Fresh Eyes

As spring time is rapidly approaching I get the pleasure of seeing it all in a new light.  My sister in law has never experienced a Tennessee spring time, so each new flower or blooming tree is a small excitement, a small victory.  It's refreshing to see someone really enjoy the season and not take our every day surroundings for granted.  Tennesse really can be a beautiful place and I'm happy to be able to share that with someone new.  I'm grateful to her for giving me a fresh pair of eyes, for helping me to appreciate the every day scenery.  It also makes me think how this could be my last Tennessee spring time for two years.  Everything relates to Peace Corps!  Come fall I could be experiencing the season in a new country and really will be viewing everything with fresh eyes!

On another topic of conversation I'm curious how everyone feels about thrift store shopping.  I took my sister in law shopping the other day and after the mall we stopped by Goodwill.  She loves Goodwil, said she can afford that store. :) This girl is a Champion Goodwill shopper.  We spent well over an hour, maybe close to two hours, in the store and she had a cart full of stuff.  Really it is a good habit though, she's frugal and trying to stretch her money as far as it will go.  She bought a ton of things for the baby because baby outfits are only 99 cents.  She buys some other odds and ends for her to take back home to Vegas because apparently they don't have a Goodwill? 

So while she was doing her thing, I separated and did my own shopping.  I bought a pair of work slacks, two shorts, 4 shirts, and a pair of black flats.  All for $34.  Goodwill shoppng is not for the faint of heart let me tell you.  I went in the dressing room 4 or 5 times with armloads of stuff and maybe one or two pieces would fit.  The discard pile was much larger than the keep pile, but I ended up with some good things at a super cheap price.

I'm talking about brands like Old Navy, Express, Banana Republic, American Eagle, etc. 

My friend's boyfriend is disgusted by the thought of wearing someone else's clothes, but to me another person's trash may be another person's treasure. 

And finally I would like to add a peace corps update since it has been quite awhile. 

Peace Corps received my medical kit early February.  It has now been six weeks and I haven't heard a word about medical clearance.  So I decided to send an email to my medical support person just to see if I could get an update and see if they needed any more info from me.  She wrote me back really quickly and let me know that review of my file has recently begun and that reviews can take anywhere from one to six months, maybe even longer depending on the applicant. 

So I'm happy to know that at least my file is under review now, but what exactly does recently mean?  A week or two ago?  Or yesterday? 

And six months or longer for medical review??!!  That is crazy talk!!

I'm going to remain hopeful.  I'm not in a hurry to leave, just in a hurry to be cleared and have an actual invitation.  I really am jealous of everyone that has their invitations for August already.  I hope to have a few months to absorb the idea of leaving and the new country I'll be living in.  I don't think it all becomes real until you have that invitation. 

So to those of you that know where you're headed, congrats and good luck!!  To the rest of us...lets continue to stalk peace corps journals, peace corps wiki, and politely hound our peace corps nurses and placement officers.  :)


Happy St. Patrick's Day!!