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.