Summer O' Fun

Ok so a little update on my shenanigans lately...Working at the Boys and Girls Club these past few weeks has been amazing! I love the kids and the other staff. The kids just finished up the semester so next week starts our summer camp program. Let me just say...it is going to be a great summer. I will be running a few different programs...Torch Club (leadership, life skills, community service program for 11-13 year olds), a reading program for all ages through Maricopa County, and the Live. Laugh. Love. Dream. Inspire Room (discovery zone). I am super excited about the summer. A little overwhelmed with all the program planning but it is a great experience and I have amazing resources.

Peace Corps update...waiting on some paperwork to turn in to my recruiter...financial obligation blah blah blah stuff. I am really hoping to get a nomination (and tentative placement) by end of the summer. In my short time with the Boys and Girls Club, I have become really passionate about bringing what they do to a  community that needs it. Along with all my program planning for the summer camp, I am also trying to come up with a program that I can use for my Peace Corps service.

Do you every have those moments where you are like, "It is just meant to be." You can't explain it, but you just know the universe is on your side. I have been feeling like that a lot lately. Things are just falling into place and I have this sense of peace, I guess you can call it. I know I can do anything and be anything and I am not limiting myself. I hope I can convey this attitude throughout the rest of my life. It is so empowering to think about. The possibilities are endless!

By the way my 25th was a couple weeks ago and I crossed two things off the ol' bucket list, try escargot...check and try oysters...check. Holla!

When It Rains It Pours

Have you ever had those days or times in your life where everything and anything goes wrong? I feel like a lot of people dwell on those kinds of things a lot. Instead of reacting negatively, which I am guilty of doing as well, we should find something, a spark of some sort, that puts the light back in and brightens your day. You have the choice to react to any given situation, so react positively no matter how distressing the situation is. Who likes to be in a bad mood and depressed? No one! I started thinking about this more recently after I had a not so good day and called home to my mommy (lol). This one day just was very blah for me. I got hit by a cyclist, I was stressing out over school, I was tired, etc. etc. etc. After getting off the phone I realized that I chose to react negatively rather than positively. Soooo a goal I have added to my life list is to react positively 100% (or close to it) of the time. I like being in a good mood and positive and I like that that can rub off on others and make their day better as well. It is also really cool to have days like those and then have times where everything seems to go right. Within the past week and a half-two weeks, I passed all my finals, got a job working at the Boys and Girls Club and finally got my interview with the Peace Corps. 

The last couple of weeks have been busy for me. I finished up the semester (another one bites the dust), I have been working and anxiously awaiting the call from the Peace Corps. Guess what? They called, or rather emailed me, and I had my interview with a recruiter on May 2nd. When I got the email I was so excited. Then I started to think about it and I started getting really nervous and then had the stress of 4 finals = Jordan gone crazy! My head was on constant overdrive. I was thinking about renal physiology and cancer genetics and optics and cell signaling and…what the heck was I going to say during my Peace Corps interview. Everyone told me to not worry about the interview and focus on finals. Easier said than done. The Peace Corps will be a life changing event for me and I didn't want to go into the interview not prepared. I made a list of questions I wanted answered and ideas I had about projects I wanted to be involved with or start. This helped a lot. It help me be a little more organized. My recruiter by the way was phenomenal. His name is Lassana and he served in Tonga, an island in the south Pacific. He was a great help and inspired me even more about becoming a volunteer. 

Have you ever had to get your fingerprints done? I know they have machines that do them, but I went old school and had to do it with the ink and paper. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Las and I had some good laughs. My fingers did not want to cooperate. It was actually my pesky ring fingers that didn't want to cooperate. So after the interview ended, I felt like a major weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was a perfect way to end my crazy week. I called my parents right after to let them know how it went and called my grandma too. One of the things I miss the most about back home is my grandma. I miss talking to her and hanging out at her house. She is the sweetest person I know. 

So next step…I will get nominated and then tentatively placed somewhere. Las told me that placements usually open up about a year before you will leave. My plan is to leave in June 2013. I am hoping to hear from him in July or August letting me know I have been nominated. Once that happens then I have to go through a bunch of medical tests and what not. Once I pass all those and have no issues, I wait and I wait and I wait. I will get a detailed invitation about 2 months before I would leave if everything goes well. Patience is not my strong suit, as you can tell. 

Thank you all for all the support and kind words!!!!