Overall, the process has been about a one year process. I began the long application last summer which eventually lead to an interview in Atlanta. I was originally nominated to do health work in Guatemala. For those that don't know, being nominated didn't actually mean I was accepted into the Peace Corps. It is possible for a nomination to change (as was obviously the case for me). After being nominated, there wasn't much to do except wait around for an invitation.
Around early February, I was beginning to get antsy because I hadn't heard from the Peace Corps in about a month. This was the same time that I had gotten three days out of school because of snow. During one of the snow days, I was sitting around playing Mario Kart with a friend and I got a call from DC. On the other end, the woman asked if I would be willing to leave a week earlier than I had intended to and take a health position in Belize. Obviously, I was ecstatic and said I would take it! Three days later, I got my official invitation to Belize.
Since that time, I've been working on required paperwork, orientations, and readings. It's been a long, and at times stressful, process, especially with my senior design project that was going on last semester. The Peace Corps has recently begun using email, so instead of receiving a packet with everything that I need to complete, I've received about 30 emails all telling me different things I need to get done. I think that added a little to my stress level.
Other than that, the process isn't terrible. It is long, and at times requires a lot of patience, but really it's just preparation for the Peace Corps service. One of the main things that has been preached to me regarding my service is patience. There are many times when I'll be frustrated and feel like I'm not having the impact that I want to have, but as long as I remain patient, I'm setting myself up for success. I also received some words of wisdom from one of my friends that is a former PCV: focus on the individual. If I go in wanting to have an impact on an entire village, then I may get discouraged when only six people come to a health fair, but if I can have a large impact on one of those individuals, then I'm planting the seed for success after I'm gone. That, to me, would be a success.
On a different note, outside of finalizing my PC work, I've been really busy traveling, as you can see from previous posts. This time, the trip was to St. Louis, the Mecca for the Grant family. My grandma was raised there and my dad was born there. I've grown up a Cardinal fan, so it was great to finally make it out to the gateway to the West.
On our trip into the city (Father's Day) we stopped by Belleville to see my grandpa's grave. When we arrived, we weren't prepared for the size of the cemetery, and having no idea where the tomb was, we began to search. We searched for about an hour and a half to no avail. We decided to give up and finish our trip into the city. We would stop by again on the way our way out of town once we had contacted someone about the location of the tomb. As we drove out, we noticed a deer in one of the plots, so we stopped the car and did one last look around the area. After about five minutes without finding it, we decided to just give up when, on the way back to the car, we found the grave! It was a really cool moment that wouldn't have happened had we not seen that deer. I was really happy that my dad could spend Father's Day with his dad and that I could spend time with him.
After we had arrived in St. Louis, we just spent time being tourists, spending most of the our time at the ball park and Ballpark Village. It was great to finally be in the majority when at a Cardinal's game. We went to four different games. Currently, the Cards are on a pretty hot streak, winning 8 of there last 11. Unfortunately, three of the four games were the three losses. Not great luck, but we still had a pretty good time, especially during the win.
Ballpark Village
Outside of the game, we went and saw the Gateway Arch, which I later found out was the tallest man-made monument in the US (while we're on fun facts, I also learned that hotdogs, hamburgers, and peanut butter were first introduced at the 1904 in St. Louis). We got to go to the zoo which was awesome! There were loads of animals that I had never seen or even heard of before. We also spent some time at City Park, where I learned that the fountains in St. Louis also qualify as public pools. Near the end of our trip, we went to the City Museum only to find out, lo and behold, it is not actually a museum. It's more like a system of tunnels where you try and go from point A to point B taking the most convoluted route possible. It was like a Discovery Zone for adults and was so much fun!
That about sums it up. For now, I'm going to wait around in the lobby of the hotel and mentally prepare myself for registration which begins at noon. It has been a longtime dream of mine to be where I am today and it's finally here. It still seems unreal to me. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Belize.
Also, I tried to get as many email addresses as possible before I left, but I didn't get them all. If you would like to email me, my email is daniel.grant.pcbz@gmail.com. I don't have a permanent address yet, but when I find it out, I'll let you all know.
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