My Peace Corps Timeline

One of the most useful resources throughout the months leading up to my departure to Cameroon has been the blogs written by other Peace Corps volunteers.  I thought I'd chime in with my own Peace Corps Timeline with hope that maybe I can help future volunteers know what to expect with regard to the application and invitation process.  Besides, all the cool kids are doing it!

September 20, 2012: Began filling out the online application.

October 14, 2012:  Application submitted.  (I could have finished it a lot sooner, but schoolwork and finals slowed me down a bit).  Health History Form received and completed.

November 13, 2012:  My three references were contacted with forms to submit within ten days.

November 30, 2012:  Interview via webcam, which failed and turned into an interview over the phone.  Officially nominated during the interview for the sector of of Environment: Agroforestry and Permanent Farming Systems, to depart in September!!!  (Although my recruiter didn't tell me what country I was nominated for, I used my sneaky internet skills and found out that it would most likely be Cameroon, based on the program details and departure date.)

December 2012:  Fingerprints taken at Marblehead Police Department and mailed for legal clearance.

February 11, 2013:  Legally cleared!

April 24, 2013:  Placement skills questionnaire received via email.

April 29, 2013:  Updated resume and placement skills questionnaire submitted.

May 3, 2013:  Officially invited to serve as an Environment Education Agent in Cameroon!

May 4, 2013:  Invitation accepted (without hesitation!)

May 13, 2013:  Updated resume (in PC format) and Aspiration Statement submitted.

May-June 2013:  A couple dozen online tasks completed.  Doctors appointments galore.  Eyes checked, blood drawn, teeth poked and prodded.  (Tasks due on July 13th).

June 7, 2013:  Application for no-fee passport and visa mailed.

July 9, 2013:  Received final medical and dental clearance.

September 11, 2013: Staging begins.

September 13, 2013:  Arrival in Cameroon!!!

Twiddling my thumbs

After being home for two weeks, I still find myself saying "asante sana" to anyone who does something nice for me (I get a lot of strange looks from cashiers).  Adjusting to home life wasn't too difficult, although I still feel like people should be driving on the left side of the road.  Actually, driving itself has been pretty hard to get used to again!  Cars...eek!  The temperature is also taking me time to get used to.  It was 80ºF yesterday and everyone kept mentioning how beautiful the weather was, but I still had a sweatshirt on!  So I guess it's been a bit of an adjustment, but nothing too difficult.

Anyways, now that I'm preparing for my next adventures, I guess it's about time to turn this regular ol' travel blog into a fancypants Peace Corps blog!

In the past two weeks, I've accomplished a whole lot of nothing except for fulfilling basic preparatory tasks for the Peace Corps.  I spent the first week scrambling to submit my application for a "no fee" passport and visa, and the second week was spent doing all sorts of medical stuff.  I even managed to take a mini trip to Baltimore and Washington DC in between!

This medical stuff though...whew!  I've had appointments galore!  Pediatrician (because I guess I'm still a child), regular person doctor, optometrist, and dentist.  Today I had six tubes of blood drawn for all the various labs that I need done!  I feel like such a science experiment.  Maybe they'll discover that I have some sort of super genes or something, or magical blood.  That would make it worth it.

I've also begun gear shopping.  I'm now the proud owner of a Kindle Paperwhite, on which I downloaded 92 free books!  Mostly classics... by the time I come back from Cameroon I'm going to be so well-read and edumacated!  I also got myself a nice new pair of hiking boots!  (Or shall I say, my dear mommy got me a nice new pair of hiking boots).  Mount Cameroon ain't no Kilimanjaro, but I'll settle. :)

So now what?  I have about three months left to cram in as much fun as possible.  I can already check Baltimore and DC off the list.  So far I've planned trips to Montreal, NYC, New Jersey (for my brother's wedding!!!) and Alaska.  I'm not really sure what I'll be doing in between all of these trips, but I'm sure that whatever it is, there will be plenty of ice cream!

shanga wa karatasi [paper beads]

Three days left until I begin my journey home!

My last few days at MYDO were spent organizing and participating in a paper bead workshop, taught by a local artist from the Cultural Arts Center in Stone Town.  To me, this was truly an amazing way to end my volunteership.

You may be asking: What's useful about a paper bead workshop?  Well, I'll tell ya!

First of all, part of MYDO's mission as a youth development organization is to help provide local youth with skills and knowledge to be empowered and to have access to better career opportunities.  Since tourism is such a huge industry in Zanzibar, there is a lot of money to be made from crafts (trust me...my wallet could tell you all about this!).  So we invited 9 local young women (ages 18-25) to join us in learning how to make paper bead jewelry -- a simple yet beautiful craft that can be made with available resources and then turned into profit.

Listening attentively to Hamad, our teacher from the Cultural Arts Center.

But wait Maria, I thought you were working on an environment project!  Why are you wasting time on Arts & Crafts?!

The environmental aspect is what makes this even cooler!  Making paper beads is not only a way to generate income, but it's also a great way to encourage recycling.  Obviously making one bracelet isn't going to recycle enough paper to really make a significant impact, but by teaching a recycling art, we hope that our local youth will become inspired by other items they may otherwise see as trash.  Soda cans, glass bottles, newspapers... There are so many opportunities; paper beads are just the beginning!

I was really excited to have a chance to sit in on the workshop and learn how the beads are made.  I had first been introduced to this craft two years ago during my visit to Jinja, Uganda.  Last semester at McGill, I even wrote a hypothetical business proposal for craft tourism workshops, focusing on paper beads.  It's a craft that has been very present in my travels and apparently in my studies too, so it was really special to conclude my time in Zanzibar learning how to make them myself.

Step 1:  Measure out marks on the paper to know where you are going to cut.

Step 2:  Cut the paper into long, skinny triangles.  Don't cut your fingers.

Step 3:  Roll the paper around a toothpick.  Try to keep it centered, or else you'll end up with abstract Maria-style beads.

Step 4:  Use a toothpick to apply glue to keep the end of the paper in tact.  Voila!  You now have paper beads!

Maimuna is pondering as she completes Step 5:  Place the beads onto a string (fishing line will work just fine) and dip it into clear varnish.

Maimuna is watching me closely so that I don't mess up!

Uh oh Mai, did I do something wrong? (Despite her murderous stare, she is absolutely the sweetest, funniest, and most loving young lady in all of Zanzibar!)

Ah, my pretty varnished bead up close!
Step 6:  Hang the beads up to dry.

Look at those beauties!

Tomorrow morning we'll meet again to finish up our jewelry.  Once the varnish dries, we can take the beads off of the fishing line and make bracelets, necklaces, or earrings.  Huzzah!

The following day will be my farewell party with MYDO, since I leave Zanzibar on Sunday afternoon!

kobe [turtle]

It's been a while since I've checked in!  Now with just over a week left in Zanzibar, I've been doin my best to enjoy everything that the island has to offer.  Yesterday I treated myself to a nice long day on the beach.  Today, I went to Prison Island to hang with some giant tortoises.

We're talkin' GIANT tortoises.

This guy was 155 years old, but still young enough to catch a beer with his bros!

After taking one whole step, the guy above decided it was time to stretch out and take a nap.  Taking "polepole" to the extreme! 

Pretty nice, eh?  I could get used to island livin'! 

mazingira [environment]

Yesterday I taught my first environmental awareness class!  We had ten members of the environment committee for a nearby community come to the MYDO office to learn about environmental problems in Zanzibar.

The MYDO office.

So excited!

My friend and translator, Nassir, introducing me to the class.

First I focused briefly on widespread issues: sustainability and climate change.  Then I narrowed down to the problem that is the biggest direct concern to the environment:  pollution and waste management.  Takataka (trash).

A serious face for a serious subject! 

My main goal for the day was to present these community members with introductory information about the environment in hopes to inspire them to protect the environment and to keep their community clean.  Then they would take this knowledge back to their community and share it with their friends and families.

Frantically taking notes!

My students didn't really understand English, so I had a MYDO member translate for me as we went along.  This gave me a major boost in confidence -- it's a lot easier to sound smart if your audience has no idea what you're saying!  But unfortunately, this made it hard to judge if they were actually understanding the material.  I hope that I was successful!  I hope that at least a few of them are excited to carry forward with our environment program.  If all goes well, they will choose some sort of project to implement in their community in the next week or so (e.g., planting trees, community clean-up day, etc).

Happy faces from my happy class!

In anycase, whether the class was successful or not, it was good practice for when I'm an "environment education agent" in Cameroon!  (which is less than four months away now!  YIKES!)

Mr. Nutella

One of Stone Town’s greatest attractions is Forodhani Garden, or the Night Market.  At roughly 6:00PM each day, vendors start setting up tables in the big public square by the waterfront, where they‘ll stay probably until at least midnight, though I've never stayed long enough to see when they go home.  This is where both tourists and locals can go to get some cheap and delicious street eats!

Kebabs, fresh fish, octopus, falafel, samosas, french fries, sugarcane juice… There are so many options, yet I always head straight to the same vendor: Mr. Nutella.

There’s this magical thing called Zanzibar Pizza, and that’s exactly what Mr. Nutella's specialty is.  While you can order a cheese pizza, a vegetable pizza, or a seafood pizza, I always go for a different option -- Nutella pizza.  Anyone who knows anything about me knows that pizza and Nutella are staples in my happiness, so the thought of combining the two?  Mmm.  You can only imagine my delight!

To make this culinary masterpiece, Mr. Nutella pinches out a thin crepe-like piece of dough, spreads a blob of Nutella on it, and then folds another piece of dough on top. He plops it down on to the griddle and lets it fry away in globs of vegetable fat.  You can order Nutella and peanut butter, Nutella and mango, Nutella and banana, Nutella and pineapple…the options are endless!  I always keep it simple…plain ol’ Nutella.

Once again, mmm.

Zanzibar may be bad for my arteries, but it's absolutely fantastic for my soul.

Do you prefer penate buton or pronze?

vitabu na maua [books and flowers]

I walked into a bookstore the other day in Stone Town, with the full intention of buying a book.  The first thing that caught my eye was Lonely Planet West Africa.  Not only would this look good on the shelf next to the Lonely Planet East Africa book (I’m slowly conquering the whole continent!), I thought it could give me some good insight on fun tourism activities in and around Cameroon.  I flipped through a few pages, and then thought maybe I was getting ahead of myself…maybe I should first focus on fun things in Zanzibar.  And then maybe I should focus on learning how to become an “Environmental Education Agent.”

Just out of curiosity, I asked the cashier how much the book cost… 56,000 shillings!  Yikes!  That could buy me 16 chocolate milkshakes, 37 diet cokes, or maybe 375 lollypops.  Granted I could’ve bargained, but I didn’t really want the book anyways.  I would’ve only bought it if it were say, 3 chocolate milkshakes, and even that‘s pushing it.  It’s all about opportunity cost.  (See Mom and Dad?  I did learn something in that economics class!)

I put the book back on the shelf, and after a few words with the cashier, Lawrence, he commented on my American accent.  This sparked a nice long conversation…A conversation that required me pulling up a chair, a conversation that distracted me for so long that I didn’t even get a chance to look at any other books before a friend passed by and called me out of the store.

Lawrence was full of flattery.  First he mentioned how much he loves American accents, but he loves even more the fact that he is able to distinguish between most foreign accents.  He has learned this skill not just by working in such a touristy town, but also through watching movies (his favorites being Van Helsing and Pirates of the Caribbean).

Lawrence gave me the best compliment that I could’ve received at this point in my travels: “Sometimes you look at someone and you can just see that they belong somewhere.  You, you look like a perfect fit with Zanzibar.  This place suits you well!”  Yes!  A local person realized that I am not just a tourist here!  He somehow was able to tell that I’ve been in Africa for quite sometime.  In fact, our first exchange was in Swahili, and he was shocked to realize that I had no idea what he was saying…He assumed by looking at me that I’ve been here long enough to know the language (and that’s probably true…I should really get on that!)

So then we had a nice long conversation about Zanzibar culture.  “Zanzibar is full of spices…not just real spices that you eat, but also spices in our cultures.  Each culture is like a spice, and people have come from many different places, mixing their spices together in a big pot to make up Zanzibar’s culture.”

Then he asked me where I got my smile.  “Um…I was born with it.  Where did you get yours?”  He asked his friend in Swahili what he thought about my smile.  Apparently “it’s unique.  Full of love, happiness, and honesty.”

“Sometimes flowers don’t realize how beautiful their colors are.  You are like a flower.”  

Changing the subject, I asked Lawrence where he learned English.  His English was spot-on…Probably the best I’ve heard on this island (even to the point of including occasional profanities!  Haven’t heard a curse word since my fellow CFSIAers left me!)  Apparently he learned how to speak English through listening to country music with his dad when he was a kid.  Yep, that’s right -- Kenny Rogers taught him how to speak English.  Lawrence demonstrated by singing a few songs to me and his friend, gesturing out each line to prove that he understood the meanings.

After this conversation, we decided that maybe if I listened to Swahili music, I’d pick up the language a bit quicker.  So, I may not have left the store with any books, but at least I walked out with 50 new songs on my flash drive, a new friend, and a big boost in self-esteem!