Have you ever heard of the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? Yesterday morning I woke up early, took a shower, and packed some food for the day. I then powered up my computer to print off my registration and directions for my GRE test. The printer had no paper. There was no paper anywhere in the apartment. So I took a piece of paper that had the least notes written on it and made my copy.
Then I call my mom to find out if she left a key to get out of the parking garage. No such luck. In fact I didn't have any keys to the apartment at all. So I leave the apartment, close the door, and realize that I forgot the copy I just made. Okay, this is okay. I used the computers downstairs to make a new copy. Then I go to the front desk to get some help in freeing my car. Instead I am greeted by a sign saying the concierge will not be back for another 10 minutes. This is not the time for delays. I check my cell phone and realize I have 20 minutes to get to my test.
I finally get my car out after she returns. I punch in the address in the gps in my car, only it does not recognize it. I punch in the business name, again without luck. So I guess which freeway to take. I guess right, only to guess wrong when the freeway split. I drive in a huge circle on a couple more freeways and FINALLY made it to my test.
Once I get there I have to "write" out the whole passage saying that I am who I say I am and all that jazz. Did I mention I made it there late? Surprise. Anyhow, I have not had to write in cursive since, who knows when! My signature is basically a scribble, so that certainly doesn't count. I had so much trouble forming all the twists and turns of what should have been elegant script with my hands shaking so much. I eventually finished and then began the computerized exam.
As soon as I finished the test, I could see my score. Sufice it to say that the verbal kicked my butt, but I did score almost 200 points above it on my quantitative. As I exited the building, I turned on my cell phone. Listening to the message, my brain settled into a catatonic state. I simply couldn't process any more information. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
Chris, the recruited I interviewed with the day before, called me to say that the placement officers got back to him already. He just nominated me to the Peace Corps Protected-Areas Management program in Central/South America leaving in mid-May!
So in one day I opened up my options for graduate school and have the next three years of my life planned. My life, planned? That's a first. I leave in just three days for Argentina. (Geesh, I better get on that.) All this is happening so fast, but I am so excited. Though I could have been placed in an Environmental Education, I am so happy to have the other placement. I figured, I could always develop a secondary project for EE, but it would be much harder to do it the other way around. Just listen to this description:
- Volunteers provide technical assistance and training in natural resource conservation, generally in close affiliation with national parks or other reserves. Their activies include technical training of park managers, workign with park staff on wildlife surveys, conducting community-based conservation such as sustainable use of forest or marine resources, and promoting ecotourism adn other income-generating activities for communities living near protected areas.
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