New Apartment!

This has nothing to do with the Peace Corps but I want to share how excited I am to move into a new apartment! The apartment situation has been a stressor for a while, and I'm glad everything is falling into place, and I'll be living with a friend from college. The one I'm in now happened due to a panicked decision last August when I was moving to Eau Claire and did not have anywhere to live 2-3 weeks before beginning my job. My new apartment is available in 16 days, and I move in 23 days!

I’ve been making some preparations for the Peace Corps. I signed a 6 month lease for the new apartment with the intent that I will hopefully be leaving within the next 6 months. If I don’t leave within 6 months, I can go on a month-by-month lease until I do. I resigned my position as a dance teacher for the 2013-2014 seasons—I cried. This has been the hardest decision as far as joining the Peace Corps and I've been putting it off for a while. I hope that in the future I’ll be able to find a job I love as much as I loved teaching dance. The Peace Corps advises against making major changes until an invitation is in hand, however regardless of joining the Peace Corps, I know I won't be staying in Eau Claire for another full year. I'll move back to Minneapolis and look for a full time social work position, and maybe apply to grad school but this is all plan B.

Smaller preparations for the Peace Corps include checking out beginner French books to brush up on. I can certainly read and understand it better than coming up with sentences on my own but it’s a start. I’ve also looked into volunteer opportunities with the AIDS Resource Center and I'm hoping to begin volunteering soon.

I’m still obsessed with reading PC blogs and journals. Although I’d be happy with just about any invitation, I picture myself in Africa. However, I trust that everything happens for a reason and PC will place me where my skills are best matched. I am still just so restless and ready for a change. Currently, I’m waiting for legal clearance, and sent in a statement over a week ago. Progress is slow but there is still headway towards making the Peace Corps a reality.