"Some volunteers will be issued a horse..."

Lumelang Bo ‘M’e le Bo Ntate (Greetings, ladies and gentlemen)!

Lesotho! Oh, South Africa's kingdom in the sky!

(pronounced Leh-soo-too)

I have 9 weeks before I leave and preparations are under way. I have a few big... BIG... purchases to make. They say you don't need to spend a lot of money getting ready for the Peace Corps but if you are not avid backpacker/hiker/ultra-rugged outdoorsman galore then that's a lie. I've started researching to figure out the best of the best in sleeping pads, internal frame backpacks, hiking boots and rain jackets. And there are lots of options. Anyone have any personal suggestions???

When I was officially invited I thought, "Thank God! All that paperwork is behind me!" Then the U.S. government said, "Psh! Bite me, Carly." Luckily, I don't mind paperwork. So in the last week I've applied for a Peace Corps passport (not like a regular passport), finished my dental qualifying stuff (mmm.... people hands in your mouth), applied for the Correspondence Match program (go, Schoony!), mailed my press release forms (keep your eyes open receivers of the Daily Telegram) and read my Welcome Book twice. And what have I gotten in return for this paper-based slave labor? Juicy, juicy knowledge!!!

So, let's begin our first Life-In-Lesotho lesson. The people in Lesotho are Basotho (Bah-soo-too). The language in Lesotho is Sesotho (Seh-soo-too). The population is largely Christian but some older cultural traditions still persist, like bride prices. Cattle are prized more than currency in many cases and 85% of the country is rural. Because of the traditional Christian norms, women do not wear pants or shorts and do not show much skin up top. The Peace Corps also told me I had to wear a bra while teaching. Darn. Maybe Lesotho likes bras because they are a constitutional monarchy. The government is very similar to England's political system with a king (figurehead, mostly) and a prime minister who is elected and a cabinet. The economy relies heavily on South Africa, in multiple ways. Lesotho sells water and electricity to South Africa and imports almost all of their food stuffs. Wars with South Africa sucked away Lesotho's viable farm land in the nineteenth century and now the majority of food consumed by Basotho is imported from South Africa. Lesotho has been politically stable for decades since gaining their independence in 1966 apart from a little hiccup there at the turn of the millenium. Whoopsy.

I will be living dorm-style with the other 26 people in my group for the first two weeks abroad to start language, culture and safety/health lessons. The next 5 weeks I will be living with a Basotho family and continuing the lessons. The last two weeks of training (lessons) I will be back in dorm-style living. 9 weeks total- after that I will be assigned to a specific village or town somewhere else in the country and my group and I will be shipped off to our respective new homes!
Oh- and some volunteers will be issued horses for transportation, other bicycles. But most of us will be doing lots and lots of walking.

If any one knows of any shoes that are 'dressy' but also comfortable for walking many miles at a time please let me know.

That's all I've got for now. I leave you all with a mildly thought-provoking post of the week but mostly it's just me ranting and trying to contain my excitement.


Peace!

You're Invited to Lesotho!

"Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that we invite you to begin training in Lesotho for Peace Corps service."

I'm finally invited!!

After 17 months of patience, patience, patience I have my orientation date, my country and piles of paperwork that I knew were coming but still had to cringe at. A big blue package via UPS arrived while I was on the phone with my grandma and sitting at my mom's house so it was family affair.

I leave November 2nd with 26 other volunteers that will be in-country with me for the two years.

My official position is a secondary science/math teacher and I will also be running an HIV program since 23% of Lesotho is infected. I'm pretty sure it's standard to run an awareness program in most African countries due to the infection rate. In some places it's higher than 1/3 percent infected so Lesotho doesn't have the shortest end of the stick.

My last day of service is January 13, 2013. Just in case any of you are planning ahead and thinking about a Welcome Home party. Preparedness never goes out of style.

Anyway! Now I've got to write aspiration statements and send resumes to the local staff in Lesotho and apply for my Peace Corps passport (it's special, so special) and submit press releases- so keep your eyes open Adrian Daily Telegram, Hudson Post Gazette and Owosso Something-or-Other. I'm about to be temporarily famous.

More updates as I get more information. Yay invites!!!!!!!

Oh the places you'll go

So- yesterday I had a phone interview with a Peace Corps lady named Heather. I'm pretty sure they were checking to make sure I was mentally sound before they send me out on their liability for two years. The phone conversation is the last step before send-off.....

At the end of the conversation- which ranged from dealing with gender inequalities to my mom's personal take on this- Heather told me I was cleared for placement. What does that mean? It means I'm done with all this craziness and I'm ready for that magical golden ticket AKA an invitation! Heather said something like this, "I would send out your invitation tonight but since you have a medical accommodation there's an additional step before we can do that."

Now you may be wondering- Carly, are you sure the Peace Corps isn't just messing with you and maybe you're secretly on a reality TV show that tests your patience and willingness to submit to government bureaucracy? And I would say.... No. Not sure. Very possible I'm being punked. Heather now has to contact the two countries she has in mind for me and basically say, "Hey! We got this girl. But she's got asthma. You still want her?" And whoever says yes first gets me! I am out for bidding. We'll see who wins. Heather says I might find out in a day or it might take three weeks. Thanks, Heather! I'm smiling! Even though I feel like I'm living Groundhogs Day over and over again!

No seriously- I'm cleared for take off on all levels- medical, legal and placement- and that is a good feeling. Anyday now- I'm watching the mail like a hawk. Keep your fingers crossed!

Dancing with myself

I'M MEDICALLY CLEARED!!

One year to the day after I was nominated, I finally have clearance! I have to be honest, I almost thought this would never happen. Due to a paperwork snafu, I found out last week that my file was sitting in 'inactive' status for months. Peace Corps mailed me a letter requesting more medical information.... in January. I never got it. So I sat for months and months wondering what was taking so long. Bah! I can't even think about that waiting- it's painful to remember. Anyway- two days of faxing papers (yes- people still use fax machines and now I know how, too!) and all the sudden... Medical Clearance!!!

--- now imagine angels singing and light shining down from the Heavens: that's how I felt this morning ---

And who's sharing in my medically cleared glory this fine morning? Just me- and the computer. I found out about 7am, sitting in my cubicle all alone. I get into the office long before my other cubi-companions and so the empty space got to suck up my joy and my office chair was the only one dancing with me. And I did dance.

Thank God for text messages! Texty-friends all over the world- UNITE - and celebrate with me!!