Pre-departure Bucket List

Things to do with my last 93 92 71 43 days in the country:

1. Swim in the ocean
2. Eat plenty of avocados
3. Bacon-oke
4. Go to Mamnoon
5. Finish editing novel 2
6. Glo's. As much as possible.
7. Portland trip!
8. SF trip!
9. Box someone
10. Indian food
11. Crumble & Flake
12. Go to the aquarium
13. Possibly try bone marrow
14. Girls night with all my ladies
15. Bethany and Jeff's wedding!
16. Avery's 1st Birthday!
17. Go to the top of the Columbia tower
18. Take a ferry ride
19. Bake Macarons. Well.
20. Swimming with Kitri and Micklin and Seija
21. Visit Arlington
22. Bike the Burke Gilman one more time
23. Pick up the sunglasses at group health
24. Midnight movies at the Egyptian followed by 3 am breakfast
25. Hot Mama's pesto pizza
26. Finish like a bazillion books.
27. Cheese Wizards and wine!
28. Bloody Marys and Brunch
29. Pho with Ham and Wells!
30. Chev's B-day party!
31. Eat a baguette.
32. Puppy sit for Yonker's babies!
33. Another tattoo
34. QFC night in Stanwood with Chev
35. Get an e-reader
36. Eat a 'dilla made by Boogie



(Suggestions for more would be very welcome!)  

The burgers come in pairs

I think I'll be in good company once I actually make it to Azerbaijan. The more I learn about the country the more excited I get to go. The food sounds great and it seems like I might even be able to survive without giving up on being a vegetarian. So that would be nice.

Since I accepted the assignment two things have happened: I've gotten a ton of paperwork to do, and I've started making every little thing into "THE LAST _____ BEFORE I LEAVE." I admit, I have a slight (*slight*) tendency toward the dramatic when it comes to major change and this is no exception. So if you hear me get all poetic about this being my last Christmas at home, or my last month paying rent, or my last breakfast burrito in the cafe (shut up that will be a terrible day when it comes)... just take it for what it is and tell me to hush. Not everything is another grain of sand (or breakfast burrito) in the hour glass. And while 27 months seems like the longest time in the world, the rational part of my brain knows it is not.

Some things to know about Azerbaijan, for the curious:

• Azerbaijan means "fire guardians" (kind of) and is an Arabization of the Persian "Azarpaigan"
• It is located on the Caspian Sea and shares borders with Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia
• Azerbaijani (or Azeri) language is similar to Turkish. 
• Islam is the predominant religion in Azerbaijan
• Apparently smiling is not considered appropriate in public. I'm probably going to have a breakdown and think the whole country is mad at me. For more, check out the Wiki page I'll link to in the sidebar. 

Now look at this picture of the Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Minister with President Obama. Our countries get along so well! I hope the President comes to visit while I'm there. Just for funsies. 

An e-mail at 6am

It almost always means spam. That sound of an email so early in the morning will usually not even prompt me to check my phone. For some reason this morning was different.

Dear Kelsey,

Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that we invite you to begin training in Azerbaijan for Peace Corps service. You will be joining thousands of Americans who are building stronger communities around the world. This call to action gives you the opportunity to learn new skills and to find the best in yourself. The next step is up to you.

I froze for a moment. The last I'd heard, I was at least a phone interview away from even getting considered for an assignment. This was not the e-mail I'd been expecting.

For a moment I turned my phone face down and put it down on the bed, away from me. "I don't want to deal with this yet," I said, and I asked to be distracted. But my mind would not stop.

Yes, this is what I signed up for when I applied to Peace Corps from the transit house in Ouagadougou. I was spending a few weeks in Burkina Faso with my best friend who was a year into her own PC service. That was August 2011. Since then, life has changed quite a bit.

I've written two books (and maybe half of a third.) I'm still working at the bookstore that I love, doing a job that I love, with people that I love like family. Chev came home from Burkina this year, and now I'm living with her, as well. Life seemed so up in the air after graduation, and now I've settled in and gotten comfortable.

Get out of this life like a queen-sized bed and get to work, the e-mail said. I don't care if you're comfortable. I don't care if you're happy. It's time to give all of that up, time to change the life you didn't know you liked so much until this moment.

Of course, I'm excited. Of course, I accepted the assignment. Of course, I will go.

But for a moment there I just wanted to press my back against the wall and crawl further back from that phone and hide in the blankets on that bed.

I didn't. I have the kind of friends who wouldn't let me if I tried, and I am so grateful for that.

Of course, I'm scared. But I know I'll be ready, once the time comes.