Details on Peru

OK. I'm happier again. that last (real) post was after quite a shitty week of having no one return my calls to Peace Corps, doctor, insurance, or USPS. Bastards.

So I gave my two weeks notice, I end my soul-sucking job next Friday. Woo! Hard to convince people at the office that it's not about teh money (tho more would be nice for lots of reasons). I just don't want to do something that at the end of the day I haven't really made the world a better place. And something that doesn't require thought. A monkey could do my job right now. Nothing worse than the combo of time pressure combined with not caring.

So Peru! Yes.

27 months. I leave June 23rd. 10 weeks training in Lima. Then assigned to a northern province/town for two years. doing small business development, meaning helping small businesses expand or get more money for their products. Details to come. I get a monthly stipend, all expenses covering and a total of 48 vacation days. Not shabby. I get back Sept of '08. Start the countdown now. Bonus points if you meet me at the plane with whatever food I've missed the most at that point. I'm going to guess it's Thai, but maybe just becuase Leigh and I eat lots of curry these days. Mmmm, spicy. I also get 18 months free healthcare, a few thousand bucks and a no-compete year for getting (re)hired to the federal govt upon my return. Not shabby.

Peru, aparently, is more conservative than here. slacks and botton downs. Kinda like the office. But guys are supposed to be macho: drink, smoke, hit on women in obvious ways. Gonna have to work on that. At least no beards. Already transitioned fish into my diet, have snuck a few bites of chicken to ready myself. Not sure if I'll be OK is someone serves me guinna pig. That's like eating a bunny. I may be a pragmatist, but I do have a soft spot for cute things.

So anyway, I am super excited. Maybe I'll have internet, I'll llikely have electricity and water at least. So that's cool. And I know it will be hard and lonely, so I'll post my mailing address soon. But I'll keep my gmail account, so don't be a stranger. I know I've been bad about being online in all forms, and I'd like to apologize for that. I can blame the job making me not want to see a screen after 5:30, Leigh for being there so I feel like being social with her, or just a general being bad at staying in touch. But really, it's the third, plus taking ya'll for granted. Friends are hard to make and hard to keep. So I hope that if I have not spoken with you as much as you/I would like in teh last year, we can re-connect. Because people. People are the reason.

Anyway, that's what's up for me for the next couple years. I'm excited. Scared. Already worried. But mostly excited. Becuase if not now, when?