Medical is Complete, My Glass is Half Full

Saturday at 6:00 my much coveted status changed email arrived from Peace Corps. Pretty much on the verge of insanity after a fun, yet stressful Peace Corps Mixer last night. A collective feeling of anxiety and stress surrounded us nominees. No one had heard anything good. One person had already been pushed back to May or June after her March departure program was filled. I was still in limbo...

Technically I am still in limbo, but at least I know my nurse has "made a decision" regarding my medical file. I am not anticipating bad news, but I really hope I won't be terribly disappointed. I still could easily be bumped to a later program, and thus lose my spot in the Morocco program. C'est la vie.

Last night I began watching old Peace Corps Public Service Announcements from the 60's- the 90's. The reflection of the culture of the times was evident and really interesting. My favorite was one from the late 1960's that mirrored the movie "The Graduate." I almost laughed out loud when the young graduate was told by (what I assume to be) an old, rich, white guy "Go to law school son! You won't regret it." The commercial ended with a statement about how you can always get a good/ high paying career. Money isn't everything.

Another one I loved was pretty simple and just showed a glass of water containing half of it's contents. It said "if you see this glass as half full, you may be the type of person the Peace Corps is looking for." I like that one and how ominous it is. As if being optimistic may get you recruited into the clutches of a secret society. Fine, I am there!

2011 is a good time to be an optimist. This March marks the 50th anniversary of JFK's founding of Peace Corps. 50 years later, I hope to be on board (and departing the country).

Wishing the best to everyone who seeks their dreams, and of course to my friend Brittany on her wedding day,

Natalie