On becoming expert at hurrying up to wait...

I went to Michigan last weekend for several reasons:

1) to visit family,
2) to visit U Mich's Ford School and speak with a Graduate Advisor, and
3) to be away from California.

The experience was a mix of wonderful and what may be considered quite frustrating to many...

My delayed flight arrived Friday morning at 1:00am to find no hotel shuttle. I'd tried calling the Rodeway Inn (fancy establishment) all day (aside from when I was flying) to let them know I'd be a late arrival and to not give up my room, knowing that of course, everyone else in the world would be trying to take it, but got a busy signal every time. I was forced to just wing it and see what happened when I got there. Now the cabbies at Detroit Metropolitan Airport charge $22 to take you ONE mile to the hotel strip, so a luxury car driver offered to charge the same (it was very nice).

Come to find out, the power was out along the entire strip of hotels near the airport, and had been since about 4:30pm that afternoon (which would explain the busy phone lines and no shuttles running, since the gas station across the street had no power, either). Well, lucky for me I had my confirmation printed out and was still able to have a bed to sleep in. The hotel employee showed me to my room and gave me a candle, with a goodnight message of, "I don't know how you'll manage, ma'am." I told him, "I'll figure it out, thank you and goodnight." I put my lone 12" candle in a plastic cup and surrounded it with a washcloth to keep it standing, washed my face with the unheated running water, blew out the candle and went to bed.

Four hours later, I awoke to find the power still out, the shower quite cold, and my way back to the airport to pick up my rental car. Since the shuttle was not running, still, they were nice enough to give me a ride back in their personal car, and wouldn't take a tip. So, with a pleasant greeting and bottle of water from the nice folks at Enterprise, off to Ann Arbor I went.

Now, I was rather surprised by how beautiful I found Michigan to be. There was NO TRAFFIC, trees everywhere, and the whole place was just green. The people were nice and I found my way into Ann Arbor, no problem. Following my handy-dandy campus map, I made my way over to the Ford School of Public Policy and got to sit and wait a little longer. The Advisor I was scheduled to meet with was caught up in a seminar and would be a little late. The nice Registrar lady took me in to answer any burning questions I may have had, the front-desk man took me on a tour of the building, and I happily sat and read my book until Scott (the advisor) arrived an hour later.

Well, the visit was nothing short of a success. I am excited, confident, and motivated to take that next step, two years from now. WOO HOO! Also, a bit of symbolic reassurance: I walked toward the student Union to get a bite to eat before heading to Grand Rapids to visit my family and saw right outside the door a plaque that said that was the very spot JFK announced the conception of the Peace Corps in 1960, before it was officially signed into action in 1961. As I stood there taking a picture with my Peace Corps bag on arm, a nice group of people walked up to acknowledge the plaque, and then my bag, and asked how I was affiliated - I got to share with them my excitement about going to Guatemala and all just seemed right at that moment in time.

Ahh, sweet opportunity.

Oh, the drive to Grand Rapids was just beautiful, easy, and pleasant, and into my family's arms I ran. My cousin Peter, also born on April 7th, though some years ahead of me, has the most beautiful family. He married a gorgeous and sweet, sweet wife, Sherri, and now has three perfect kids; Tristan (13), Taylor (11), and Turner (7). I had the best time, and am so happy to have had the opportunity to get to know all of them just a little bit better. We spent lots of time outside at baseball games and Grand Haven beach, and playing games and drinking mojitos and just enjoying the splendor of fabulous family. OH! I saw my first fireflies!!! It was an exciting moment, for sure.

Well, as pleasant as the weekend was, my patience and acceptance were truly tried on Monday, as I made my way back to Sacramento. Let's just say visiting 5 different states in one day isn't the most pleasant adventure, and then dealing with lost luggage at the end of all of it (all of it = taking off finally, two hours late at 3:40pm EDT and landing at 10:30pm PDT) truly iced the cake. But, I must say, the whole adventure was just a sweet reminder of all the upheaval and emotional rollercoasters I will be experiencing in the two years to come. I handled myself rather well, and didn't even get irritated until the last moment, when they insisted I wait for all the luggage of all the recently-landed flights to go around the carousels before letting me file a report saying I needed them to call me the next day when my luggage finally arrives (which I knew would be the case, so the extra waiting at the end of an especially long day was just unnecessary cruelty).

But I'm only stronger because of it, right? And the weekend in Michigan was well worth the trouble.

All will be as it will be and I will learn to live through it, acceptingly. :)

Es tan bueno saber que...

It's so good to know that I'm doing what I want.

It's so good to know that I don't know what I'm doing.

It's so good to know that whatever I do, it will be good.

It's so good to know that my life will evolve from doing this unknown good.

It's so good to know that, even if what I do doesn't seem good now, the future has been changed because of the good I'm doing.

It's so good to know that I love what I'm getting myself into.

It's so good to know that life cannot be mapped out.

It's so good to know that living an unmapped life usually brings you what you want, even when you don't know you want it.

It's so good to know that the world is my Oyster - even if what appears to be happening isn't what I'd mapped out.

Es tan bueno saber que todo es como debe ser, siempre.


Peace Corps parties are fun. Everyone's excited, even if they have yet to apply. Returned volunteers are excited to share with you their experiences and advice, applicants and nominees are excited to hear what they'll be going through for the next year+, invitees are excited they'll be leaving SOON...

I was told I looked like a bride on her wedding day. If any of you don't know what that looks like, imagine someone glowing with love for the way things are and will be (at least in their minds at the time, anyway). ;-)

I don't really know what I'll be doing - my Project Description has laid out a very detailed outline of what my project may entail, but, if I learned anything more concretely from this evening, it's that nothing is concrete. I'm 100% OKAY with that, and look forward for the challenge of making something out of nothing, even if that something is nothing tangible. Relationships will be built, perspectives and tolerance gained, respect learned, and lives changed. What more could I hope for?

"¡Felicidades, Amanda! ¡Mucha suerte en Guatemala! =)"

As I sit here reading aloud my hundreds of pages required of me before I call to confirm that YES, I WANT TO SERVE, I make my mom (and myself) tear up at the fact that I will be experiencing unimaginable familiarity in a place as yet so unfamiliar to me.

I will be in Guatemala for two years and three months, starting August 12th, 2009, and will be leaving August 10th for my pre-service orientation.

I will be a Marketing Facilitator for Sustainable Agriculture, helping to promote sustainable and rewarding business practices and fortification/diversification of clientele for local growers (from what I can gather at this point in my reading).

I will be learning the lives and hearts of people so foreign from what I know or understand at this time in my life, and I cannot wait. I cannot wait for how much larger my heart will become, for how much I will learn and how much I will be giving each day. I cannot wait for the upcoming fostered ability to release all things unimportant and trivial from my daily dose of mind-madness.

I anxiously and fearfully await the challenge I face, and am fully prepared to tackle it head on. The Land of Eternal Spring will be my new home SO SOON!

More to come, love to you.

"Las olas dicen a la costa firme: 'Todo será cumplido.'"
- Neruda

Well, hello!

First, abovewavesofelectricwires = the state of being I try to reside in, put so beautifully into words by Dispatch. Give 'em a listen.

Now, where am I going, you ask? And when? Well, I do not know.

In January, 2008, I submitted the application. Delays and yadayada put me through the entire process in just over a year, finally receiving my medical clearance on April 9th, 2009 (two days after my birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!). What an adventure that was. :/

I was originally nominated for Municipal Development in Latin America, departing late June, but was told on April 29th that I'd actually be going to Africa, early August.

I wanted to go to Latin America because I speak a lil espanjol, and because for some reason, the culture has always intrigued me - studied a lot of Latin American culture at good ol' yookla. Then there's that little bit of ANCIENT CIVILIZATION and the mysticism/perfection behind it that was a small draw, and the rain forest, and the equatorial/tropical climate (if I were assigned my dream spot, Peru/Ecuador)... and all the amazingness one could imagine (if one were me).

But Africa? Hmm... Africa. AFRICA. Doesn't it sound grand? Who wouldn't want to know what it was like to live in Africa? It helped when she (my Placement Officer) told me that the undisclosed country I'd be going to was a highly desirable assignment, and that the country and people were just THE honest beauty of the world. A world of excitement had just been thrust upon me, which took every last ounce of hunger right from my stomach. It was finally happening! I was going to AFRICA! Crazy/incredible/exciting/scary/OMG. My invitation is coming in 10 days, and that's it! Just a few months more and I'll be helping plan and implement water sanitation projects, marketing them to the community and getting them more involved, and helping with HIV education and prevention. What a difference I will make, in their lives and mine. I would've never dreamed anything so great.

Alas, it was too good to be true. The next morning, my first email said, "I'm sorry, Africa is no longer an option." GASP! What?! What does this mean? No appetite. Again. To add insult to injury, my gal in Washington (she's really very nice and helpful) is going to be out of the office until the end of May, at which time she'll be able to look at my paperwork again to try to fit me in Latin America, again.

*Try running a half marathon after all that emotional turmoil - no, really, don't try; it's awful.*

So I have some more forms to fill out, and you can bet they'll be the most consice representation of my "skill set" possible.

So, what do I gain? What do I have available to me to bring me out of my fear of never being able to go?

I suppose it helps to return to point. I want to help people. And, I just will have to trust that I'm going to be where I'm ultimately supposed to be at the time I'm supposed to be there. The world is not against me, and I have too much I'm just itching to give, for it to not work out.

In my time of waiting... and waiting and waiting... you all have been so great to encourage me and be excited with me. THANK YOU. I love you all.