dry stone walls

(i've been trying to write this for a long time now, begun while i was in ireland and still not satisfactory.  but better something than nothing, right?)

in ireland, particularly in the west, there are stone walls everywhere.  they are markers of the countryside, dividing fields and sometimes almost seeming to create mazes. 

in addition to looking surprisingly beautiful – almost poetic – the walls themselves are quite interesting.  for one thing, you can sort of see through them.  these are “dry stone walls,”  made by stacking larger stones on top of each other without using mortar or any type of “glue” to bind them.  in fact, no smaller stones are even used to fill in the spaces so that the wind can go through the walls.

in a poetry reading while i was there, a woman spoke of writing poems like building these walls.  it was quite good, and really got me thinking about them.  as we drove past them for the next few days, i continued thinking about it.

the walls are ubiquitous, and beautiful.  i can’t help but be charmed by them, no matter how many i have already seen or continue to see.  they are geometric, and not.  they are definitely organized, but also organic.  they look at once old and ageless.  they add depth and texture to every landscape.  i can’t quite explain it, they have just captivated me.

these walls are made by hand, carefully crafted piece-by-piece with local stones.  i don’t know how it’s done – they look sturdy, but the engineer in me says they should be tenuous.  it’s a lot like life:

• the stones to make the walls were dug up by hand from the fields, which served a dual purpose – clearing the field for farming and providing the materials to pen the animals.  may we find and use our natural resources in such beneficial ways.
• the walls were built by craftsmen, choosing stones carefully and using tools in order to fit them into a solid structure, without the benefit of mortar to add strength.  the walls took a long time to build, but the builders had plenty of time on their hands, so they didn’t have to rush it.  may we build our own cores this way, without artificial strengtheners, and patiently, piece-by-piece, building for stability.
• many of the walls were built 150 years ago, yet are still fully in place today.  may the strength we build into ourselves also be long-lasting.
• the structures are resilient, letting the wind blow through rather than always fighting it.  may we also let foul winds blow through without being displaced.
• many were built as a sort of public works project to relieve people during the famine.  may we similarly allow ourselves to help and support those who need us.
• the walls allow vines and flowers to flourish on them, which simultaneously helps bind the stones more securely together.  they are also homes for small animals and other critters.  may we find beauty with which to decorate our frames and share it gladly with others.
• they are flexible, acting not just as boundaries, but as gates.  the original walls had no gates.  when animals needed to be moved, a portion of the wall was simply dismantled and rebuilt.  may we know when and how to adjust ourselves while still maintaining our integrity.
• the stone walls are distinctive -- common, and yet each one is unique.  while categorized together by function, each and every one has its own beauty, its own setting, and its own personality.  may we similarly distinguish ourselves even though we all come from the same ground.

news... maybe?

i got an email from PC this morning advising me that my status had changed online. 

when i log in to their site, there is a list of different steps that need to be satisfied -- medical forms, physical exam, dental approval, medical approval, legal approval, placement approval.  so far everything was checked off as good, with only the hold on medical approval while they reviewed my documents.  so it had to be news on medical...  i was nervous and excited as i logged on.

well there is still a hold on medical (meaning they are still reviewing it), but now there is also a message that says this:
"Peace Corps sent you an important letter regarding the status of your application on October 4, 2011. Please review the contents of the letter and contact the Peace Corps if you have questions."

i'm trying not to jump to any conclusions.  indeed, i can't -- i have no idea what it is.  it could be simply a request for more information, which i imagine is most likely, or it could be a deferral or even a rejection.  all i know for sure is that now i have to wait for it to show up in the mail.

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.

news! BIG news!!

ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod!  i'm jumping out of my skin!

i got a call from the placement specialist just now!  holy cow!  wow!  ohmygod!  so much information, so much excitement.

ok, i now have my regular placement contact, but that is the least of the news:  i am "qualified" for service, which means that i am being given a placement and, pending medical clearance, WILL BE GIVEN AN INVITATION!!

a mix of news, but as far as i'm concerned, it's all good in the long run.  i will be teaching math, and i will almost certainly be in sub-saharan africa.  (latin america is mostly only agricultural, business and health, while math and science education is almost entirely in africa.)  there are no math/science placements going out in the jan-mar timeframe, so my timing is being adjusted again – now june or later.  but the good news that comes with that is that i will know details – more-or-less exact timing and placement -- in october some time.  so i will be able to sell the house in a more reasonable fashion and get everything done as i need to.  whew, what a relief!

so i have legal and medical clearances left to get.  the legal should only be something concerning the mortgage, which i haven't gotten likely because of the email mix-up.  and i don't know for sure whether medical has asked for any further info, also because of the email mix-up.  i'll be getting contact info later today and will follow up with both at that time.

gosh, it seems like there was more.  but wow, that's quite a lot already!  i had been thinking lately about all the peace corps applicants' blogs i've been reading where they are having so much trouble being patient with the process.  perhaps i am lucky, or just used to the slow way things move here at work (because we know for *sure* it isn't any kind of innate ability for patience!), but i guess i took all the advice to heart and settled myself on everything taking a long time.  i haven't felt like things are taking any longer than promised (which is to say, the regular government pace).  guess my expectations are low enough.  but that means that whenever i do hear anything, it is a lovely surprise and seems sooner than expected.  i submitted my application at the end of january, so it's not like the process has been faster than normal.  i just haven't felt forgotten the way so many others do.  maybe that's also a difference between being 20 years old and 40-something.

anyhow, now it occurs to me that this is the big news everyone is waiting and hoping for, and i have it already!  it's a little backwards because normally medical clearance comes first, but i'm sure that will work out.  and with this much time until i go, there's plenty of time for any follow up they may want.

OH, I'M SO EXCITED!!

tag sale results

it occurred to me that i never gave an update on what happened with the tag sale.  the bottom line is that i made about $300.  not bad, eh?  we sold maybe just over half of the stuff, which is to say there is a boatload left over, even after all that selling!

there were some interesting characters that showed up throughout the day...

• the earlybirds -- ok, so the sale starts at 9am, and at 7:45 people start pulling up.  in droves.  they descended upon us although we had less than a quarter of the stuff put out.  apparently this is de rigueur for tag sales.  who knew?  ok, my mother knew, but she didn't tell me.
• the teacher -- there was one very, very sweet guy who came and bought all sorts of kids' stuff and even a white board.  he was so very nice and was doing it to prepare -- at his own expense, of course -- for the school year.  he didn't even attempt to bargain, just happily paid the prices marked.  we gave him a break on the lot, but now i wish i had asked what else he would have liked and threw it in, regardless of the price.  there was also a woman starting a preschool who bought a bunch of the toys.  these two really made me feel warm and fuzzy.  as opposed to some of the others (see last bullet point).
• barterers vs. accepters -- some people just can't be happy with paying a quarter for an item that would otherwise cost $5.  they just *have* to haggle.  this my mom did warn me about, but it still amazed me.  (and i let Shari do the haggling.)  i mean, a QUARTER?!  i felt a little used by some people.  on the other hand, you have the teacher who just never questioned anything.  i liked him better. 
• scoffers vs. those who admit i sold too low -- then there are the people who scoff at paying $1 for a $10 or $20 original-price item.  i know it's a tag sale, so you can't expect to get anything near a real price (or even an ebay price) for anything, but c'mon, *scoffing* at me?  give me a break.  on the other hand, there were at least two people who outright admitted to me that i had way underpriced items that they were happy to snatch up.  if you know me, you know that still bothers me.  not because i am greedy but because i was so far off (or scared) in pricing.  and it makes me wonder what other (potentially large) mistakes i made.
• the wine rack -- one of the interesting stories of the day was the wine rack.  nice set -- three units that attach together to wrap around a corner and hold a couple hundred bottles or so at full capacity.  so mid-sale, a couple comes up to look at it, saying they aren't interested, but that they have a friend who would be very interested.  so interested, in fact, that she would come by just to look at it.  the couple went on about how nice it was and how perfect for the friend.  a while later, a woman comes up to look at it and loves it.  says it is just perfect for them.  they are starting their own winery and would love just such a set for their showroom.  they were super-nice and really excited.  i was so happy that it was going to them.  turns out, as they're paying, that they are not the expected friend.  oops.  oh well, first-come, first-served.  late in the sale, the "friend" finally decides to show up and is not very nice or friendly at all.  even before we told her we already sold it.  very glad about the way that one went.
• the last guy -- and then there was the last guy.  we're very obviously cleaning everything up and he and his wife walk up, looking through things with not the least acknowledgement that it's about to rain and we are cleaning up.  that's ok, if they want to buy.  long story short, he looks at a $5 whiteboard with stand and asks if we'll take $1 for it.  since it is haggling, i automatically defer to Shari, who says, "i'll give it to you for $3."  he says, "what about $1?"  i don't know what she was thinking, but she agrees.  well, it turns out the guy is a class-a jerk.  he laughed at us when we wouldn't give him a $7 desk chair for $1, saying it was garbage.  (then leave, idiot!)  then he picks up two binders marked 25 cents each and wants them for 10 cents.  we just said "no."  give me back that nice teacher.

i didn't end up trying to sell any of the furniture.  couldn't be bothered to bring it up the stairs (in the case of the enormous, heavy desk that i know i don't want) and/or couldn't be sure i really wanted to get rid of it yet.  so far i haven't sold anything i'd necessarily want to keep if i was staying or if, for example, i had unlimited storage.  except my ironing board.  that may have been really dumb.  not sure what i was thinking.

i also didn't end up selling the game table or the stereo and other electronics.  part of it was the early bird problem (in that i didn't have any extra time to get more stuff), and i guess part of it goes back to the same not-sure-about-getting-rid-of-anything-permanently bit.

i have tentatively scheduled another sale (in my mind) for early octoberebay, like a silver serving tray and crystal and such (more on that in a moment).  or possibly on craig's list, like furniture, if i can deal with the logistics and effort and time of it all.

my parents have offered to come out and help with a second tag sale.  but is it really worth them driving all the way from connecticut to do it?  the gas money alone would be more than whatever i am bound to make.  (besides, then i really have to commit to doing it.)  the upside of this possibility is that they have offered to take back with them things that might better sell on ebay, as long as it fits in the car.  (oh yes you did!)  my mom being the big ebay seller and all...