32 days to go!!!

There is a part of me that wonders when the craziness will end. Every day seems to be filled with a new concern or an additional task. This week I am dealing with crazy stuff, such as: updated dental clearance, selling the car, and my student loan deferment being denied. Yep, this week has been crazy, but no different from last week, just different issues. I seem to just take everything one task and one day at a time.

Well, my dental clearance with the Peace Corps expires three days before I leave for staging. So that means I had to get recleared or updated. I called the PC office at the end of January and asked for the paperwork to be mailed, they promptly put a hold on my dental status…yuckie! My appointment was on the 10th of Feb and I didn’t foresee any issues, my bad. Two cavities! Yesterday I want back for the cavities and finally got my dental evaluation update shipped. Meanwhile, in the last week, I have had three emails and one letter, all from different people, looking for my dental clearance. The last one threatened my invitation, AWESOME (not). I should be cleared by early next week and not a moment too soon for my increasing anxiety level.

Selling my car has been one of my larger concerns. I asking under Kelly Blue Book for it, because really I don’t want to worry about it and come 11 March I just want it gone. I worked with my Thursday Girls (eight docents at the museum) today and I now have a post ready for Craigslist. They wisely suggested posting it now and just adding the availability date of 11 March, so it will be posted tonight. And then I wait!

My student loan deferment was denied. Wow, this made me super excited (JK!). I called customer service and got a great guy who was a ton of help. Turns out I was denied because I put my start date of service and not the date I leave the country. Then I learned that I can actually claim an economic hardship deferment beginning 11 March due to no longer having a taxable income. Yes, yes, I know this seems stressful, but I am getting some great answers. I again have all my paperwork together and will mail some on March 1, the rest will have to wait until staging.

I have yet to leave the country and already this journey has been amazing. The other day another Ukraine Group 41 volunteer mentioned the Peace Corps family and what a privilege it is to be a part of something for amazing with such amazing people. I must say that she is right. It has been so fun to connect with people from all over the country who will be a part of Peace Corps Ukraine 41. 32 days to go!