From what I've read, the weather is very agreeable; from what I've read the temperature generally ranges from the mid-80s in the summer to the low 40s at night in the winter. I'm sure there are days when it's hotter/colder, but that seems like a very nice weather range. Also, I've heard it rains a lot in South Africa, which I'm looking forward to because I LOVE the rain. Not sure how much I'll love it when I stay in a constant state of damp, though!
I'm also really excited because this means that I'll get to put in my two weeks' notice this week--something I have been looking forward to ever since beginning the Peace Corps process. As many of you know, my job isn't my favorite thing in the world, and I am anxiously awaiting the moment when I give that letter to HR.
My leave date is coming up quickly, though, which makes me nervous. Nervous that I won't be able to procure all the things I'll need/want on my trip, nervous that I won't have the money I need to pay for my storage in full for 30 months, and nervous that now I won't be able to come up with the funds I need to visit my friends and former coworkers in Vegas before I go. And that was something I was really looking forward to doing. However, I have faith that what is supposed to happen, will, and if I'm not supposed to go, then so be it. But I would be slightly upset.
I was kind of confused when I read my job title; after all, I had been told I would be teaching in one capacity or another. As I read on and learned about my primary duties, I saw that the title is somewhat confusing (at least to me). Basically, I will be assisting teachers in improving their teaching, subject content knowledge and classroom practices in all subjects. I'll also be:
- teaching basic computer literacy to students, teachers, administrators and community members (something that I excel in, and I'm looking forward to this).
- working with students and be providing direct instruction
- training teachers and school management on outcome-based curriculum and overall school management
- supporting initiatives by government and non-government organizations that promote HIV/AIDS awareness and education (as well as developing strategies for handling the subject in schools)
- working with school governing bodies, educators, parents, and community members to strengthen the partnership between schools and communities
- and working to develop innovative approaches to teaching, as well as critical thinking skills.
That was yesterday. Today was spent filling out forms. My personal passport had to be renewed, and even though I won't need it during my service with the Peace Corps, if I want to travel after service as many volunteers choose to do, I would need a valid civilian passport (as my Official Passport expires when my service ends). That cost me $110 for the passport and $60 for the expedited delivery. Then I had to apply for my Official (no-fee) Passport, which was free, and I sent in my South African visa application (also free). What wasn't free was all the passport photos needed for the forms--I spent almost $50 on passport photos!
This all leaves me in that awkward waiting stage. There are so many things that I still need to take care of; so many forms that still need to be submitted but I can't submit then quite yet. Among the things that I still need to do are:
- Sell my car (can't do this until mid-June)
- Close my Thrift Savings Plan account (this one is going to be cutting it close, since it takes on average 1-2 months to complete after I quit TSA but I'll only have one month until I leave)
- Pay my storage unit in full for at least 30 months, which will cost almost $3,000 (can't do this until I do the above two things)
- Defer my student loans (can't submit this until staging--Peace Corps has to certify it)
Looking forward to telling everybody at work tomorrow that I'm outta there!! :)
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