Aghhh....Sigh of Relief

Woohooo! Peace Corps has officially received my medical packet! So glad it made it there safe! Took exactly 7 days from when I mailed it :-) Now I just have to wait and see when they start reviewing it. Should be pretty soon I would think, since it took me so long to complete it and send it in (and they seem to be done with a lot of Aug. & Sep. people already). I'm getting excited!!!

First week of summer school complete....5 more weeks to go! We've been very lucky so far to not have all of our kids show up....it is so nice to have a manageable size class (I know a luxury I most definitely will not have in Africa lol). I also cannot even begin to explain how nice it is to have early release days every day all summer...I wish it was like this during the school year!

Leaving tonight to go to Gainesville for a long weekend :-)

P.S. I just noticed on my timeline...it has been exactly 5 months since I submitted my online application.

Out of My Hands

So, "it" is now "out of my hands". I just put my completed medical packet in the mailbox. It is kind of a terrifying thing to do...this packet that I've held on to for 3 months, brought with me to at least 10 doctor's appointments, stressed and cried over, spent at least $200 of my own money & all of my benefit allowance from my health insurance plan...and finally it is all done. Now, the more terrifying thoughts occur...what if it gets lost in the mail & they never receive it? what if it gets damaged in the mail? what if I forgot a sheet or a shot or a signature? what if they come back and say there is something wrong with me? what if they want me to do some additional tests or paperwork? Ughhh! Too much to worry about!

I guess I just need to be positive and hope that:
1) I hear from them sometime within the next week confirming they received the packet in the mail
2) They review my packet, find it to be complete & okay, and grant me medical clearance

Well, it is good to know at least that it is "out of my hands" now, and that I have done my part to complete the next step. It is nice to not have to worry about going to anymore appointments, waiting on specialist paperwork, paying for more shots, etc. Now, like I keep telling all of my friends and family, it is really just a waiting game.

P.S. I think I might have stolen this title from someone else's recent post. I was trying to think of a title and this is what came to mind, but I vaguely remember reading it recently when someone else finally sent off their medical packet. Anyways, it's a good title, so thank you to whoever it is that I am stealing it from lol :-)

24

I kind of just realized, as I was sitting here watching TV, that I am 24 years old now. LOL my birthday was on Friday, but I guess my weekend was busy, so I didn't really think about it much until right now. It sounds so old. It seemed so unreal too, when my mom reminded me that when I get back from my service in the Peace Corps I will be almost 27. I kind of thought I would be married and have kids by now. But, looks like that won't be happening anytime soon...

It is nice to be done with school. And as much as I know there is a big possibility that summer school will be horrible, I kind of feel excited and invigorated by the thought of it right now. It is like a second chance. It's like starting a whole new school year, and I am having fun being creative and coming up with ideas about how I am going to do things differently. Hopefully, at least some of it will be successful and work out ;-)

My Last Day of My First Year...

Tomorrow is the last day of school. I can't believe it has gone by so fast! Sure there were many, many, many days that were incredibly torturous and long, and weeks that have dragged on, but somehow, overall, it has flown by pretty fast. I have to admit, the second half of the year was like 10 times better than the first half...largely due to the difference in the number of students ;-)

I am going to miss my little babies like crazy. But more than missing them, I am going to be filled with wonder about how they are doing and what kind of progress they are or are not making. I get so worried about them and have a genuine desire for them to continue growing and progressing, and I regret that I can't be there to help nurture and support that growth :-(

So....one year of teaching down...and I'm quitting already lol :-) Not totally though, I guess, because I'll still be doing teaching/education related work in the Peace Corps...probably nothing like teaching here, but we'll see...

Anyways....
My First Year Teaching Complete!
Peace Corps Here I Come!

Nine Hills

So...I haven't posted in more than a month...obviously that means nothing new has happened as far as PC goes :-(

Basically, I am waiting until June 15th to get my 2nd Varicella shot...then I will finally be able to send in my completed medical packet. I'm really hoping that I won't need to do any additional medical stuff after that point, b/c by the time they review the packet and let me know, my health insurance will have already ended.

So, what has happened this month? I'm totally tired of school, and can't wait for it to be over. I think I've had like 10 IEP meetings in the past 3 weeks. I'm also starting to wonder what I was thinking when I signed up to teach summer school lol... I'm busy packing my classroom into 3 piles (one to stay at school, one for summer school, and one of personal things to go home). Also starting to think about packing up my apartment and getting ready for that move. My car has died in the middle of the road 5 times...been towed 4 times...blown at least 10 fuses...gotten a new relay modulator...and STILL DOESN'T WORK!!! Meanwhile I've been driving my brother's car....which also conveniently didn't start this morning. I've been trying to go to Gainesville for a month, and still haven't been able to make it up there :-(

One thing I have enjoyed, at least this past week, is reading my new book from the library, "Nine Hills to Nambonkaha" by Sarah Erdman... it is a memoir written by a PCV in a health program in Cote d'Ivoire. I am loving it and have been reading it nonstop! I also picked up two other PC books..."Power Lines" by Jason Carter, and "Dear Exile" by Hilary Liftin & Kate Montgomery. I haven't started them yet though ;-) Anyone know any other really good PC books I should look into?