news, kind of

so i got an email a week ago from the peace corps.  it was an automatic message to let me know that my status had changed online.  i went in to look, and it said my medical forms are now officially being reviewed.  yahoo!

i'm clear on 4 out of 5 categories, with just medical left – and that's in process!  i haven't heard anything from them requesting additional information, which is good.  i just hope i hear something soon-ish.  the placement specialist told me that the new positions will become available in October and i should hear then – pending medical acceptance – where i'll be going and when.  october is just 2 days away, so i will hopefully know more in the next 30 days (and probably sooner)!

now i'm dying to find out which country i'll be headed to so that i can start doing reading and research!

packing, the punchline

so as it turns out, i had way more stuff than i needed for the trip.  didn't touch a single short-sleeved shirt except to sleep in (and i had a bunch packed), and since i could do laundry at Sarah's, i was pretty much all set with just a little bit of clothing.

it was chilly and rainy nearly the whole time, so i was very glad to have my jacket and heavier long-sleeved shirts with me, though i didn't use my sweatshirt much.  didn't touch the windbreaker and didn't read any of the books i brought with me or do the crossword/sudoku books i also brought.  all-in-all i could have probably gotten away with almost half of what i packed.  wow.

i've posted a bunch of pictures on facebook of the trip, in case you are interested.  lots of stories, history and details along with them too.  you can find me under Lori Hart (username: loriahart) if you want to see them.

packing

as i was packing for the trip to ireland, i was thinking about packing differently.  i packed much lighter than i have in the past – and that’s saying something because i am usually a pretty good packer (meaning i don’t take extra junk and am pretty efficient).  this time, i was thinking about being gone about 2.5 weeks and having to take my bags around with me for part of that time.  of course i wanted no more than i absolutely needed.  but it’s what i “absolutely needed” that i re-defined.

normally, i take enough clean clothes to cover the trip, with some strategic re-use of jeans and sweatshirts, etc.  this time i started thinking like a backpack tourist.  i set a minimum number of pants and figured on reusing most shirts.  that may sound a bit disgusting, but i’ve recently read about frugal travel packing and found this to be quite a normal practice.  so this time i cut it pretty much to the bare bones, just to see how well i could do it.

this is helped by the fact that i am travelling alone, and for the latter half of the trip will not be staying with anyone who will have to worry about the condition of my clothes.  as long as i can stand it, i’ll be fine.  i’ll also being staying in a hostel where i know the other travelers will have a similar plan.  it is a bit of an experiment, which i expect to be pretty successful.  and oddly freeing.

so i’m kind of thinking peace corps early.  if i will have to live for 27 months with only what i can pack in two checked bags, i can certainly survive in europe on one small one.  it’s a fun little challenge.

and, a confession:  since i’m staying with friends for the first 9 days, i’ll be able to throw in some laundry if i need to before going on the second leg of my journey.  yeah, well, there’s nothing wrong with a safety net either.