Hello everyone! This will be my last post in Santos in Seoul because I have created a new blog aptly named Where's Janelle? to chronicle my adventures in the Peace Corps and beyond.
Please go here now for all the latest news - http://wheresjanelle.blogspot.com/
Thank you to all those who have supported my first blogging experience by reading and/or commenting! I look forward to keeping you entertained (hehe)!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
MICRONESIA!!!
I have officially accepted an invitation to serve as an ESL Teacher and Community Development Worker Peace Corps Volunteer in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) & Palau. How did this happen? Well…
A day after gaining official medical clearance (with a letter and everything), the placement office contacted me via email to inform me that they now had my file and would be reviewing it in due time. About two weeks later, a specialist emailed me to let me know that I could not be accommodated in my original nominated region (I suspect that peanuts are used too much in Middle Eastern cuisine) and asked if I would be okay with going to either Central Asia or the Pacific Islands sometime in September. I quickly replied that I would definitely be okay with that. She then asked if I would be willing to leave as early as September 1st. I initially put my starting date as anytime after September 20th due to my cousin’s wedding being on the 18th. I thought about it, consulted my sister (I was in Sunnyvale for two pleasant weeks), and decided that I should take advantage of this opportunity.
After sending that email, my placement officer contacted me via phone a day later to ask me a few clarification questions such as why I initially applied, if I would be okay religiously wherever I went, and also to send him an updated resume detailing my current volunteer activities. I did as he asked and on Tuesday, July 6th, the big blue invitation kit was sent to me from Washington, D.C.! Since I was in Vancouver at the time (see below post) I knew that I was officially invited via my Peace Corps account online. It was only when I returned home on July 12 that I knew I was placed in Micronesia. After a few days of reading the most urgent materials in the huge stack of paperwork they sent did I officially accept my invitation via email. I kind of wished I could have done it over the phone, but I did get a prompt reply a day after. So, the total amount of time it took me to go from applicant to invitee was five months. Awesome, yeah?
Now I have to write an aspiration statement as well as a tailored resume for the Peace Corps contacts in my country and turn those in within the next ten days. I have homework all over again! I also need to apply for my snazzy government passport and start packing. But those are small things. The amount of excitement and anticipation that I have for the next two (maybe three or longer) years is enough to sustain me until well after my service.
As my mother often likes to remind me, I am greatly blessed. :)
In other news, my trip to Sunnyvale was very relaxing and fun. I hung out with my sister and her husband for two weeks. During that time, we ate lots of different kinds of foods (Vietnemese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, American), visited places my sister wanted to go to, I learned how to knit from her (my first scarf is going quite well), and somehow made it though five seasons of Stargate SG-1. In order to repay them for their hospitality, all I have to do is sign my life away to World of Warcraft sometime in the next three days…I kid!
A day after gaining official medical clearance (with a letter and everything), the placement office contacted me via email to inform me that they now had my file and would be reviewing it in due time. About two weeks later, a specialist emailed me to let me know that I could not be accommodated in my original nominated region (I suspect that peanuts are used too much in Middle Eastern cuisine) and asked if I would be okay with going to either Central Asia or the Pacific Islands sometime in September. I quickly replied that I would definitely be okay with that. She then asked if I would be willing to leave as early as September 1st. I initially put my starting date as anytime after September 20th due to my cousin’s wedding being on the 18th. I thought about it, consulted my sister (I was in Sunnyvale for two pleasant weeks), and decided that I should take advantage of this opportunity.
After sending that email, my placement officer contacted me via phone a day later to ask me a few clarification questions such as why I initially applied, if I would be okay religiously wherever I went, and also to send him an updated resume detailing my current volunteer activities. I did as he asked and on Tuesday, July 6th, the big blue invitation kit was sent to me from Washington, D.C.! Since I was in Vancouver at the time (see below post) I knew that I was officially invited via my Peace Corps account online. It was only when I returned home on July 12 that I knew I was placed in Micronesia. After a few days of reading the most urgent materials in the huge stack of paperwork they sent did I officially accept my invitation via email. I kind of wished I could have done it over the phone, but I did get a prompt reply a day after. So, the total amount of time it took me to go from applicant to invitee was five months. Awesome, yeah?
Now I have to write an aspiration statement as well as a tailored resume for the Peace Corps contacts in my country and turn those in within the next ten days. I have homework all over again! I also need to apply for my snazzy government passport and start packing. But those are small things. The amount of excitement and anticipation that I have for the next two (maybe three or longer) years is enough to sustain me until well after my service.
As my mother often likes to remind me, I am greatly blessed. :)
In other news, my trip to Sunnyvale was very relaxing and fun. I hung out with my sister and her husband for two weeks. During that time, we ate lots of different kinds of foods (Vietnemese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, American), visited places my sister wanted to go to, I learned how to knit from her (my first scarf is going quite well), and somehow made it though five seasons of Stargate SG-1. In order to repay them for their hospitality, all I have to do is sign my life away to World of Warcraft sometime in the next three days…I kid!
Gatecon 2010: Fan Report
My next post will have a big Peace Corps update, but for now...
My first (and probably last) Stargate convention was, in a word, amazing.
Look familiar? This is Caprica from Battlestar Galactica.
I enjoy the juxtaposition.
See the guy fishing?
A very long bridge
The actual convention was held at the Sheraton Wall Centre, a swanky place with nice facilities and free Starbucks coffee (which is saying something when you can find a Starbucks on literally every street of downtown
But of course I didn’t since I paid for the whole weekend! Each day there were four panels consisting of the ‘honored guests.’ We asked questions and watched them banter with each other. They were all fun but the ones in which the guests had beer were hilarious. Paul revealed that he had wrestled and won against the two main muscle men of the show, amongst other things. I even had enough guts to ask him a question (favorite Atlantis episode to film and why), but it came out strange because it was such a spur of the moment idea. Oh well, glad I did ask! I had my official photos taken Saturday morning, what do you think?
Corin Nemec (he's going to be in Supernatural, talk about crossover!)
Paul McGillion (yay hug)
The auction Saturday night for the Make-A-Wish Foundation raised ridiculous amounts of money because the guests kept on encouraging the bidders. Paul McGillion would look at someone, say “It’s for the wee babies. Do you not like the babies?” and of course they had to keep on bidding. Sunday night (after 10PM) people were randomly hanging out with Corin, so I joined them and listened to his corny jokes. I only outright fangirled once when an unexpected guest showed up. Michael Trucco (Anders of Battlestar Galactica) suddenly appeared and of course I freaked out, but I was unable to take a picture with him (my friend did though while I was wandering around Vancouver Erin !).
Thanks to the awesomeness that is Gatecon, not only did I get a chance to talk to actual (if minor) celebrities, I got to meet lots of fellow Stargate fans whom I will try my best to keep in touch with. I hope that fan run conventions will continue since this really was a wonderful experience!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
You are Launched!
I have FINALLY received medical clearance from the Office of Medical Services! Thank goodness!
Life update - so what have I been doing while I wait? Well, I did not get that receptionist job but I did apply for a temporary position as a field surveyor. We'll see how that turns out, but I suspect that I will have more vacation time than I bargained for. I have been volunteering at Heartland Alliance for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love it! The students are mostly Hispanic and the ones I work with are in either Level 1 or 2. I have been learning a bunch just from my different tutoring sessions, experiences I will definitely bring to my Peace Corps service.
I've also been babysitting my cousin's baby, watching more TV shows, meeting other Peace Corps nominees, fulfilling my jury duty for the year, hanging out with friends, attending graduation parties, buying manga and dvd sets, and seeing the Wonder Girls and 2PM live in person! This is my second time seeing 2PM, but I didn't really appreciate the first time because of the whole scandal thing going on. They were really popular with the crowd (I think most of the fangirls went to the concert for them). The girls themselves were pretty good, considering all the traveling they've been doing and the fact that they had to conduct their concert not only with a new member but in a foreign language. Props to them!
I am heading to Buffy's home town, apparently, to hang out with my sister for the next two weeks. Should be lots of fun and filled with delicious food to report on!
Life update - so what have I been doing while I wait? Well, I did not get that receptionist job but I did apply for a temporary position as a field surveyor. We'll see how that turns out, but I suspect that I will have more vacation time than I bargained for. I have been volunteering at Heartland Alliance for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love it! The students are mostly Hispanic and the ones I work with are in either Level 1 or 2. I have been learning a bunch just from my different tutoring sessions, experiences I will definitely bring to my Peace Corps service.
I've also been babysitting my cousin's baby, watching more TV shows, meeting other Peace Corps nominees, fulfilling my jury duty for the year, hanging out with friends, attending graduation parties, buying manga and dvd sets, and seeing the Wonder Girls and 2PM live in person! This is my second time seeing 2PM, but I didn't really appreciate the first time because of the whole scandal thing going on. They were really popular with the crowd (I think most of the fangirls went to the concert for them). The girls themselves were pretty good, considering all the traveling they've been doing and the fact that they had to conduct their concert not only with a new member but in a foreign language. Props to them!
I am heading to Buffy's home town, apparently, to hang out with my sister for the next two weeks. Should be lots of fun and filled with delicious food to report on!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Updates and ACen Report
Wow, I somehow skipped the entire month of April. Too busy studying and partying. :) I have officially graduated magna cum laude with majors in International Studies and Sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University.
I have official dental clearance from the Peace Corps (the letter came in yesterday) so now all that I am waiting for is my medical clearance, which will definitely be much tougher to pass. We'll see! I will be volunteering at Heartland Human Care Services this summer, assisting an English class and tutoring one-on-one. I also applied for a job as a receptionist to earn some money over the summer, but if that doesn't work out I won't be too sad about it. More time for vacation!
If you can't tell already, I have been pretty much chillaxing since graduation. I am watching Battlestar Galactica, various anime series, and various network shows; rewatching Stargate SG-1 in preparation for Gatecon, and annoying the poor volunteer coordinator to make sure I can get my required English tutoring hours before my Peace Corps assignment begins. I have also been keeping up with the k-pop fandom (I appreciate Super Junior's BONAMANA album, f(x)'s NU ABO, and the Wonder Girls' 2 Different Tears - I bought the last eight tickets for their Chicago concert!). My friends also created an entirely new card game based on the binary numeral system so I had to (kind of) learn how to count in binary.
The highlight of my vacation so far has definitely been Anime Central, the Midwest's largest anime convention. I have missed the past two years so coming back to it was so much fun! Friday my friend and I first went to H-Mart to buy some yummy Korean alcohol (막걸리 and 소주) and eat some delicious Korean food (부대찌개).
I went to a Naruto panel (yes, I watch it and yes, I enjoy it), a Fullmetal Alchemist panel (lame since the panelists failed to show up), Whose Line is it Anime? (absolutely hilarious), Soul Eater panels featuring Japanese voice actors Yumiko Kobayashi (Black Star), Narumi Takahira (Patty), and Kouki Uchiyama (Soul); a Fairy Tail panel (spoilers galore!), and amv viewings. I somehow also managed to fit in manga shopping (catching up on series I have been behind on for a year). Needless to say, great day!
Yesterday I went to a One Piece panel (I can't wait to see how the current anime arc ends!), a Soul Eater panel featuring Kaori Nazuka (Tsubaki), autograph sessions for the Japanese Soul Eater cast (all the voice actors and the producer), a Soul Eater panel featuring all of the Japanese voice actors as well as two English voice actors, the masquerade (kind of - it was streaming live), amv contest winners viewing, and said friend's birthday party! I also bought more manga and the cutest onigiri shirt!
Best ACen ever for me, probably because I actually attended panels instead of spending all of my time in the dealer's room! Right now I am biding my time before my graduation party for the family. I know that some of my relatives will be like "why isn't she going into something useful, like nursing?" but I am very happy with my decision to go into the Peace Corps even if I am unsure of my career path after my service ends. I'll hopefully be updating this lovely blog more now that I have loads of free time, so please bear with me, my reader(s), and thanks for stopping by!
I have official dental clearance from the Peace Corps (the letter came in yesterday) so now all that I am waiting for is my medical clearance, which will definitely be much tougher to pass. We'll see! I will be volunteering at Heartland Human Care Services this summer, assisting an English class and tutoring one-on-one. I also applied for a job as a receptionist to earn some money over the summer, but if that doesn't work out I won't be too sad about it. More time for vacation!
If you can't tell already, I have been pretty much chillaxing since graduation. I am watching Battlestar Galactica, various anime series, and various network shows; rewatching Stargate SG-1 in preparation for Gatecon, and annoying the poor volunteer coordinator to make sure I can get my required English tutoring hours before my Peace Corps assignment begins. I have also been keeping up with the k-pop fandom (I appreciate Super Junior's BONAMANA album, f(x)'s NU ABO, and the Wonder Girls' 2 Different Tears - I bought the last eight tickets for their Chicago concert!). My friends also created an entirely new card game based on the binary numeral system so I had to (kind of) learn how to count in binary.
The highlight of my vacation so far has definitely been Anime Central, the Midwest's largest anime convention. I have missed the past two years so coming back to it was so much fun! Friday my friend and I first went to H-Mart to buy some yummy Korean alcohol (막걸리 and 소주) and eat some delicious Korean food (부대찌개).
I went to a Naruto panel (yes, I watch it and yes, I enjoy it), a Fullmetal Alchemist panel (lame since the panelists failed to show up), Whose Line is it Anime? (absolutely hilarious), Soul Eater panels featuring Japanese voice actors Yumiko Kobayashi (Black Star), Narumi Takahira (Patty), and Kouki Uchiyama (Soul); a Fairy Tail panel (spoilers galore!), and amv viewings. I somehow also managed to fit in manga shopping (catching up on series I have been behind on for a year). Needless to say, great day!
Yesterday I went to a One Piece panel (I can't wait to see how the current anime arc ends!), a Soul Eater panel featuring Kaori Nazuka (Tsubaki), autograph sessions for the Japanese Soul Eater cast (all the voice actors and the producer), a Soul Eater panel featuring all of the Japanese voice actors as well as two English voice actors, the masquerade (kind of - it was streaming live), amv contest winners viewing, and said friend's birthday party! I also bought more manga and the cutest onigiri shirt!
Best ACen ever for me, probably because I actually attended panels instead of spending all of my time in the dealer's room! Right now I am biding my time before my graduation party for the family. I know that some of my relatives will be like "why isn't she going into something useful, like nursing?" but I am very happy with my decision to go into the Peace Corps even if I am unsure of my career path after my service ends. I'll hopefully be updating this lovely blog more now that I have loads of free time, so please bear with me, my reader(s), and thanks for stopping by!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Burning Bridges
Like the new background? Thanks to Blogger's new layout designs I was able to customize the blog to my liking. Yay subtle advertising!
So, I just withdrew from the Teach for America application process. I wonder...should I have applied in the first place? I think the answer to that is yes, since I was unsure of my status for Peace Corps at the time (I just had the interview the day before!). Since my assignment in Peace Corps is not final until I actually get the invitation, I am definitely taking a risk in voluntarily limiting my options. However, I have every intention of accepting that final invitation and not that of Teach for America had I been able to get one (which I sincerely doubt but we'll never know now!). Still, I feel guilty for making my recommenders submit forms for me singing my praises (I hope!) just to have withdrawn from the whole thing.
I know that I have plenty more hard decisions to make in the future, but it feels like I have them too soon! However, I must live with no regrets and have faith in God's plan for me!
On that note, I am tentatively assigned to the Secondary Education/TEFL program in the North Africa/Middle East region! I looked on the website and the country needing Education Volunteers in that region is Jordan, so I am probably going there. I know pretty much nothing about the country so I look forward to immersing myself in its language and culture. I can't be too sure though, so I might be thrown for a loop and be placed somewhere totally different. Yay flexibility!
So, I just withdrew from the Teach for America application process. I wonder...should I have applied in the first place? I think the answer to that is yes, since I was unsure of my status for Peace Corps at the time (I just had the interview the day before!). Since my assignment in Peace Corps is not final until I actually get the invitation, I am definitely taking a risk in voluntarily limiting my options. However, I have every intention of accepting that final invitation and not that of Teach for America had I been able to get one (which I sincerely doubt but we'll never know now!). Still, I feel guilty for making my recommenders submit forms for me singing my praises (I hope!) just to have withdrawn from the whole thing.
I know that I have plenty more hard decisions to make in the future, but it feels like I have them too soon! However, I must live with no regrets and have faith in God's plan for me!
On that note, I am tentatively assigned to the Secondary Education/TEFL program in the North Africa/Middle East region! I looked on the website and the country needing Education Volunteers in that region is Jordan, so I am probably going there. I know pretty much nothing about the country so I look forward to immersing myself in its language and culture. I can't be too sure though, so I might be thrown for a loop and be placed somewhere totally different. Yay flexibility!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Guess who got nominated!!!
This morning I had my follow up interview with my Peace Corps recruiter, and she is nominating me for a Secondary English Teaching position! How exciting is that! However, in order to be a competitive applicant I must complete at least 30 hours of "English, ESL, TEFL, foreign language, or literacy tutoring experience in classrooms or one-on-one."
I know what I'm going to spend my summer doing! Hopefully I will have some sort of part time job so I can earn some money and then spend the rest of my time gaining English tutoring experience (as well as going to various conventions and seeing my sister in San Francisco).
I also advanced to the second part of the Teach for America application process! This coming Tuesday I will learn more about what exactly I have to do during the interview day. I am slightly apprehensive about this since I have to teach a five minute lesson on anything of my choosing as well as have a one-on-one interview, but I know it will be a great learning process for me regardless of the outcome.
It seems that no matter what I do I will become a teacher in some sort of capacity! Which is a good thing since it's in my genes (my grandmother was an excellent teacher).
In other news, the ten pages I need to write for my senior seminar paper are due Monday morning and not today at 5PM! Yay for slacking off! I still have plenty to do over spring break (homework and planning wise) but hey, I don't have to go to class for an entire week! :)
I know what I'm going to spend my summer doing! Hopefully I will have some sort of part time job so I can earn some money and then spend the rest of my time gaining English tutoring experience (as well as going to various conventions and seeing my sister in San Francisco).
I also advanced to the second part of the Teach for America application process! This coming Tuesday I will learn more about what exactly I have to do during the interview day. I am slightly apprehensive about this since I have to teach a five minute lesson on anything of my choosing as well as have a one-on-one interview, but I know it will be a great learning process for me regardless of the outcome.
It seems that no matter what I do I will become a teacher in some sort of capacity! Which is a good thing since it's in my genes (my grandmother was an excellent teacher).
In other news, the ten pages I need to write for my senior seminar paper are due Monday morning and not today at 5PM! Yay for slacking off! I still have plenty to do over spring break (homework and planning wise) but hey, I don't have to go to class for an entire week! :)
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