Cold Feet

Well, I leave in ten days. How crazy is that?! Ten is such a tangible number - I mean, I have ten fingers for goodness' sake. I have to admit, I'm kind of starting to get cold feet. I really don't want to leave.

But here's the thing: I'm not getting cold feet about going; I'm getting cold feet about leaving.

This is all I have wanted for my life since I decided to look into it. I truly, truly believe that this is where God has called me to be for the next two years. It is the right step for me, and I am going to help so many people that I would not normally have the opportunity to help.

Except I don't want to leave.

Because here's the other thing: I have never been out of the country. I have never lived outside of Missouri. I have never actually lived on my own (because we all know living in a dorm isn't on your own). I have never been so far away from my family that I seriously can't just come home if I need to. I have never gone so long without seeing my family face-to-face, hugging them, petting my cat.

There's so much about this journey that there's really no way to prepare myself for.

I don't know what it's like not to have running water or electricity. I don't know what it's like to speak a language other than my own more times than not. I don't know what it's like to cram myself into public transport because that's just the way it works. I don't know what it's like to cook on a sigri (charcoal stove).

That's what's exciting though! ...And where my anxiety lies.

So am I ready? I'm beyond ready to go. I am ready to experience a new culture, new way of living, new people, new everything. But I am far from ready to leave everything I know, everything I love, EVERYONE I love behind in order to do it. Regardless of whether I'm ready, though, I am leaving ten days from today. I am getting on a plane to fly to the biggest change in my life. And that is equally exciting and terrifying.

How Can I Pray?

With all the goodbyes I've been saying, many people are telling me they'll keep me in their prayers. I truly appreciate this, and if you're looking for something specific to pray about, I've given you a list below.

1. Pray that God will prepare a family for me in Uganda. When I got to Kirksville for school a couple of years ago, I basically fell into a family. I know God can do this, and this is what I want for my site.
2. Pray that God will prepare a church for me to go to. Uganda is a largely Christian nation, but not in the sense I'm used to, so I could use some guidance.
3. Pray for quick learning on my part, especially in language. I am usually a quick learner, but while I'm adjusting to a new country and culture, I am a bit worried about that.
4. Pray for a good adjustment. I'm sure you all are already praying for that, but just remember that I'll be adjusting for the first 3-4 months I'm in Uganda (until February or so).
5. Pray for my anxiety. The last several weeks, I can just feel my anxiety levels rising. I am excited about my journey, but I am also anxious as to the details of it.
6. Pray for low stress levels over the two years. One of the reasons I've joined the Peace Corps is to experience a slower, hopefully less stressed lifestyle. I know God can bring this to me.
7. Pray for God to show me how this fits into His plan for my life. I think I have a good idea, but I am still looking for clarity and details.


Thank you all in advance for your prayers!!

Pen Pals

So Peace Corps has this program called World Wise Schools in which you choose a classroom (or are assigned one if you prefer), and you are basically pen pals with that classroom in America. This can be executed in different ways, and I'll keep you all posted on how it works out. I already have a classroom chosen, though.

I will be keeping up with a teacher who is still very, very important to me. She was my gifted teacher through elementary school, and I still visit her at least once per semester. Of all the teachers I've had in my 17 years of school, she was the only one I invited to my going away party, she's that special. (And she taught me no two sentences [in a paragraph] start with the same word, just like in this blog post!)

Today I had the privilege of  talking one of the classes I will be pen pals with throughout my service. (Classes because of the structure of our gifted program. I'll be pen pals with K-6.) These kids used to be my kids when I was an A+ tutor in high school, and it was great to see them again. Most of all, though, it was great to share a little bit of Uganda with them and answer a WHOLE LOT of questions. Seriously, these kids probably asked me 100 questions over the hour and 15 minutes I was there.


So to my favorite classroom in the world: I am so excited that I am going to be able to share my experience with you. Keep the questions coming; I love answering them. Oh, and don't forget that Uganda is a country, not a state, and Africa is a continent, not a country. :)

Uganda or BUST

I realize that I don't leave for another three weeks, but I decided to have my going away party yesterday so that some of my Truman friends could come if they wanted to. I wanted to give everyone who came out, who wasn't able to come because of car problems or sickness, and who wanted to come but couldn't for any other reason a huge THANK YOU!!! I didn't take a whole lot of pictures simply because I was enjoying the company of those who came. :)

Genie's brother (who was visiting) made this sign for me!
Now I'm seriously considering taking it to the airport with me....

Genie thinks she's absolutely hilarious.

In particular, I would like to thank my friend Genie for letting us use her house, buying more than half the food we had there, and just being awesome. And as always, last but not least, my parents are amazing and supportive of everything I wanted for this party (which mostly consisted of the balloons to find Genie's house.)

Dear Kirksville

Dear Kirksville,

Thank you for everything. I may have only lived there for two short years, but those were the two best years of my life. Everywhere I went, I found family. Through the ups and the downs, I learned that I am stronger than I ever thought. I learned that sometimes the things we're most afraid of bring the most growth into your life.

Thank you for providing me with a place to grow. I was terrified to move, knowing almost no one in the entire county. How could I make any friends with my awkward social skill set? Ignoring my anxiety, I trudged into the unknown, found a family, and made for myself a home. When I visit, I am reminded that I have a place to return to again and again, a place I will always belong.

Thank you for helping me learn to let go. All the stress of school was the perfect place for me to learn how to relax, how to go with the flow. I learned that life doesn't always go exactly as planned, and that it's okay when it doesn't. Sometimes the better choice is the unprecedented, the random idea from a conversation that just "stuck." Most times I should just trust myself.

Thank you for teaching me that even through all I have done to bring myself away from God, I am still loved and cherished by Him. He will always be there for me, and He had already paved my way through Uganda before the idea even came to me.

Thank you for turning me into my parents. I cannot make it out of Walmart without running into at least one person I know, let alone across campus, and I love it. I love being the person everyone knows they can turn to in a crisis and the person they come to because they just need some laundry detergent. Becoming my parents has shown me that one cannot truly live without giving one's all.

Thank you for being there for me. Knowing you have support is half the battle when something goes wrong, and at least ten people come to mind every time something bad happens. When I do turn to someone, I have my choice of who would help the best; I can get varying opinions even. This kind of belonging is priceless. It's what we all crave.

Thank you for making me miss you. You have been the source of many of my tears, including the ritual sobs all the way to Macon. You have shown me so much good about the world, about myself, and I will forever be grateful.

Until 2018,

Bethany ♥





*I purposefully have not posted much on Facebook about my trip to Kirksville last week. This is because I wanted to channel all of my sentiment into this blog post. For those who don't know, I graduated from Truman State University in May, which is located in Kirksville, MO. I transferred up there after two years (and an Associate's) at the local community college, so I was only up there for two years. Two years can be a lifetime, though. In fact, two years is the amount of time I will be in Uganda....

Typhoid and Other Questions

I finally have an answer, in writing, to the most burning question of my entire time as an invitee. The CDC recommends you receive two vaccinations before going to Uganda, at least above the normal vaccinations: typhoid and yellow fever. I got my yellow fever vaccine, but even as rigorous as medical clearances was, it didn't include getting a typhoid vaccine. I have asked current PCVs, our country desk officer (CDO), searched reddit and the Facebook group, all to no avail. Cue the conference call.

We were invited to a conference call with PC/Uganda staff (like, the ones actually in Uganda), and we had half the call to ask questions. What was the first question I thought of? DO WE GET A TYPHOID VACCINE?! It's such a simple question with a simple answer.








So there you go, folks. We will receive a typhoid vaccine when we arrive. We were asked NOT to get a flu shot before leaving, as they will give us one more specific for Uganda when we arrive. I'm sorry poor child who cannot afford a vaccine, but I will not be getting my flu shot from Walgreen's before I leave.

Another thing I learned was that Uganda has 23 different languages. (I had thought it was more than that, actually). All of us will learn at least some Luganda, the language spoken the capital of Kampala, so that we can get around Kampala. When we get our site assignments, we are, by default, broken up into four language groups and regions. The languages are part of both the Bantu and the Acholi families: Lusoga, Runyakore/Runkiga, Runyoro/Rutooro, or Acholi.

Also contrary to what I had believed, we will only be allowed to visit Kampala when necessary, not every month. We have to request special permission to go to Kampala outside of days when we're required to be there. Apparently Kampala is more dangerous than I had previously thought.

A big part of the call was to learn about the Ad/Bid process. PC/Uganda is unique in that they give their volunteers the opportunity to be part of the decision process for where they will live. (If I had a dollar for every time I've explained that....) Many, if not most PC countries don't allow you to have a voice in where you live. I think this is changing throughout countries, but it is not standard across PC. Anyways, about a week before staging, PC/Uganda will send us "advertisements" for the sites available to us. We will then come up with our top three and bottom three choices, as well as explanations for our choices. When we choose our sites, we are also choosing our positions. More reason for me to procrastinate on deciding whether I want to be a Teacher Trainer or a Primary Literacy Specialist.

Speaking of, I learned that Teacher Trainers will be working with kids aged 18-21. I had thought they would be 16-19, since the Ugandan education system is based on the British one, but apparently I misunderstood. It would be quite interesting to be teaching someone who is 21 when I'm only 22, almost 23......

For those worried about my safety, please know that the PC/Uganda people are watching very closely the stability of things with elections coming up soon. They don't expect for there to be problems with it, but we will be told more about the procedures to follow if something were to happen during PST.

There were a few other things we talked about, but these are the interesting bits. I'm so thankful that PC/Uganda gives us all of these resources to prepare us for our time with them. Next time I'll just make sure to use my home phone instead of using 70 of the 100 minutes that was supposed to last until I leave....

Support for YOU GUYS!

So in Peace Corps, support is a big deal. You are a support for your fellow volunteers, them for you, the staff for you, you for future volunteers, etc. etc. But how can you get support if you are just a family member or friend of a PCV? Well, I have the answer for you! FACEBOOK!

There is a Facebook group designed specifically for friends and family of PCVs, and I think it is even run by them as well. If you're interested, I'm sure they'd love to have you! https://www.facebook.com/groups/509963132481253/

There is also a bunch of information on peacecorps.gov just sitting there, waiting to be read and digested. Check it out! http://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/faf/

One Month?!

I can hardly believe this day exists. I am leaving in one month. I will be in Uganda a month from Sunday. How is this possible?

Currently, I'm sitting on the dorm room floor of one of my friends, making my last visit to Kirksville before I leave. The day I got here, today, is one month from when I'll leave for Philadelphia and the day I leave, Sunday, is one month from when I'll be in Uganda for the first time. Everything is surreal right now.

Realistically, I'm closing in on everything. When I get home on Sunday, I will have a little less than a month to finish up buying everything, getting things settled with my phone, arranging personal property insurance... Oh, and y'know, packing. The more stuff I buy, the more I doubt that I'm going to be able to fit my entire life in two suitcases, at least not being able to have space for the food that everyone keeps telling me to bring. But that battle is going to be fought in a few weeks.

Speaking of, I have a busy schedule coming up! Well, busier than normal at least. I have a going away party being thrown for me up here on Friday, then next week I'm throwing myself a going away party, then the next week I'm going to a concert and then a wedding reception for my roommate...and then I leave.....

In case you can't tell, I can't quite grasp that I'm leaving in a month.

On the bright side, we got an email about PST! I was hoping for a staging email, but this email told us that we will be arriving in Uganda on November 11, then taking a 3 hour bus ride to our first training location. We have to turn in site bids on November 13, then we find out where our sites will be November 14! On the 15th, we will get a tour of Kampala, something I'm actually super excited about.

From November 30-December 11, we will be living at Shimoni Core Primary Teachers’ College doing Teachers' Bootcamp, learning how to do our jobs! Then from December 13-15 we have site visits!! (SO EXCITED) The last stint of PST is our homestay from December 19-January 17. The last week of PST is back in Kampala, with swearing-in on January 21, 2016!! (MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!) I can't wait to travel Uganda, see all there is to see, learn how to do my job, learn a new language or two,

Excited and terrified. Some of my best experiences in life have begun like this, most of them even. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm ready, but see I don't honestly think you can ever be ready for something so big in your life. I think Hugh can take this one away.