T-stan and Technology

Today I officially accepted my position for teaching English as a foreign language. So I only found out two days ago and I have already been in contact with a couple of other trainees that will be headed out on Sept. 29th. Technology sure has changed the Peace Corps experience from the Kenndy kids in the 60s. It used to be that you went into the whole experience totally clueless. Now there are websites, and networks that explain what the experience will be like as well as ways to connect with returned volunteers as well as the group that you will be with.

As of today, my blog is a link on PeaceCorpsJournals.com, on Facebook I have already been friended by others in T-18s and I am also a member of Peace Corps Turkmenistan group. Not going to lie when I first got my packet there was part of me that was like “holy crap, I am really doing this…can I really do this.” With reading all the info I was sent as well as reading about other T-stan volunteers experiences, I’m super excited and sure of my decision to join.

Many people have been asking what are you doing, where are you going. Here is a little about where I’m going and what I’ll be doing from the Peace Corps Turkmenistan Welcome Book:

Turkmenistan borders Uzbekistan in the north and
east, Kazakhstan in the northwest, Iran in the south, and
Afghanistan in the southeast. Slightly larger than California,
the country has an area of 195,200 square miles.

Turkmenistan is dry with a desert terrain. Fortunately, most
cities have trees and are quite green in spring and summer.
There are four distinct seasons: Winters can be snowy and
cold with bitter winds; summer temperatures can reach as
high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit (with low humidity); and
spring and fall are rainy but pleasant.

An average Turkmen earns between 1 million and 2 million manats a
month, equivalent to about $50 to $100 (U.S.). According to 2005 estimates, there are approximately 4.9
million people in Turkmenistan, the least populated of the
Central Asian republics.

Turkmen are extremely friendly and warm, though they may
appear cold and distant on the surface. Volunteers enjoy both
Turkmen and Russian hospitality and are intrigued by the
different cultures.

Peace Corps Turkmenistan requires that Volunteers live with
host families for the first three months of service to better
understand the cultural context within which they are living
and working. All trainees will learn Turkmen during Pre-Service Training
as it is the dominant language in the country. Some trainees
may find that learning a little Uzbek or Russian will help them
be more successful at their permanent sites.

After almost 10 months... I'm headed to Turkmenistan

Today around 11:30am, I was in the "kate layer" (basement) of the Maffey/Sluis household trying to not be too anxious about my invitation arriving when there was a knock at the door. Ran upstairs, and there was Mr.Fedex himself with a nice package for me.

Long story short, I'm headed to Turkmenistan to teach English as a foreign language from September 29th, 2009- December 11th, 2011. Super pumped. This evening I celebrated by going to get a frosty with Joseph and Kimberly. You know I only have like 2 months of frosty availability so I had to.

Today when I first open the package there was many mixed emotions. Relief, excitement, nervousness. I guess it just got so much more real today and probably will continue to get more real up until departure. I'm sure there are many more thoughts coming...

Oh here is a series of photos that show the events today. Enjoy.












Peace Corps Update
submitted application: September 22nd
conducted interview: October 23rd
nominated for a position: November 10th
submitted medical packet: January 29th
resubmitted dental files: March 4th
dental files processed: March 20th
two specialists give me a clean bill of health: May 26th
final submission of medical packet: June 8th
medical certified to serve any where: July 15th
invitation packet arrived: July 21st

Where in the World Will Kate End Up?

Yesterday, I finally got the go ahead from Peace Corps. After tons of testing, exams, and resubmissions of paper work I am finally certified as healthy to serve any where that the Peace Corps is currently at.

I'm still nominated for teaching English in Eastern Europe. There is a pool going of where will I end up. The deal is if you win I either send you something or bring you something back from that certain country. Don't get too excited because a RPCV friend of mine added the sitpulation if you are correct in your selection you so kindly get to send me a care package of American treats at some point in my service.

Peace Corps is in the following countries: Albania (Sandy), Armenia (_), Azerbaijan (Joseph), Bulgaria (Viviana), Georgia (Perrone), Macedonia (Kevin), Moldova (Kimberly, Benjamin, Joe), Romania (Laurie, Ebony, Amy), Ukraine (Peter), Kazakhstan (Gary), Kyrgyz Republic (Michelle, Ton), and Turkmenistan (Strongarms).

If you would like to get in on this go to the following link, check out the map, channel some good vibes and then comment after this and I'll add you in.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Albania,+Armenia,+Azerbaijan,+Bulgaria,+Macedonia,+Moldova,+Romania,+Ukraine,+Kazakhstan,+Kyrgyz+Republic,+Turkmenistan,+Georgia&ie=UTF8&ll=39.164141,43.154297&spn=33.807525,89.648438&z=4

So hopefully no more than 2 weeks and we will have some winners!!

Peace Corps Update
submitted application: September 22nd
conducted interview: October 23rd
nominated for a position: November 10th
submitted medical packet: January 29th
resubmitted dental files: March 4th
dental files processed: March 20th
two specialists give me a clean bill of health: May 26th
final submission of medical packet: June 8th
medical certified to serve any where: July 15th

Drifting Insignificantly

I’m drifting insignificantly somewhere between college student and Peace Corps volunteer. Still waiting to hear about my placement. Suppose to be in Eastern Europe somewhere teaching English, departing sometime Mid September to Early October.

I’ve taken a fall from well established, comfortable college student to a temporarily unemployed, antsy house guest. I can’t get over the idea that life and skills are giving so people can contribute to society. As much as I try to fill my countless hours with reading, running and merely sitting outside (only in the absence of 3 horrible little creatures aka the neighbor’s three mini yorkies), I cannot fully enjoy my new abundance of free time.

Last summer or two ago, I would be in Africa somewhere at this point. Berwyn is lovely but Uganda and Kenya I might rank a little higher. Wish I was coloring with the kids at Nyumbani or dancing with the girls at Anita especially Lucy. I miss experience the exciting African culture with other college students. The long bus rides, good conversations, and great people. But here I sit. Nothing to exciting going on but I guess I should count it all joy and get over myself.

Guess like songs there are up-tempo and unhurried parts of life. I’m hoping the up-tempo part kicks in soon. Midst all my unorganized thoughts the Beatles “Hello, Goodbye” plays in the background… You say yes, I say no. You say stop and I say go, go, go.

Dying is easy.

For my portfolio for my Leadership, Ethics and Values concentration I had to write my own 'This I believe' statement. It is idea made popular on Nation Public Radio where famous and ordinary people write a 450-550 word statement about what they hold to be very essential to them; a personal statement in a way of their values and ethics through the words of a story, quotes, mini-essay, etc. So this is what I got. This is what at the end of my college career I would say is very close to my core being.

Dying is easy.

“Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something…is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory or recognition. We live for what we believe,” wrote author Don Miller.

One can do something that is fashionable with relative ease. One can surpass the pain of a self-sacrificing play in a championship game bringing glory to themself and their team in the name of victory. One can prepare and study their entire college career in order to be recognized as summa cum laude on graduation day.

Traveling abroad I have met individuals who go beyond those boundaries to live for people. Living for the people who are undesired, disowned and for the most part forgotten. I am moved by these people’s willingness to care when it is not the popular, easy nor necessarily the action called for. I am moved by people who share their love and serve others despite the void of glory and personal recognition.

In my limited twenty-two years, I have witnessed different situations of poverty, sickness and suffering. Many of these circumstances have been abroad on service trips to different countries in Africa. Returning after my first summer abroad, I found myself getting frustrated with being at home and not being with the Africans I had gotten to know, serve, and love. I had many tearful conversations with my best friend dealing with the frustrations of feeling idle and having the passion to serve without the outlet in which to do so.

My enthusiasm for serving people in Africa was obstructing the larger picture. I do not have to be half way around the world in a foreign environment to achieve serving someone with compassion and care. It is not always a huge act or exotic destination that makes certain people great volunteers or humanitarians.

Mother Teresa once said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” I believe that statement encompasses my passion and effort that I want to show throughout my life. Not to be fashionable, achieve glory, or recognition. Just for the mere purpose that I believe there are no boundaries that can separate me from any other person on this planet. We are one people. If one of us is poor, sick, or suffering than I am also poor, sick, and suffering. I believe living for others is the only way to live. Regardless of status, wealth, or location I have something that can aid another person. We all possess the ability to ease the suffering by continual small acts of living for others and this I believe I pray to never lose sight off.

Peace Corps Update
submitted application: September 22nd
conducted interview: October 23rd
nominated for a position: November 10th
submitted medical packet: January 29th
resubmitted dental files: March 4th
dental files processed: March 20th
two specialists give me a clean bill of health: May 26th
final submission of medical packet: June 8th

god teaching me patience: ever day til I get my assignment
waiting at my mailbox...

Open With Happy

happiness damn near destroys you
breaks your faith to pieces on the floor
so you tell yourself, that’s probably enough for now
happiness has a violent roar
look for it, but you’ll never find it all
but let it go, live your life and leave it
then one day, wake up and she’ll be home
(happiness- the fray)


To Ket open with happy (outside of note)
Dear Ket,
I hope Ket that you not forget me and all anita's home. I wish you luck with your trip. I promise that I study hard so that I go to stay with you there to stay. I love you Ket. I wish you when you go to America greet your family and your friends. God bless you so much.
Tresia

Enough?

This past week I have been helping out at Nyumbani. They care for many, many HIV/AIDS children from ages of not even 2 to 22. It is an amazing program. The first day I went was last Saturday to color with the children and play. This week I have gone to help out in the kitchen which consists of sorting beans, rice, and other vegetables in preparation for cooking.

Sitting looking diligently at large amounts of rice isn’t anything glamorous or exhausting yet it is something that is needed. “I’m volunteering at an orphanage in Africa.” That statement seems packed with so much compassion and adventure. This experience and the past experiences here in Kenya have been quite humbling. Not that I saw myself as anything close to a perfect moral being but I had the idea that I did enough.

Sister Mary who is the head of the orphanage has worked at Nyumbani since 1969. In the early days without HIV drugs 3 to 4 children would pass away a week yet she persistently loved every child like they were going to live to 100 years old. How does someone open their heart to loving a child who is most likely not going to make it? Momma Christine’s caring heart keeps her at Nyumbani away from her own children for 4 day shifts at a time. How does someone care for an orphanage as equally as they do their own child? Sister Julie, an American from Philly, has moved to Kenya and loved these children for the past 5 years. How easy would it be to give up a comfortable American life for an African one?

This women and men give so much of their time, work, attention and love to these children who to many are the most undesirable of all the children in Africa. Anne, Nicholas, Canary, Anthony, Edel, Winnie and all the others were the children who were abandoned by their own families. Yet, walk around Nyumbani for a few minutes and you would soon forget that they were once not loved or cared for. When I look at their faces I don’t see any illness; all I see is a happy loved child.

Coloring books, some clothes, a few random other items and a little of my time was all I had to give them. After the goodbyes, the walk down the drive and a long wait for a matatu, I realized I’m not doing enough.