PCV Dorothy

This past summer I worked as an Americorps volunteer at the Dayton YMCA and met some...well...interesting people. A couple of these people were actually pretty awesome and I still keep in touch with a few.

One of my coworkers however, I've been kind of lacking in keeping in touch. Mainly because she's living in Madagascar. Dorothy is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ambanja, Madagascar. She arrived in South Africa in June 2008 for training and was soon shipped to Madagascar. In Spring of 2009 she was evacuated, and sent back to Dayton because of some reason I'm not that really sure about. Something to do with the government blah blah blah. That's how she was able to work at the YMCA with me last summer. Around the time of Thanksgiving 2009, she was able to return to Madagascar and serve the remainder of her term as a volunteer. Dorothy teaches English as a second language.

Dorothy LOVES getting mail and will definitely write you back. Even if she doesn't know who you are or what you're talking about in your letter. Getting mail is really exciting for her. I just wrote her a letter today and plan on putting a couple of hair ties, bobby pins, a sandwich bag, and a bread bag twistie in the envelope to send along with the letter. She told me over the summer that her time in Madagascar has her turned her into a savvy McGyver type that can fandangle just about anything from what she is given.
If you'd like to write her a letter, her address is:
Dorothy Mayne
Voluntera Corps de la Paix
CISCO Ambanja
Ambanja 203
Madagascar

She also writes a blog and updates it every so often with some of her observations and interactions with the culture. You can read it here.

A Rock and a Hard Post

Get it? You see what I did there? I crack myself up!

It's been a while since I last wrote a post and since I'm procrastinating working on an assignment (story of my life!) I thought I'd fill you in on...stuff.

Recently, I interviewed and was accepted into Advanced Study in the the education college here at Kent State. That translates into me being accepted into the actual education program. I'm no longer just an education student....I'm a real live teacher applicant. Next fall I start observing and I can't wait! This process has prompted me to think a lot about where I want to do my student teaching and it's kind of created a little bit of an issue for me.

If you know me, you know that I'm a very decisive person. I usually make decisions pretty quickly and stick to what I say. This decision of where I want to do my student teaching, and where I want to teach for that matter, is making me a little nervous because at the moment I'm caught between three very different scenarios.

Scenario 1: Student teach in a local school here in NE Ohio, be an RA, and finish up school like a normal kid.
Scenario 2: Student Teach abroad in a developed country (I'm thinking Switzerland or England) and have the experience of living in another culture than mine but still be able to have most of the amenities of life in the US.
Scenario 3: Student teach in a developing country and have the experience of a lifetime.

I think you can tell which one I like the sound of most. These are all valid choices that will could give me amazing opportunities, but which do I choose? I guess I have some time...I won't student teach until Spring semester of 2012 but also if you know me well you know that I like to plan ahead.


Countdown to Malawi: 122 days

Malawi fact of the day: Malawi's motto is "Unity and Freedom."

Also: Beware the Ides of March!!!

Also Also: follow me on twitter? "abbsnicole"