RPCV Potluck Dinner

October 12 2008

Okay so this evening I went to the Returned Peace Corp Volunteer Event!

It was a potluck style dinner and it was pretty cool. At first I thought the whole thing was a bad omen... I was running late...then I left and forgot the cake I bought for the potluck...then it was so dark and I got sooooo lost...oh so lost... I felt like I was being pledged or something...like the returned volunteers were daring me to find the place, and then and only then could I be considered to walk amongst them. Well without that thought in mind I surely would have turned around and just gone home after an hour of searching (lets not forget about the gas crisis we are having right now).. but since I had my little made up story propelling me forward, I proved myself a modern day Magellan and found that sucker. Of course right in line with how the Universe works, I met some friends along the way who were also lost (I guess they recognized me as the girl zipping back and forth over the same 5 miles of land)... Three individuals in particular that live in Long Beach. Two served in Honduras and one served in Africa (I forgot where)... but we ended up sitting together eating together and they happily answered every question we newbie nominees had.

It appeared that I was the newest nominee. Most people were set to leave around March or before. I'm not set to leave until August '09. One of the biggest things that I got from the dinner was that basically unless something HUGE occurs, I'm going to the Peace Corp. Like, I was thinking, we'll see, I'll just go through the motions and when/if they still want me by next summer, then I'll start really getting psyched for it and telling people...uh-no... the application process, while grueling... is a solid one and if you make it though the process and do everything they ask, you're golden. I am claiming that I clearly am in great health and no foolishness will come up. Even if the Legal Dept comes back telling me my debts have to be paid off by a certain day to go...I'll just make it happen...this is the first time in my life in a LONG time I have had only one job..it might just be time to double up :)

All in all, I got a taste of the Peace Corp community and their great positive energy. I feel hooked, I feel like I belong, now just to make sure I have the chops to get through this process. Oh something else... Since I am nominated for Latin America clearly the advantage of going is learning a language right? Well my recruiter said since I have so little Spanish I would be good for Belize because they speak very little Spanish. My 3 informants from the dinner last night REALLY kept driving home the idea of asking my recruiter if I can go to a Spanish speaking country so that I can learn. People all night long were saying that they went to Spanish speaking areas and only had high school Spanish. I have to get up enough nerve to ask my recruiter. I think what it is, is that she is really good at what she does and I want youth development and there is an opening in Belize and to make everyone happy that's where she's putting me. We'll see though. I think I'm going to email her, and just include a little something about me furthering my Spanish with the interest of being considered for a Spanish speaking country if that were to come up as well... Who knows, if I can get all this medical stuff done and get some language going, I could be considered for another area and leave sooner! I am REALLY getting amped to go! At the end of the day, its all in God's hands and I want to manipulate the whole situation as little as possible so that I end up right where I belong.

So the event was great I ended up exchanging information with my new found friends so I think the event served its purpose and all the trials I went through were worth it and destined. We are all going to get together sometime soon and continue exchanging that good positive energy that was flowin all night long! :)