In Chicago

For the moment. At approximately 10AM on September 1st I will fly out to Honolulu, HI (sweet) and spend the rest of the day preparing for what the Peace Corps calls staging, a "brief yet intense" pre-departure orientation.

You might be asking yourself, "shouldn't Janelle already be prepared"? About that...I have spent the last three days packing for the next 26 months or longer (I somehow did it!). The rest of the time I hung out a lot with family and friends, ate at many different restaurants and gained weight (WHY SO DELICIOUS), volunteered as an ESL teacher, and traveled both domestically and internationally. Ah, the life of a recent college grad waiting for the next phase of her life to begin. Good times. :)

For those of you curious, I joined the Peace Corps out of an intense desire to do what I can to slowly make the world a better place. I know that sounds idealistic and slightly ridiculous but I genuinely believe that by enabling others to help themselves everyone benefits.

I am super excited to finally begin my service (after seven months of paperwork and waiting) and to get away from the excess that is American society (reality TV and the ability to buy in bulk), but there are some things I will miss. Pants, for one thing. Hi-speed internet access. Streaming anime and buying the latest manga volumes. Reading the latest k-pop news and not downloading music (haha). My wonderful friends (VISIT ME) and my family (I'm missing my cousin's wedding :o).

I am also anxious about becoming an effective English teacher and community developer. I wonder, will I be able to learn the local language and become accepted enough in my community in order to bring about real change? Or will I crash and burn and come home crying after four months? Hopefully not! I will leave all my hopes and concerns in God's hands.

I will do my best to keep this lovely blog updated, but no guarantees. XD Kaselehlie!