vlog #2

To look less like me, and more like you.

Day 1 of 800
and so far so good.

I boarded a plane yesterday with a mixture of apprehension, excitement and a mind full of expectations and worry. 

Worry that doubled over when the airline I flew in on lost my luggage. Excitement that soared when I meet some of the other American volunteers who will be serving with me in Ethiopia. Its been an emotional day to say the least, but im sure today will be nothing compared to the highs and lows I will feel while on this 2 year adventure.

Its just all so surreal, I have not fully processed the fact that I'll be calling Africa my new home soon....and I dont know when it will hit me, honestly.

Theres so much doubt and worry that comes with choosing to be a Peace Corps volunteer. Fear regarding missed career opportunities, real money I could be making over these 2 years, the potential dangers of being a single American woman alone in a developing nation or worrying about coming back after my PC service at 27 years old, single & feeling rushed to pop out a kid and get married.

There are so many things I can stress over. But I try to remember that before anything else, I am here to serve. That I am to die unto myself, so that Christ may live, that I am here to follow his footsteps, to perform his work, and not trail-blaze a path of my own. 

 

 

I have decided to not let the fears of this world, of these small matters compared to the greatness of God, cripple me. My Pastor asked one day, "If you truly believed in God, in Jesus and in his calling for you and your mission, would your life look any different?"

 Initially I struggled with grasping the magnitude of this question. I simply thought, "No, I already do believe and I live how I live... so nothing would change." But then, I began remembering how I responded to my sister when she upset me the night before, how I struggled with giving money to the homeless, tithing regularly, overindulging in areas of my life, times where I lacked self control, where I didn't cast down those wicked thoughts & imaginations, and the list just goes on and on.

I know I'm not perfect. We all fall short, especially me. But eventually, I want people to look at me and see the spiting image of Jesus smiling back at them. I want to be as Christ-like as possible and so I needed my life to change.

Because I truly believe, I decided my life needed to look different.

And I think serving with the Peace Corps is a start in the right direction. I'm not joining the Peace Corps to save the world. Im not here to change the Ethiopian youth, because whose to say they need changing? I am simply here to serve, to be the hands and feet of Christ. To show His love and honestly I'm here to save myself.  I pray that this experience opens my eyes, and my heart. That I learn more about myself and this world that we live in. I want to grow by the end of this journey, I want it to help shape me into the woman Christ intends for me to become, and to glorify him the entire way through.

When my pastor asked that question, I had to reevaluate my reasons for joining the Peace Corps. Of course my intentions still aren't 100% altruistic. I serve because I'm called to, but I also serve because I want to. I have an inborn love for travel and a curiosity of other cultures. I believe God made me this way, and I will do what I love for Him, and with Him, because its the least I can do. I believe I am blessed to be a blessing unto others, and Peace Corps allows me to give back and serve in a way that I enjoy.

Day 1 out of 800. I'm in DC and I leave for Ethiopia at 5am on July 1st.
Here's to my life looking a little bit different.


"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31

vlog#1 An introduction

2 weeks until Staging!!!

Finally got my youtube channel up and running.

Vlog #1 

800 days in Africa

Ethiopia - My Peace Corps Country of Service

So I complied some of the info I've been given about my future country of service. This is just a glimpse of Ethiopia (from a Peace Corps & Wikipedia view anyway).

 Peace Corps Ethiopia - Education volunteer

My Job Title:
English Language Facilitator


What are you gonna be doing in Ethiopia with the Peace Corps?
I may work at a high school, with grades 9-12  and/or College of Teacher Education. Where the focus will be helping the Ethiopian teachers improve their English language and teaching skills.

oh and Secondary / Community projects...
All volunteers are encouraged to undertake secondary projects to contribute to the development of their communities. This can be outside of English teaching and often reflect the volunteers own interest and the needs of the community. It can be anything from Drama clubs, debate clubs, creating a sports team, youth camps, computer clubs, HIV/AIDS prevention (mandatory), woman empowerment projects, promoting good nutrition, food security and malaria prevention and the list goes on.


So the country is pretty darn big, where will you be?
Most Education volunteers will be assigned to public schools in regional, zonal or district towns. My exact location is unknown for now, I wont find out until I'm already there. A few will be placed in teacher education colleges in larger towns. Resources available to support my work, such as paper, pens, chalk, teaching aids, and library books will be extremely limited. (I gotta use my creativity y’all)

Housing
Volunteers are assigned to a variety of communities throughout the country, from semi-urban centers, rural towns, or villages.  Some sites are very remote and life is lived at a very basic level; a mud house with an unreliable supply of water or electricity. Others may be palaces in a rural town and live in a cement structure with electricity and running water. Your roof will likely be either tin or made with a local material. Water may be drawn from an open well or community pump and will be of poor quality, requiring boiling and filtering.
You should, therefore, not count on having daily, or even weekly, Internet access during your service in Ethiopia.

Possible issues for women
Traditional gender roles are very distinct in Ethiopia. Generally, women are expected to show deference to men and do most of the housework. Sexual harassment (e.g., men making unwanted comments) is common. You will be asked numerous times why you are not married or have kids.

Possible issues for people of color
The average rural Ethiopian assumes that all Americans are white (Caucasian). Some Ethiopians are unaware that there are black, Asian, and Latino Americans, and may not believe, at first, that you are an American.

Cultural differences
*Public displays of affection between members of the opposite sex, such as kissing, hand holding, or hugging are not generally socially acceptable, though hand holding among men is very common.
 Homosexual and indecent acts are illegal in Ethiopia and punishable by imprisonment or deportation

*In Ethiopia, respect tends to come with age and experience, as well as with the way you dress and comport yourself. Younger volunteers sometimes have difficulty gaining respect from supervisors, counterparts and audiences.

Dress
Volunteers should always wear clean and neat clothes. Buttoned shirts for men and blouses and pants, skirts, or dresses (to or below the knee) for women are appropriate during business hours. Tank tops, see-through blouses, and low-cut blouses are not appropriate; exposing one‘s shoulders is unacceptable. (I hear this varies on where you live in Ethiopia, and how rural or modern / city like your town is)

Languages Spoken
    Amharic, Oromifa and Tigrinya
Amharic is the official language at the federal level but there are more than 80 ethnic groups with their own distinct languages within Ethiopia.

Interesting facts about Ethiopia 
 Ethiopia is one of 2 African nations which remained un-colonized and independent throughout history.


In the 4th century, it was the first major empire in the world to officially adopt Christianity as a state religion and has a Christian majority still, though 1/3 of the country is Muslim.

It is the only pre-colonial Christian church of Sub-Saharan Africa.

It is the birthplace of the coffe bean.


Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world, and the second-most populated nation on the African continent.


It is one of the oldest locations of human life known to scientists and so it is referred to as the birthplace of humanity.


Ethiopia is a land of natural contrasts;  with jungles, rivers, deserts, caves and the worlds largest continuous mountain ranges. The landscape varies dramatically, and so does the weather.


About 16% of the population in Ethiopia are living on less than 1 dollar per day (2008)


Addis Ababa has its own university as well as many other secondary schools. The literacy rate is 82%


Ethiopia's main health problems are said to be communicable diseases caused by poor sanitation and malnutrition.

Ethiopia has a relatively low average life expectancy of 58 years. 48 if you live in a rural area.


Female circumcision is still practiced in some areas. The practice is almost universal in the regions of Dire Dawa, Somali and Afar; in the Oromo and Harari regions, more than 80% of girls and women undergo the procedure.


Ethiopia has its own calendar.


I am so ready for this adventure ♥

Peace Corps Timeline

all the cool kids are doing it soo...

My Peace Corps Timeline

369 days from application to invitation 

February 4th 2013:   Became obssesed with the PC. Don't know what it is? READ HERE. Completed application and sent references.

March 28th 2013: The Interview!!!! Read about it here

April 8th 2013: Received Nomination for Dominican Republic.

April 25th 2013: Received my Legal Packet in the mail!! 

 

June 19th -  I got scared and fearful for a number of reasons and ultimately decide  to postpone my PC service, so I inform my recruiter. Readdd itttt


June 20th -My application is officially withdrawn...or more like placed on hold. I will have exactly 1 year to make it active again and from there I will continue where I left off... I will not have to start all over (thank the lord)

~4 months later
I regretted my decision to put PC on hold, and Grad school sucked Sooooo.....

October 6th: Emailed PC office to reactivate my application


October 17th: Recruiter gives me a few questions to answer about my decision to reactivate. 

October 22nd: officially reactivated and back on track!! Although, now im nominated for Colombia.

November 12th: Got pre-medical clearance!! I'm told my file is now being sent to the Placement office for suitability and review :)


                                      ~complete silence~








Feb 4th 2014: PC emails me about an earlier departure date, and I am asked to consider Ethiopia or China, I was originally nominated for Colombia... but wanted Africa, so I took their offer!

Feb 6th (my 25th birthday!): given placement questionnaire & filled it out the same day.

Feb 7th 2014: Phone call by Placement officer & told at the end of the convo that I would be getting my invitation and I did!! 

Peace Corps Invitation!!

Out from nowhere, and in the blink of an eye...My PC invitation arrived :)

PC Reactivation!!!

My previously sad volunteer status on the Peace Corps website. 

MY NEW volunteer status on the Peace Corps website!!!

Yeah...THAT happened :)

Im back in the process and all I can do is smile.
and dance
and cheer
and just feel like

because I withdrew my application 4 MONTHS ago and shortly thereafter, I spent way too much time questioning my decision to postpone.

The time during postponement, where I thought that I'd have to wait 1.5 years before doing PC service, was just too much to bare... I've realized that choosing to devote two years of your life to the unknown is pretty damn hard. But its even harder committing to a life you're unhappy with and on that note:

 God Im so glad I'm taking this break from Graduate school.

I feel like many of us forget that our youthfulness will not last forever.We will not always be as free from constraints and independant as we (well I) am right now. Things will pop up, life, babies, marriage or financial obligations or even health issues that come with age, that can prevent us from doing the things we want.

You have to take advantage of life when you can, or you risk living a life full of regrets.


and all I can say is that I'm excited and more than sure that the Peace Corps is the next phase in my life and my next big adventure.

As soon as I reactivated, things just seemed to fall into place. I had tasks to complete in the medical portal and they were done in lightning speed.

4days after two doctors visits, faxed & scanned paperwork, I receive an email from Medical saying:

Dear Ashley,

We have reviewed the medical information you provided and have issued you a medical pre-clearance. 

A medical pre-clearance means that, based on the information you have provided so far, you are preliminarily medically cleared for Peace Corps service.

This does not necessarily mean that you have been cleared for service in all Peace Corps countries.  Based on the medical information you provided, we may impose limitations on the countries in which you may serve.  In particular, we will only be able to place you in a country where you will be able to complete a tour of service without unreasonable disruption due to health problems, where we can provide you with necessary and appropriate health care and where your service as a Peace Corps Volunteer will not give rise to a significant risk of substantial harm to you or others.

This is also NOT a final medical clearance.   Your final medical clearance will be based on the results of a physical exam, a dental exam, and lab tests you will be asked to provide if you receive a formal invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. 

Your application will now be reviewed by our Placement Office.  If the Placement Office issues you a formal invitation to serve, and you accept that invitation, the Office of Medical Services will contact you again with instructions on obtaining your final medical clearance.

And just like that I'm one step closer to an Invitation! :)