"You say Goodbye, and I say Hello."

Today was my last "real" day in America. I spent it with the sibs at Busch Gardens having tons of fun.

I also got to test out my new camera (so I will be uploading pics from Mongolia ^_^)

Here are the highlights of the day:

Tea Cup Ride!!!!!

Belated Birthday Blogging

Woooooooo .... as of yesterday at 3:25pm Central Time I am two and twenty years old!!! 22 on the 22nd which means this is my "lucky year" (doubly so as 22 is my favorite/lucky number ^_^). However as my family was out of town/working/at school I spent most of the morning hanging out with the dog or studying at the library (but what with me being the giant nerdo I am I really enjoy learning ^_^).

However the highlights of my birthday were the 3 awesome discoveries I made:
1) Instant Organic oatmeal -- Roy.G.Biv. is that stuff AMAZING!!!!!!! I'm a big fan of oatmeal to begin with, but man alive, this organic stuff just blew me away Scarface style

2) The Braveheart Theme Music Techno Remix -- no additional explanation necessary

3) Twin Dragons -- this is a Hong Kong film from the early 90s starring get this: Jackie Chan and ......... Jackie Chan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was everything you could have dreamed of and more. I highly recommend seeing it.

My Address in Cyrillic

back at the beach

I am now back in my "hometown" to spend what little remaining time I have with my family. So far it has been very nice and relaxing and most of all fun (especially dressing the dog up in a banana costume, hahaha).

Today I got my flight itinerary. I fly to Hotlanta at 7am Thursday May 31st. The next two days will be spent in intensive orientations and then on June 2nd I will hop a plane to Mongolia (via Korea ^_^). At 15 hours this will be my longest flight ever!

I also started shopping for everything I will need to bring O_o. I know I'm excited about the cold freezing absoballyloutly frigid climate I am about to face...but its a pain to shop for especially when the summer lines have just come out and are just swell. Oh well, thank goodness for L.L. Bean giving me the long john hookup or my tush would be in for a cold 2 years ^_~.

Also I received my address for the 8-10 weeks I will spend in Ulaanbaatar training:

Cassandra Weiner, PCT
Post Office Box 1036
Central Post Office
Ulaanbaatar 13
MONGOLIA (via China)

Once I scan it to the computer, I will put up a link to the label that has the address in Cyrillic (the Mongolia Alphabet). "Items will be delivered if addressed only in English - however, an accompanying Cyrillic version may expedite delivery."

YATTA!!!!!!

"I DID IT!!!!!!"

Well folks, its official .... I have graduated from college!!!! I now have a B.A. in Anthropology from the College of Sciences at UCF ^_^. While, I loved learning everything, I'm glad that it is over and my brain gets to rest (except for the whole learning to speak Mongolian thing).

The ceremony was long and boring (I totally fell asleep at one point), but it was really nice to get to see my Grandparents, Aunt, and Cousins afterwards.

My room is packed, I have begun saying my final goodbyes to all my Florida friends, I'm checking out of my apartment ...... my college career is drawing to an end and will soon be all behind me ^_^.

But that means :::scary music::: .... only 30 days until I leave for Mongolia :::gulp::: ... O_o

I am sooooo excited, yet as the departure date draws nearer I'm becoming more and more nervous ... there is so much I need to do in a relatively short time ... but I know I will get it all done in time, and before I know it I will be in Mongolia ^_^

Also, I have been reading this great book called: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. It is really interesting to not only learn about this "blood thirsty savage" from a non-western perspective, but also to utilize my anthropology skills in discerning various possible cultural sentiments as derived from the knowledge that Genghis Khan is the national hero in Mongolia (man alive, I'm such a nerd). If you enjoy reading I highly recommend this book ^_^.

That's "Ursprache" in German, Dr. Dorian

Today while picking up my tickets for graduation it hit me ... I'm about to enter the real world, and what a strange world it will be. In my spare time I have been reading up on Mongolia and have already fallen half in love with the "land of blue sky." Yet, at the same time I'm starting to really miss America (despite still being here). For instance, I can't shake my irrational "fear" that I'm about to go two years and not be able to eat a real peanut butter and jelly sandwich (because come on, we all know that pb&js are a consumptive corporeal embodiment of the American dream ^_~). Despite this, I'm getting really excited (and just a bit nervous) about leaving sooooo soon. Like my Aspiration Statement says, "the knowledge and experience I will gain in Mongolia will go a long way in helping define the individual I will become."

However, if I plan on even making it to Mongolia, I need to pass all my finals and graduate ... so it is off to bed to dream of distant lands, exotic peoples, and debating Zach Braff about Lexicostatistical Glottochronology (yes I actually dreamt that ... hahaha ... I found it very interesting if just a bit strange, blame it on watching Scrubs while studying).

Aspiration Statement

Just thought I would share the Why's and How's of my PC decision as expressed in my "Aspiration Statement" submitted to my superiors in Mongolia

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A: The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service.

As an anthropologist the most important professional attribute I plan to use is a mindset of cultural relativism. I am aware that I have various ethnocentric biases, but I feel confident that I can keep them in check and hopefully even diminish them. My greatest aspiration for my Peace Corps service is to gain a greater knowledge of the vast spectrum of human existence, while in turn serving as a representative of the United States to show through my actions that while much of the world is displeased with our current policies, the American citizens are still decent people.

B: Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.

My primary strategy for an effective working environment is to cultivate a positive and symbiotic relationship with my host country partners. In addition to being the least experienced, I will also be an outsider. Thus, it will be necessary for me to follow the lead and examples of my host country partners. Only once I have proved my competency to them and gained a level of respect, would I feel justified in suggesting various means of accomplishing the expressed needs.

C: Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.

Being a military child, I was perpetually the “new kid” and thus learned very early to adapt to various cultural norms. This combined with the fact that I am an anthropologist and am highly aware of the necessity of cultural relativism, I feel that I will be able to acclimate myself into Mongolian culture with ease, once the initial culture shock passes.

D: The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project.

In addition to learning Mongolian, and proper English teaching techniques, I feel that the greatest skill I hope to gain will be that of social interaction. I am of the opinion that the most good can be accomplished if everyone is comfortable with each other. It is important to me that I learn what my body language and manner of communication conveys to the Mongolian people so as not to inadvertently offend them.

E: How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends.

Being of a relatively young age, I am still unsure as to what my ultimate goals are. However, I know with out a doubt that Peace Corps service is right for me, and I know that the knowledge and experience I will gain in Mongolia will go a long way in helping define the individual I will become.