulu+ & Netflix
3. Exercise classes, mainly Soul Cycle & Baptise Yoga
4. J. Crew Style guide
5. Saunas
6. Twitter
7. Online Banking
8. Smoothies
9. Target
10. Weekends/summers at Oceans Edge Resort

 

Welp, that about does it for this post. I hope to contribute to this as much as I can over the next few years. I really look forward to your comments.  Tell me anything & everything.  Also, there is no such thing as a stupid question.  This whole thing a little complicated and constantly changing so chances are someone else is thinking the same thing.

Be well, I miss you all already!

Rachel

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