27monthswithoutbaseball

A quick word about sites...we find out tonight, now the rumor is. That's one of the issues. Rumors - speculation - wondering. Nobody knows anything. It was fun thinking about it for a while, but at this point I find it an energy drain. Are the men going to the cities because of harassment issues? Are people with certain art backgrounds going to work with specific artisans? How many desert sites are there? I realized as the Training Coordinator came for my interview last week (when I was really feverish...not that it mattered, probably) that I have never interviewed for a job knowing less - where it would be, who I would be working with, the specifics of the job (if it's with a cooperative, what stage it is at - just starting or well-established?) - really, how do you position yourself in that kind of situation? As someone said to me - that's because you're a volunteer. I do think I will be happy wherever I go, because it's not where you are, it's who you are. I think there are good points and bad points to everything. But we'll see. There is a small minority of us who are not really looking forward to the announcement - everyone else seems unable to stop talking about it - waiting to open the presents on Christmas.
I am just back from a mock language test, to find out where I stand before the real language test at the end of training. Today we also had written tests on technical, health (I realized I didn't know all the answers to the diarrhea questions, and here I thought I was an expert!), policies, cross-culture and safety-security. I've read all of the manuals so I was able to answer most of the questions, but we didn't know the test was coming, and I am of the mindset that one shouldn't have to remember anything one can easily look up. Anyway, I got a passing grade on the mock-language test, which is satisfactory, but of course satisfactory is a bit of a disappointment for me. I was able to create sentences and to use a lot of vocabulary but not to maintain that level. This is the first year they've had mock tests and I'm glad - I know where I stand now and what I have to work on.

I'm still processing that disappointment, but I had two good things today to balance that out. One was calling my niece for her birthday and talking to both nieces and my sister. Maybe I could have done the Peace Corps before internet and cell phones because I am a good letter writer, but it would have been a lot more difficult - I don't think I would have considered it. The other good thing...I heard from a few friends about the Harvard game and felt sad that I wasn't there (I have made peace with post-season baseball, more or less, by getting the scores and sharing them with people here even though they don't care). I knew that In-Service Training was six months from swearing-in and all of a sudden I started to panic at the thought that the IST (another acronym for you) might be Reunions weekend. I spoke with the Training Manager today and he said to check in a month or so but that it almmost certainly isn't. I am quite relieved. Now as I continue to process the language test my concern is whether or not my clothes will dry in the wind (the only sun for the day was when I did my laundry) and whether or not they will stay on the line. After the language test there was the most beautiful sunset I have seen here to date, which I take as a good sign.

P.S. we will find out where we are going and some bare facts (where in the country it is, population, electricity/water/cyber) - not sure if I'll know about the artisans there. May or may not find out about my host family there. So the real update will be next week when I'm back from the site visit (or, imshallah, from there if there's cyber).

P.P.S. When I said I wasn't excited, a friend said, "what if your site is the outfield at Shea Stadium?" I replied that I would rather be near the dugout. And then realized that in that one remark I revealed my feelings about urban/rural. The outfield is too rural for me!

P.P.P.S. (in 7th grade we used to write lots of letters with postscripts) - the dance-party organizers are organizing a Halloween party for tomorrow. I gave my iPod to the music committee, so maybe there will be some music I can dance to! I offered to help the food committee. And I may get to carve a pumpkin after all! (Though I think we have to break into small groups to do it - which means we will have to count off - will have 15 minutes to discuss our pumpkin vision - will carve - and will get back together in the large group to discuss. That's how we do our exercises here! I'm kidding, but discussing the pumpkin vision is one of the most fun aspects of Edie's parties back in Chicago!). Now the pressure is on to come up with a costume...or at least wear my sheet as a toga...Debbie can relate to that one, from the Windjammer cruise back in 198 - 9? I'll just say that I heeded the no-underwear admonition and didn't have a stable toga design....