The picture's getting clearer

Igor, the Placement Officer, called to discuss a project option with me. While he did not get the message that I had been completely shocked to be sent to his office at all, he was pleased to know that I was very flexible with project assignments. He thought I could be of broader use than teaching English alone. Not that there's anything wrong with teaching English...In fact, many of you know that I've considered actually being an English teacher! Anyway, he had a project in community development that he believed I was perfect for because I have a wider range of experiences and this organization invites pro-active volunteers. Meaning, I will likely be able to establish my own project(s) within the field.

What's the plus/minus of that? I like that I will be able to be more creative with my potential projects and I do like that there is still a little mystery about where I'll be going/what I'll be doing. Well it also means that I won't get a lot of specific information about my location before I leave, because I won't know where specifically they will place me until after my three months training. I may be in a town of 10,000 or in a teensie weensie village. While he could not discuss the specific country, he could tell me that it was in Eastern Europe (not Central Asia). That means I can narrow the countries down a bit more from the list I posted in the last entry. The existing contenders are: Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. There are a couple countries that I believe are Central Asia, but I could be mistaken. Those are: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

So, to make it simple, I'm no longer going to any country that ends in "-STAN." That's actually interesting because I just read The Kite Runner and sparked some hidden interest in that area (which I had no idea was called Central Asia).

If he didn't call back (he didn't) then he would put the Invitation through today before he left for the day and it would be sent out on Monday. So sometime while I'm soaking up the South Carolina lifestyle, sipping a drink, reading a book, or forgetting what day of the week it is, a package will arrive with more details about the specific country and assignment. It will be an official Invitation for placement.

I don't mind that it will come while I'm in South Carolina. I am relieved that it will come before I leave for Europe July 30th and I'm grateful that it will come before Lizzy's wedding. That way I will be able to discuss my plans in better detail when I see everyone at the wedding. It will almost certainly be the last time I see the majority of relatives before I leave. Which reminds me...the specific project he was referring to would leave the second week in September which is PERFECTLY ideal! I didn't want to leave in the earliest September days because that would not give me enough time to see people/get ready/have a going away party/do laundry after I get back from Europe on Aug. 27th.

NOW WHAT?! Now I can relax a bit. I don't feel so rushed to "get my life in order" because there will be time to do that before I leave in September. Now I can look back on all the craziness that was involved in getting me where I am (emotionally and on the Peace Corps track) and I know that I'm still going in the right direction. I might not be very good at recognizing the right path, but God's always been good at making sure I know which way NOT to go.

I believe there was a reason that I called two weeks ago and found out about the change in region and assignment. Oh! I forgot to mention. So after I was shocked to find out that I was being placed in Ea. Eur/Cen. Asia, I called the woman who originally nominated me ready to ask her why she decided to nominated me for a completely different program than she told me she would nominate me for. (It turns out, she nominated me for a project identical to one she did....fishy?) This was my thinking: as long as there was an objective reason, I wouldn't argue it, but if it was subjective or even spontaneous, I would see if I could get sent back to the Africa office. Well I will never know, because Barbara Adams no longer works for Peace Corps. What does that say, eh? Except simply: Samantha, you will never know why you got sent to another office, but that's just what happened. I think perhaps this happened without my knowing so that I couldn't alter it. I wasn't supposed to influence that because I don't ultimately know where I'm most needed. BUT, back to the start of this paragraph, I think there WAS A reason why I called, even if that reason wasn't so I could "fix it." I think it was necessary for me to mention that I was "very flexible" (with emphasis and silent hinting) in projects. That said, Igor was able to place me someplace where I would be trusted to be a pro-active, creative, multi-use volunteer.

Phew, long entry. To sum up: life is great, exciting, and infinitely beautiful. Every choice and decision weaves your life together in ways we will never fully understand. And I will never see the full picture until the end of my days (which, heaven forbid, doesn't happen for ages), but I trust that it will be lovely, complex, and a little imperfect.