READ READ READ

AFRICA.
COMPUTER LITERACY/IT TRAINING.
JUNE 2008.

INVITATION MAILED OUT TODAY.
They can’t tell me the country over the phone, but I’ll know when that invite arrives.
This is for real.

Ambushed

This week caught me off guard. I thought about just posting a series of punctuation marks:
0_0 … !!! … :’-(

Wednesday night I had a message on my phone. I’d been expecting an interview in three weeks, but the message was “I’ll be out of town for a few weeks, how about tomorrow?” — so I ended up driving to Atlanta at some ungodly hour Thursday morning. The interview went really well; apparently I’m a “perfect candidate”. Humorous moment came when he asked what I missed most from China, and I said “my cat”. It’s not that I didn’t miss my family, or fajitas, or air conditioning — I just missed my cat a lot.

Friday I drove yet again towards Atlanta; I’d had a trip planned in TN for the following week. Sometime while I was stalled in traffic I got another phone call from the same guy. “Usually we give you a couple weeks after the interview, but there’s this job…” I end up with an actual nomination less than 24 hours after an interview I didn’t expect until November. “And I know you asked for Asia, but…” In a completely unexpected location. “Oh, and are you really set on a June departure, or…?” Hm. At any rate, now I can officially put it in print:
I got a job with the Peace Corps.
In Africa.
Departing February.
My recruiter said to tell my cat ‘hello’ for him.

Friday-Wednesday I spent lost in the woods, somewhere in Appalachia. Some hiking, a lot of trail work. Good trip. Lots of trail built. “Camped” in an abandoned schoolhouse (former student body of 45; glorified homeschool was more like it). Making a phone call involved driving two hours up a particular ridge, standing on a truck, and facing Southeast. We were so isolated that the sun didn’t begin to show up until 7:30 or so every morning. Absolutely beautiful weather and view every day we were out.

I got back Wednesday night. My cat died while I was gone.