seventy degrees

I am currently sitting in an air conditioned living room in Miami Beach, Florida and as much as I love my flip flops and seeing my lovely sister and her boyfriend, walking around in humidity filled heat in the middle of winter is odd. This little trip has reminded me just how stoked I am about being placed in a country that goes through all four seasons, especially winter. I've heard that Reno doesn't experience "real" cold and that my tune will most likely change after being under a never ceasing grey sky and surrounded by walls of dirty snow for months, but, as I walk through crowds of scantily clad swimmers traipsing through a tropical paradise, I feel distinctly out of step with normality and crave my mittens and scarf.

My mom and I will be driving back to Reno from Miami Beach soon. It's a heckuva long drive, but I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. I've never driven across the country and it seems like a pretty decent way to say fair well to the good ol' US for a couple of years.

The Spoon is Mightier than the Eraser.

Something I've discovered recently: in Bulgaria, nodding your head up and down means "no" and shaking your head left to right means "yes". Try it. Think "yes, that is correct" and shake your head side to side. Now think "no, that's not right" and nod. Feels a bit weird, eh? Well, it does to me. So not only do you get the spoken language barrier, but the body language barrier, as well, making life in a new culture that much easier. No, I won't be in Bulgaria, but it's right next door. It's those little things that I never think about, like nodding in agreement with someone when they're talking, that'll make the cross cultural experience so interesting and challenging. I'm curious to see what Romanians do that's totally different from Americans. Maybe they wave with their foot instead of their hand. Maybe they smile when they're angry and frown when happy. Who knows. If there's a country out there where nodding means "no", I'm preparing myself for anything. You want me to eat with the knife and cut with the spoon? Ok, I'm down!

This is my last week of work. Then it's off to Florida for a few days of family time and winter sunshine, followed by a month of preparing, packing, and panicking, and then it's go time. Oh yes.

Dates

With my departure being two months away, dates have taken on new meaning. Each date I hear or see is added to either the "still here" or the "gone" list. For instance, I bought groceries today and the juice I tossed in the cart had an expiry date of February 20th, instantaneously adding it to the "gone" list. Although I'll probably finish it before then, I will no longer be in Reno when that juice has officially passed its prime. I also got my car's oil changed and the new sticker they attached to the windshield says the car is due for its next service on March 8th. Not only will I no longer be here, but I will no longer own the car. It's a bit of an odd feeling, taking in all these dates that are being handed to me as if my life in three, four, five months will be just as it is now and knowing it will be anything but.

A Direction

All right. I now know the purpose of this blog. It will be a means to record and remember my Peace Corps experience that's available to friends, family, and anyone else who feels like reading about it. As I am not leaving until mid-February, I'm not sure how exciting this will be until then.

Here's what I know so far:

I'll be departing on February 19th for three days of training in a major US city (I'm hoping for DC because I've never been there), known as the "staging" event, which I've heard is a flurry of paperwork and information. After the staging event, my fellow trainees and I will fly to Ploiesti (about 30 miles north of Bucharest), Romania for three months of in-country training, known as pre-service training (PST). PST includes language, culture, individual program, and safety training and during that time, the Peace Corps Romania staff will determine which town and specific program each trainee is best suited for. I already know that I'll be working as an Environmental Youth Adviser, focusing on helping to increase awareness on environmental issues in the community, especially the youth. When the PST is over, each trainee will be delivered to their new community to hopefully integrate, make some great friends, help out in any way possible, and fulfill 2 years of service.

I am as excited as I am nervous. The Reno area has been home for nearly my entire life and I feel a protective attachment to this big-little city, but it is high time for something new. My little beacon of neon and 24 hour diners will always be here. Besides, every single person I've talked to who's served as a Peace Corps volunteer says it's the best thing they've done in their life and that they come back as a different, stronger person. I hope I can say the same in three years.

I've been in the process of applying and waiting for nearly a year now and I've come to know a little bit about the Peace Corps, so if any reader has a question, please please feel free to leave a comment and I'll try to answer. I didn't think I'd do the whole Peace Corps blog thing, but it's become clear that people are curious about it, and I'm all for spreading information. So ask/comment away. Even if you think the Peace Corps stinks, I'd like to hear from you, as long as you're respectful about it.

Guess that's it for now.