Christmas Cheer

Snowy Queens neighborhood

The end of the holiday season comes with mixed emotions, as this is quite possibly the last Christmas that I'll experience at home in the United States until 2016. I do hope to be able to return for a visit at least once during my Peace Corps service, but there are no guarantees, and I prefer to prepare myself for a scenario in which I will not step foot on U.S. soil again until after my service is completed. Knowing that I won't have a traditional Christmas experience for the next few years really made me appreciate this year's festivities more than ever. 

Additionally, I made a promise to myself at the beginning of 2013 to lessen my negative impact on the world as much as possible and to be more cognizant of the effects of each of my choices. I'll talk more about this in an upcoming post marking the end of 2013, but I think people who know me well are already aware of the changes I've made - others may only see this manifested in my food choices. I often in the past was far too concerned about the materialistic aspects of Christmas, but I can say with certainty that knowing that everything you'll need for the next two years has to fit into one or two suitcases will quickly put your dependence on material items into perspective. This year I simply wanted to spend as much quality time as possible with my family and friends soaking up the true Christmas spirit. 

NYC Christmas trees
with Giovanna

After finishing work at the National Endowment for Democracy on December 6, I spent four days in New York City with one of my closest friends, Giovanna. New York is one of my favorite cities in the world of course, and it's at its most magical when it's decked out in shimmering green and red lights and "Jingle Bells" can be heard on every corner. I left New York in the midst of a snowstorm bound for sunny SoCal. It was amazing to experience Los Angeles at this time year with one of my other closest friends, Matt. Although palm trees disguised as candy canes were fascinating, I appreciate more than ever spending Christmastime in Pennsylvania, despite the freezing temperatures and being stranded inside by endless snowfall. To continue my mini USA tour, we spent three days in Las Vegas. Sin City does Christmas, like everything else, big! 

I said Venice...I mean, Vegas...
does Christmas big!

I did say that the end of the season comes with mixed emotions though. Everything was perfect, and memories of the past few weeks will undoubtedly continue to give me cheer over the next few years, but I'm also overwhelmed with sadness when I let myself think of moments that I will miss. I'm trying to focus on the present rather than worry about the future, and I still have two weeks to take advantage of before my journey begins. The next two weeks will be centered on packing and preparing. My sister already left yesterday, so the fun times with the whole family have come to an end, sparking this post. 

To end on an extremely positive note, I'd like to share a few of my favorite and most memorable Christmas moments: 

• Passing under the giant wreaths on Union Station as I said farewell to my second home 
• Walking aimlessly in the snow through the Union Square Christmas Market with Giovanna and finding her cornicello necklace
• Finding out that Mexicans are much more efficient at selling Christmas trees than Canadians
• Watching Mexican jumping beans with Matt
• Seeing a neighbor's face light up at the sight of freshly baked gluten-free cookies!
• Playing hide-and-seek in our tiny living room with my nieces and nephew 
• Asking Leanne if she'd like a piece of chocolate!
• Laughing - so much 
• And the best of all, dancing with my sister like crazy people at 10:00 a.m. while getting yelled at by our mom for being so stupid

Souqs and Spice...and everything nice

It has been almost a year since I first posted on Souqs and Spice, which was at that time just a plain blog intended for me to jot down notes during my application process. During the course of the year, I posted intermittently and updated the look of the blog. After finding out that I would be posted to Morocco, I thought long and hard about a title for the blog that would adequately capture my intentions for sharing my experiences with a public audience. "Souqs and Spice" seemed to come naturally, as these two words have deep meaning both for my life and Moroccan culture.

I imagine many of you are wondering first of all what in the world is a souq?! Souqs are traditional open-air commercial bazaars in Morocco and North Africa. They represent the center of public life, providing a place for social interactions, economic exchanges, and entertainment. In order to become a successful volunteer, I will need to integrate myself into the public life of my adopted community. Literally, I will need to be present in the souq to meet potential partners and friends. More figuratively, I need to maintain a souq mentality to avoid holing up in my living quarters to avoid embarrassment or uncertainty. Additionally, having an Arabic word as part of the title of this blog emphasizes the importance of successfully strengthening my language skills and communication abilities to effectively work with my local community.

Spice on the other hand may seem to be more self-explanatory. We all have seen photos of the gorgeous earth-toned cones of spices rising from golden pots in the souqs to be purchased and used generously in Moroccan dishes. I also will be spicing up or at least providing new tastes to my community by maintaining a vegan lifestyle in a cuisine that, like American cuisine, overemphasizes the use of animal-based products. However, I also intended the convey with this word choice that my life in general will be far from bland, and I will literally be like a spice being tossed onto my community. That addition may burn a little at first, but it will end up adding flavor and variation to the dish.

During the next two years, you can expect to read about my quotidian life experiences serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. I plan to detail my training, living situations, and experiences working in a dar chabab -- a government-sponsored public youth center. I hope to also explore my perceptions and share my honest opinions and emotions on topics including Moroccan and American culture, Islam and Christianity, sexual orientation, gender roles, international affairs, veganism, health, and environmentalism. The tenth core expectation of Peace Corps volunteers is to "represent responsibly the people, cultures, values, and traditions of your host country and community to people in the United States both during and following your service." I intend for this blog to do just that, so if these issues are of interest to you, I hope you'll subscribe and follow my journey for the next two years!

Homes sweet homes

Yesterday I came home for the last time before Morocco. Unfortunately, I'm going to be reliving that feeling a number of times in the next few weeks. They say home is where the heart is, and my heart is with the people who mean the most to me. Since these people are scattered around the globe, I'm lucky to have many places where I truly can say I'm at home. This week I'm saying goodbye to DC and innumerable friends, next week I'll say goodbye to New York, the following week to Los Angeles, and next month to Pittsburgh.

The most drastic of these farewells feels like it will be this week with DC. The city has shaped me more than any since my childhood hometown. I arrived with no plan almost five years ago, yet I've managed to build true friendships, a meaningful career, and a new outlook on life. The weekend before last, my friends threw the most amazing party to bid me farewell. At the end of the night when I looked around and saw all of the most special people from the past few years together in one spot, I was overcome by an intense feeling of both sadness that I will be leaving it behind and happiness that so many wonderful people have come into my life and have crossed paths with each other.

Although the thought of not being able to take a relaxing run around the Capitol building and watch the sun set over the Potomac brings tear to my eyes, I am fully confident that in two years I will have found a new home in Morocco.

Bravo! Come on! C'est beau! Let's go!

I had no idea how much I would need those words by mile 22. After training for months for the Montreal Marathon, I thought it would be such a breeze, but as the hours passed by on Sunday morning, I realized that I was undertaking the most intense physical and mental endurance test of my life.

Three hours, fifty minutes, and fifty-three seconds (3:50:53.57) after the fifth corral was released from the south end of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, I crossed the finish line in La Fontaine Park. What a rush of adrenaline! I am so proud of myself that I completed this huge goal that I set for myself months ago. I knew when signing up for my half-marathon in November 2012 that I'd like to eventually complete a marathon, so immediately after I finished that intermediate goal in May 2013, I started searching for a race that would be meaningful and keep my motivation high during the summer months. I decided on the Montreal Marathon on September 22, 2013. I fell in love with the city last year during my first visit, and I knew that doing my first marathon there would be very fulfilling, as I'd get to see my good friend, Max, and tour more of the city.

Preparing for the race was the most grueling task of my life, apart from the actual race. Months of sore muscles, early morning runs, missed social gatherings and hours and hours staring at the wall in the gym culminated in a nerve-filled train ride from Washington to Montreal the day before the race. I was so worried all week about the weather, with menacing news reports predicting a low of 39 and a 90% chance of rain on race day. Immediately after arriving in Montreal, the skies darkened, and it began to pour, continuing all night. I slept well and woke up early in the morning to see extremely overcast skies, but it wasn't raining, and the temperature hovered at a pleasant 54 degrees. I decided to go only in a t-shirt and shorts, and I brought an umbrella in case of rain before the start. I had to walk a few blocks to the metro and then take the metro to the station closest to the start line. I was in corral 5 of 24, so I had to walk the whole way across the bridge, about a mile, to start.

After soaking in the pre-race emotions surround me, the moment finally arrived, and I began to soak in the cool Canadian precipitation. By kilometer 2 my right foot was soaked, and the left foot was even wetter by kilometer 4, despite the pack trying to jump over huge puddles. It stopped raining at mile 8, and I dried off mostly, except my feet, which were completely wet throughout.

The first half of the race was without a doubt much more stimulating as far as scenery and crowds go. I pushed myself probably a little too hard through the rain and went runner and finished the the half with a personal record of 1:41. All of a sudden at mile 16 it was like I was carrying bricks on the back of my calves, and my hips started getting sore. The worst part of the race was miles 20-23 and the last mile. I slowed down considerably at the end but never let myself walk at all. I didn't meet my somewhat unrealistic goal of 3:30, but I had told myself I'd be happy with myself as long as I do under 4 hours, so I'll just have to do better next time.

Well, if there is a next time! ;) ...and knowing myself, I imagine there will be.

Medically cleared!

After what feels like forever (36 days to be exact), I received my final medical clearance first thing this morning - what a relief! This is essentially the last hurdle to jump before one is guaranteed a spot in the Peace Corps group to which he has been invited. I will begin my Pre-Service Training on January 13 and leave for Morocco on January 15 if all goes well. In the past, groups destined for Morocco have done the United States portion of PST in Philadelphia before flying out of JFK directly to Casablanca.

So glad to be able to really breathe a sigh of relief and focus on learning more about my soon to be host country!

Salaam alaikum!

Salaam alaikum! So, I just finished my first Arabic class. I can say that I'm beginning this literary journey literally from zero! I had no idea how to even respond to hello when I entered the class. As I sat there struggling to write the basic 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet, I had the scary (but awesome) realization that by this time next year, I will hopefully be able to speak this language well enough to teach Moroccan youth in a variety of subjects. I'll continue to include updates on my language training in this, as I think readers may be interested in my progression.

Oh, so, you may ask why I'd be speaking in Arabic and teaching Moroccan youth in Latin America? Well, here's the surprise that you've all been waiting for (well, really none of you, because you'll already know by the time you may read these first entries!)...

I'm going to Morocco! Yes, Morocco! No more Spanish speaking in my immediate future. I need to focus on learning Arabic and immersing myself in Islamic culture, as I'll be in a completely foreign land in less than four months.

My first thought when I opened my invitation email was that it had to be a mistake. I was seriously so taken aback that I didn't even read when I'd be leaving or anything else...I immediately opened the Peace Corps page on Morocco to see the basic facts, such as how long volunteers have been there and how many are there. The rest of that day I was gulping down every basic fact about Morocco that I could find. Since then, I've been reading blogs of current and former volunteers to find out what life is like for Americans in the Maghreb. I'm extremely excited about this turn of events, and I think it will be even more of a great experience to explore a completely new part of the world and an entirely new people and way of thinking.

Ma salaama.

Not another needle...

Thank God I don't have a fear of needles, and I hope if you're reading this while in the process of obtaining medical clearance for Peace Corps that you don't either! Despite reading dozens of blogs about the Peace Corps application process, I've found few accurate and detailed accounts of timelines, especially regarding the medical procedures. I hope to explain the process from start to finish for future applicants. I'll separate it into dental and other other medical exams.

Dental:

First of all, I knew from former PC volunteers that Peace Corps will inquire about wisdom teeth, which I've never had extracted. I was scheduled to visit my dentist for my regular biannual dental cleaning in January 2013, so I told my dentist that I was applying and would prefer to have my wisdom teeth out as soon as possible if need be. I only have two wisdom teeth oddly enough, and I insisted that I prefer to keep them if its not urgent for me to remove them. My dentist seemed to think that I should have them removed, but he referred me to an oral surgeon. In February 2013 I visited the oral surgeon, who was also on the fence about removing the wisdom teeth. Apparently there is a nerve close to one of them, and removal could affect it. After a few minutes of back and forth, he signed off on allowing me to keep my hidden white pearls. 

Six months later, I went back to the dentist in July 2013 for my cleaning and told him I was tentatively scheduled to leave for service in January 2014 and asked if there is anything I should do before then while I have insurance. He said that since I'll be away for so long, I should get all of my old silver fillings from candy-eating middle schools replaced with new white resin fillings. Luckily, I received my invitation and necessary documentation two weeks before I was scheduled to get my fillings replaced. I called the office to let them know that I would be bringing my documentation. (They had told me to let them know, as it takes about an hour for them to fill it all out. I also let them know the exact x-rays that I needed.) When I arrived to get my fillings done, they pulled by four biteway x-rays, which met Peace Corps' time requirements. However, my full 360 degree panoramic x-ray was just over two years old, which is the limit for Peace Corps. My dentist did a really nice thing and told me that even though my insurance wouldn't cover it, he would give me the $80 x-ray for only $40 because I was doing a respectable public service. After finishing up with the unpleasant fillings (and four shots of Novocaine!), I went to pay, and the office decided to give me the entire x-ray for free! What a pleasant surprise after so many bills. Many thanks to Dr. John Tsaknis at Dental Bug in DC!

Other Medical Documentation:

During the initial Peace Corps application, you must fill out a Health History Form (HHF), which details any health issues (allergies, surgeries, medications,etc.) that you've had in your life. Once you receive your invitation, you will get the HHF back, and it will be one thing your doctor must sign off on saying that it is true and nothing has changed in the past few months since you applied. The most important and longest form is the physical exam form. The doctor will do a full exam and fill out many questions about your overall health. The full list of lab tests that must be run is listed in the form. I went in to the doctor's office as soon as I got my invitation to get my lab tests taken and scheduled the full physical exam for the following week once the lab results came in. One of the tests for the physical is a shot to prove you don't have Tuberculosis (TB). It must be read negative two days later. Since I went on Friday to get my blood drawn for lab tests, I had to get the TB shot on the following Wednesday during my physical exam, which required a third visit to the office two days later (Friday) to prove the negative reading. 

Additionally, you must provide proof of immunity to Polio, Varicella (chicken pox), Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR), and Tetanus and Diptheria (Tdap). I had to call a bunch of pharmacies, and only one Walgreens in DC (Foggy Bottom) had the Polio and Tdap vaccines ($130 together). I had my mom get my childhood doctor to copy a paper proving that I had two MMR shots in my childhood. The office said they could test for Varicella antibodies along with my lab tests. However, when I got my final lab test results on my third visit, they realized the lab hadn't tested for Varicella, so I had to give more blood. I then realized that there is another place on the HHF that the doctor must sign, so I had to go back for a fourth visit to get this signature and pick up the Varicella lab results. I submitted all of my medical forms, and much to my chagrin, despite reviewing everything, a PC nurse was in touch with my saying that Hepatitis C hadn't been included in my lab results, even though the doctor's assistant checked it as having been ordered by the lab. Hello, fifth visit to the office to give more blood for the Hep C antibody test.

Lesson: don't forget to look over all papers like 10 times before you walk out of the doctor's office. Luckily my doctor's office is big and has a relatively flexible schedule, so I could always go in that same day if needed. 

I hope this is useful for someone out there who wonders what the whole process is like. It took me about a month to get everything done after my invitation, and I would say that I was extremely organized and timely with my requests.

And in case you lost count, all in all...10 needles that I can count. ;p

Surprise!!!

Again it has been three months since I last posted, because there have been very few updates. In mid-May I had been told that I should receive my invitation by the end of June, but that month came and went with not a word from Peace Corps. I wrote to them on July 1 of course and received somewhat of a crushing response. My provisional departure date had been moved back from September 2013 to January 2013 because the original program I was allotted a space in had been filled. I was told that I should receive my invitation in September. More waiting...

On August 7, I got an email from my placement officer introducing herself and saying that the Peace Corps is considering placing me in a group that would leave sometime between January and June 2014. I cringed at the thought of even having to wait until June 2014. I filled out the short paperwork needed confirming that my legal, medical, and financial situations had not changed since my applications and affirmed that I am willing to serve wherever the Peace Corps decides to assign me.

Wherever...right? Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, yeah, wherever! Well, SURPRISE!!!

To be continued...

Waiting game...

It has been three months since I last wrote here, but I still really have no update! This has been a much more stressful waiting game than I ever imagined. Lots of people told me that there would be a lot of waiting in between hearing from the Peace Corps, but the time goes so much more slowly when so many variables in your life are waiting on receiving a letter in the mail! As my tentative departure month (September) is now four months away, I couldn't wait any longer. I wrote to my interviewer today, as I haven't yet heard from a placement specialist, to ask if there is any update on my status. I'll keep you updated!

One update regarding my medical status is that after going to the oral surgeon in February, I was informed that I do not actually need to remove my wisdom teeth. Hopefully my dentist will just sign off on that when I return for my dental check-up in a few months.

Legally cleared!

It appears that another small hurdle in the application process has been completed. I just found out that I have been legally cleared. This means that my next task will be getting medical clearance.

After receiving my nomination at my interview on January 24, I anxiously waited a week until I received my legal packet on January 31. I immediately filled out the information card for the FBI background check. I wanted to keep the process moving, so I snuck out of the office the next day, February 1, to get my fingerprints taken at a fingerprinting/notary public office a block away from the White House. It was a quick, funny $25 experience, as I had never had my fingerprints taken other than in elementary school for the police to have on record in case they needed to put my face on a milk carton. I immediately FedExed the completed legal documents back to Peace Corps. (Oddly, I found out that for a FedEx package to go 10 blocks in downtown DC, it has to go overnight to the FedEx sorting plant in Memphis!)

I just checked on the Peace Corps portal this evening and saw that my status had been updated on February 11 that I was legally cleared! Now I have to wait patiently for my medical package to arrive. I already have my wisdom teeth extraction consultation scheduled for February 19 and the surgery for February 28.

Interview...check!

Wow, so the past 3 weeks have gone really quickly, and I feel as though I've made a good deal of progress on my Peace Corps application in a pretty short amount of time. After I was contacted on January 4 to get my recommendations in, I immediately reached out to my listed recommenders to make sure they were still able to complete the recommendations. Two recommendations (peer and work supervisor) were submitted the same day. My volunteer supervisor was out of the country, but he was able to complete the recommendation form a week later on January 11. As soon as he did so, I wrote to Peace Corps assessment specialist to let him know that everything had been submitted. I was informed that same day that I was being passed on to a recruiter for the next step -- the interview. My recruiter contacted me on January 16 to suggest some interviews dates and times, and we decided on January 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Peace Corps headquarters in DC.

I read a number of blogs and advice pages on what to expect at the interview. The questions on the Peace Corps Wiki (http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Interview_Questions) were essentially verbatim examples of what I was asked by my recruiter. The interview was a very comfortable experience, as I had prepared to some extent answers to each questions so I wouldn't be taken aback by anything. My recruiter was very friendly and open about her experience with Peace Corps as well, so I was able to hold a real dialogue with her rather than just rattle off some questions. At the end of the interview, she said that she was going to formally nominate me, and I got an email about two hours later saying that I had been nominated to move forward in the process and that my tentative assignment is education in a Spanish speaking country leaving in September 2013! That is exactly when I would like to leave, so my fingers are crossed that everything will work out well!

Here we go!

I can already tell that this application process is going to be a major part of my life for the next few months! I got my first email from Peace Corps staff this morning saying that I had passed the initial screening and would soon be contacted about transcripts (done!), financial obligations (free as a bird!), and recommendations. I heard within my minutes from my recommenders that they had received the recommendation forms. By the end of the day, two had been completed, but unfortunately, my third recommender is out of the country for more than a week, so I'm not sure when all of my recommendations will be complete. I'm really going to be diligent about trying to speed along the process as much as possible by helping out those who are helping me. Hopefully I'll be able to update next week that all of my recommendations have been completed and that  I've spoken with the Assessment Specialist.

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I'm launching this blog to start documenting my Peace Corps application process, mostly for myself at first, since I won't know for a few months whether I'm officially going to be a Peace Corps volunteer. I'm starting off the year productively, and I've finished my initial online application and submitted it this morning.

At this point, I'm prepared for a few months of doctor visits, forms, interviews, and waiting a lot! Just got nervous reading another Peace Corps volunteer's application timeline because of how long it took her (and realized that I may have to get my wisdom teeth removed!). I don't anticipate having any medical complications, which are what typically delay the final invitation to become a Peace Corps volunteer.

I'll be updating this blog regularly throughout my application process, and hopefully by this summer I'll have actually interesting updates that people will want to read!