Olympia Odyssey & etc.

The mini-adventures continue.  In addition to the major upcoming events that I listed in the last post, just about every week is chock full of things to do.

Case in point: Within a half-hour of publishing the last post, I hurried over to catch the 5:30pm ferry to Seattle.  I had a few minutes to chat with my friend D, but then had to literally run to get on board.  Once in the city, I began a (slightly failed) bus odyssey to the REI flagship store to attend a Peace Corps information session from 7-8:30pm.  (I say ‘slightly failed’ because, though I did manage to find and board the correct bus, I got off at the wrong stop and had to walk six or seven blocks to the store – only to realize that I could have dispensed with the bus altogether, saved the $1.75, and simply walked from Colman dock to the store.  I made up for it after the fact by walking the whole way back.)

The Peace Corps session was fantastic, but then again it doesn’t take much on the part of the Peace Corps to make me start drooling.  The representatives from the Seattle recruiting office showed us a 15-minute promotional video (probably viewable from anywhere on YouTube) with interviews from on-site locations with Peace Corps volunteers.  The main attraction, though, were the many RPCVs (‘Returned Peace Corps Volunteers’) in attendance, with whom we were able to talk after the video presentation.

Freakish small-world experience: Turns out that one of the women who works in the Seattle office, who served as a volunteer in Bulgaria from 2006-08, knows Anna Franklin, one of my friends from the (brief) days we spent in school together at BU, before we both left the school for various reasons.  I haven’t seen Anna since early junior year of college, when we met up in D.C.  She was studying at American, and I was at St. John’s by that point.  It was an epic reunion, but I’m sad to say that we haven’t seen each other again since that day.  I remained on her email list once she joined the Peace Corps – and it always seemed like she was up to something amazing, true to her fabulous self – but somehow lost touch with her a couple of years ago.  I haven’t been able to find a way to contact her, but it was exciting to at least meet – totally unexpectedly – someone who also knows her.  Who lives in Seattle.  Even though I met Anna in Boston.  And I’m pretty sure she’s back in the D.C. area, if she’s anywhere in the U.S.

Yesterday was full for its own reasons.  After work in the morning, I took an early afternoon ferry and began a bus odyssey down to Olympia to meet with Bernie and Larry to discuss our upcoming trip to India:

• If I’m accepted as an ELI volunteer, I’ll probably leave for Chennai late November/early December, work with ELI until early January, meet up with Bernie and Larry, then leave from Chennai in early February.
• If I’m not accepted as an ELI volunteer (and if I can’t find another way to volunteer in India), I’ll leave for Chennai early January and leave in early February.
• For a couple of days, perhaps even a full week, we’re going to visit Kuther and meet Krishnammal, who will introduce us to LAFTI.
• We’re talking about going further south to Madurai to visit what I’ve heard is one of the most amazing Hindu temples in all of India.
• Then – as if it wasn’t already incredibly exciting – we take an epic journey up the western coast of India (probably leaving from somewhere in Kerala) to Ahmadabad, where we’ll attend an international peace conference from January 22-25.
• At that point, we’ll most likely part ways.  I think Bernie and Larry want to go down to Madras, spend some time there, then fly back to the U.S. from that airport.  I’m going to try to head up to Delhi from Ahmadabad, visit some sites associated with Gandhi in that area, then head back to Chennai to fly back to the U.S.

I figure that it makes sense to stay as long as possible and see as much as I can while I’m in India.  By far, the largest expense is the flight over there.  In country, things are incredibly cheap, unless, of course, you stay in major hotels and eat in hotel restaurants.  Ground transportation up the coast will cost around $20, and food per day will range between $1 and $3.  It’s also really easy to find places to stay for free or for a very low price.

So, now I get to plan. 🙂  And wait for word back from ELI. >.<

~ by e freeman on September 3, 2009.