New Blog

I figured since this blog is titled Hokie Pokie in Mauritania and since this Hokie is no longer Pokie'ing there it might be time for a name change. I set up a new blog so if you want to keep following me with my Peace Corps happenings (and I hope you will!) here's the new site.

http://hokiepokieincameroon.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

Peace,

Kate

Mauritania Is A No Go

For those of you who haven't heard yet the Mauritania training class that I was a part of has been officially cancelled. I got a phone call on Wednesday from the D.C. Peace Corps headquarters and they gave me the news. They said they made the call because originally they were confident that we would be able to get our visas this summer, but as of this week they felt like we were not going to be getting them any time in the near future. Also they were hoping that by making the call now they would leave us with enough time to get reassigned to a group leaving this summer.

I'm not gonna to lie this news came as a bit of a blow. When I got the message from my mom that the Peace Corps had called I just figured they were calling with good news about the visas. Needless to say I'm a bit frustrated with the delay, but flexibility and patience is part of the job. My old ball coach used to tell me, "control what you can control and let the rest go" so that's what I'm doing :)

The Silver Lining!

So as of now, I've talked with my new placement officer about where we go from here and she said Peace Corps is currently working to get everyone from the Mauritania class reassigned. She said they are trying to keep us in the Sub-Saharan zone, but that there is no guarantee and there is also no guarantee that I'll be use french or be working in the same kind of job as I originally thought. Hopefully I will be getting a new assignment by early next week and I'll have new and exciting news to share!

Peace,
Kate

Unexpected Delay

Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call for the Peace Corps headquarters in D.C. and they informed me that unfortunately my entire training class has been delayed because the Mauritanian government is refusing to issue Americans visas at the moment.  There is some pretty major political tension in the country right now so Peace Corps is hoping that after the elections take place in July we'll be issued our visas and be able to head out in August. 

I kind of had a small feeling something like this might happen because a guy who is over there right now has been keeping me posted and has alluded to the issue, but it didn't make the phone call any less frustrating.  I had already said all my goodbyes, and now it looks like I'll be going round two in a few months.  I'm trying to not sweat the small stuff because it's totally out of my hands, but now I need to find something to do this summer.  Anybody want to hire a recent college grad for the summer???

So what does this mean for me?  Two more months in Virginia Beach.  More time to practice my French.  And on the plus side I get to play softball with my church team for a little bit longer (I know Bob will be happy)

 Anybody up for a beach day? Seriously, come visit!!! 

I know that it’s already Tuesday, but I just have to say last weekend was a blast. My mom threw me a graduation/going away party and it couldn’t have been a bigger success. I got to see a lot of my family and friends from high school, college, and church, ate some good food, and even went for an unexpected swim after being thrown in the pool ;) THANKS MOM, and thanks for everyone who came !!!

In other news I picked out a new travel pack to take with me yesterday. It was kind of funny because I had been looking at stuff online all day but I felt like I should probably try some on and see how they fit, so I decided to go to this outdoor adventure store on the other side of the city. When I got there this very nice salesman helped me figure out what I would need and then I tried on a couple till I found a good fit. *** Nerd Alert *** I sort of felt like Harry Potter when he picks out the perfect wand, like it was meant to be. I tired it on, looked in the mirror, and it was like the heavens parted and the angels sang, and a deep voice from above said, “Buy this backpack Kate!” Ok so, it might not have been that dramatic for anybody else, but the good news is I have another purchase I can cross off my list.

***** Disclaimer: This blog is highly susceptible to typos and spelling errors ;) *****

Well we’re about two weeks and counting and I’m beginning to feel the stress of all the things I still need to do. Shopping for skirts, a new pair of sandals, a French-English dictionary, and a good quality backpack are all on the agenda for next week. On the bright side I can now officially scratch off create new blog from my to-do list!

For those of you who want to stay updated on this new adventure I think this site will probably be your best bet. I’m going to do my best to update as often as I can (but I don’t know how often that’ll be). For those of you who are a bit old school I do have a snail mail address for the first three months at least, but be warned it’ll take at least a couple of weeks to get to me and versa.

“Kate Millman,” PCT

Corps de la Paix

B.P. 222

Nouakchott, Mauritania

West Africa

A lot of you have been asking about when I’m officially off, so here’s the 4-1-1. I’m leaving from Norfolk on June 15 for Philly and then I spend two days doing a staging/orientation thing up there. On the 17^th I leave Philly for Senegal and then from there I’m off to Mauritania for three months of training!

I’m getting really excited! I joined a facebook group for Peace Corps Volunteers in Mauritania and I’ve had a pretty steady flood of friend requests ever since. Everybody seems really nice and I’m just getting really excited about meeting all theses new people up in Philly.

I think that’s all I have for now!

-Kate