Everyone asks if we’re excited and of course we are but not really sure for what! The mystery and anticipation eclipses our excitement, but I think the biggest thing to be excited about is change. EVERYTHING will change and we are looking forward to these changes.
Currently on our plates: selling my car and editing our packing list (thank you Bridget for letting us start with yours!). While trying to keep in mind that it can’t be perfect: http://passport.peacecorps.gov/2015/04/09/the-most-important-peace-corps-packing-list-ever/
All the overwhelming support and love from our friends and family has been amazing during our preparation for our upcoming Peace Corps service. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Thanks for being so amazing. So we wanted to write a little bit about our preparations for people that may be thinking about joining the Peace Corps, as well as a way for us to remember all the "fun".
So we just received an email on April 17, 2015 stating that we are good to go to Ethiopia, contingent on finishing our tasks. We haven’t been hearing much from Peace Corps, so it was nice to hear that we are on track and they gave us a list of things to complete (which we were already working on). They also stated that we would be receiving more details about orientation which is still scheduled for June 29. Here are the tasks that we need to complete....
From Peace Corps: A few things that you should have taken care of or need to be proactive in completing, and your departure is contingent on the completion of all of these:
1) Resume and Aspiration Statement: If you have uploaded these to your online portal, thank you! DONE
2) Passport and Visa Applications: Please complete the requisite passport application and Ethiopia visa application, and submit them to Travel here at Peace Corps headquarters. DONE
3) Medical Clearance: Please be diligent and proactive about completing the requirements to be fully cleared for service in Ethiopia. It can stretch on longer than you might anticipate and the 60-day deadline is approaching. DONE
4) Safety and Security and Core Expectations online orientation programs: If you haven't already done so, please click on the following link to complete them at Peace Corps learning space. DONE
The list of tasks to do for Peace Corps seemed overwhelming at first However, we got it done quickly and painlessly. We have both gotten our Final Medical Clearance (this is a big deal!!), our background checks are processing and we are continuing to close up our lives in Colorado Springs, in preparation for the big move. It has been fun selling all of our things and de-cluttering our home. Some days we are very productive, while other days it all feels very surreal. It has not become fully reality that in just over two months we will be leaving the country for over two years to have a life-changing, life defining experience. In preparing we have been reading about the amazing history of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind, some say the cradle of Christianity and civilization, we are so excited to live in this place with the beautiful culture, food, music and history. We do not know where we will be serving yet, but we do know that we fly into Addis Ababa and then go to Butajera for the first three months of training. Stay tuned as we get closer to our departure and new chapter of our life....
History of Ethiopia A good, brief history of Ethiopia from Lonely Planet...check it out
Peace and Love,
Jimi and Sylvia