Lookin' Fresh

Look! Everybody come and see how good I look!

And all it took was a swift click of the mouse... Thank you pre-made templates. Actually, that's not all. I added photos! And they don't take up 1/3 of your screen and 1/2 of my post!! Take a gander if you please.

Here's the latest re-instatement update:

Last week, (when my clearance was supposed to come through ahem ahem) the office of Medical Services in Costa Rica requested an additional update from my doctor that ensures I am better. (I am!) But, due to the snow storms in D.C., the office has been closed for the 3rd straight day and it's not looking much brighter for the rest of the week. So I'm currently at a stand-still until that office can receive that fax, read it, send it, folks in CR receive it, read it, and send news back.

So I could know tomorrow...friday...next wednesday...next friday...a month from next friday...who knows. But it is being worked on (or thought about??) so I continue to move forward. Fortunately, my counterparts in my community, my host-family, and my old boss are all rooting for me.

So, I'm trusting the system. (eeks)

New Year, New Start

As in.... a "new start" back where I was. Although still just a hope and a plan, I'm feeling confident change is in the air.

Health and happiness in the start of the new decade!

Ohh Why Not

I know I said I'd post once I had new information buuuuuut, why not check-in just to break my own rules?

I'm still trying, waiting, hoping, and trying to resolve my medical issues and get back at it down south. These months of difficulty have taught me more lessons about myself and others than I ever could've anticipated. Silver lining?? Perhaps. I guess I'll be the judge of that once this is all finally said and done.

So that's the non-news.

But before I end, I'd like to throw in just a few more sayings and platitudes (just to help "keep my chin up") and to acknowledge how quickly they seem to roll off the tongue in "times like these..."

You win some, you lose some.
That's life in the big city.
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
Every cloud has a (wait...I got that one already)
Never give up.
Shoot for the stars.
It's six one way, half a dozen the other.
All good things must come to an end.

For now, the one I'll stick with is: "you can't fail, unless you give up."

Here's to not failing!

All good things must come to an end...

Unfortunately, I have been medically separated from the Peace Corps and so my service and this blog are now finished.

Any updates regarding reinstatement will be posted if and when they happen. It was a great ride while it lasted...

Thank you for supporting me.

Still here...still waiting

Unfortunately, I don't have much more of an update than that. I'm still in Washington D.C. and still counting on our trusty health care system to send me on back...Wait, is that why I'm still here??

Here are few things I've entertained myself with over the last month- I'll keep you posted (when!) something changes.

Welcome Back

Is anyone still out there?!! If so, I not only applaud your perserverance but also fully expect that you're probably asking me that same question...

Well, where have I been? In short: my site, San Jose, my site, San Jose, my site, Washington D.C. In that order. (If only the time had passed that quickly...) Loooong, boring story short, mid-July I began having some abdominal pain and sought medical treatment. One doctor lead to another which lead to a week then three weeks in San Jose. After a slew of tests and the ol' college try, Peace Corps Washington and the Office of Medical Services decided to ship me out to our nation's capital.

Which, brings us up to today. I am currently in D.C. since Aug 24th going through the "med-evac" process of dr. appts and tests. I am hopeful and confident that the doctors here will be able to diagnose and treat me (by Oct 7th!), so I can continue on in the land of "pura vida."

I apologize for the hiatus...welcome back!!

Catch Up

Given that almost a month has passed since I last shared...I´m going to expedite the process and just describe the day after the last post, and today.

June 14th: Guides & Scouts. (Scouts is a little different here because both boys and girls are in the same "troop;" the only separation is by age). So I arrive at the grand Catholic Church of San Vito to the troop meeting with a lady from UNICEF and am immediately asked, "You`re the one giving the charla (activity) today, right?" Not having anything prepared nor knowing anyone was expecting a charla of any kind, my blood pressure began to rise.

(Keep in mind this was also a Sunday afternoon after a long 2nd week in site... What ever happened to Sunday, Funday?!)

The lady and I look at each other, nervously giggle, and launch into planning mode. Ten minutes later we had the kids discussing and drawing representations of their rights as children. Activity, check! It`s truly incredible what can be done with recycled paper, markers, and 30 singing voices...

So incredible in fact, that they can inspire you to dance. No sooner had they finished presenting their drawings than they began forming a large circle around me, singing a scout song (with my name inserted) until I danced (the dance that goes with the song). If I had known the song or the dance, this might have been a slightly more pleasant experience. At least I would have been on key...

July 9th: Teen Pregnancy. Today was the 2nd day of a 2 day training on how to teach sex education to adolescents. (very sparse in CR) All of the information was presented in a participatory manner and lunch was included! It`s not everyday you get rice topped with potato chips and a side of tomatoes for free, you know. I generally dread all-day meetings/activities because it`s difficult to understand everything thats happening for such a long time- let alone trying to make a somewhat intelligent (read: understandable) remark in reply. But, the activities were surprisingly fun.

Especially the one where we had to label detailed photos of male/female reproductive organs in groups of two. My partner was my male boss. Maybe if I had known just one word in Spanish for any part of the diagrams, it would have seemed more comfortable. Same goes for their functions... So much for proving myself as a competent professional. (I swear I know what that is!)

So now we are up to speed. In between those two days has been a lot of the same, a lot of time alone, and a lot of normal, everyday events. I feel I`ve been glorifying the awkward events a bit... but those are the most interesting ones to read and share. This is NOT to say, however, that every single moment of every single day something fantastic and crazy happens either.

Happy belated 4th. I have a cell phone!