As I continue to go about my daily life I've noticed that every once and a while I'll think: "It's lucky I'm already doing _____, it might make my transition easier." Of course, I'm referring to the Peace Corps. Things that I've recently had this thought about are that I have to wash all my dishes by hand (sadly I have no dishwasher), or that I am already having to get around sans car. And I feel like I do pretty well despite lacking some of the modern conveniences that I used to take for granted.

The of course I've also had thoughts to temper these previous thoughts. For instance, I might be used to washing my dishes by hand, but water comes so easily here and I might have to haul water from a distance to wash my clothes or dishes or to boil to drink. I might have to wait for the rains to come to take that bath I've wanted to take for a while. I can get around really easily on my own two feet and with my bike here, and I'm used to it taking a bit longer to get places. But I feel safe traveling on my own in Fort Collins, I can bike or walk home at night and not have to worry overly much about being mugged or worse.

I'm feeling fairly isolated currently, what with this whole "thesis" thing going on in my life. I'm going to have to get used to asking people to walk home with me at night from a late community meeting. I'll have to get used to the idea that even if I do have a bike down there that doesn't mean I'm more immune from personal attacks just because I can go faster than someone running after me.

I heard a story third or fourth hand the other day of a Peace Corps volunteer who took a taxi cab home and because it was dark paid extra to have the driver take her directly to her house. Then later that night the guy came back and raped her. This was the story that gave me pause, because it sounds like she did something to be safe, but yet still ended up getting harmed. At least it is always good to know that this sort of thing can happen here too, but still, it was an intimidating story to hear. Who knows if it's true, I heard it on the internet. :)

In any case, perhaps I will be a bit more prepared than most for living without modern conveniences but I don't know that anyone can ever be truly prepared for everthing they may encounter living in a foreign country with the Peace Corps.

Well, another day well spent. I've been hard at work on pretty much everything. Not as much as yesterday after Easter with the padres, but none the less, hard at work.

I sent out 20+ emails (all composed yesterday) to break the week-long abstinence from emailing people down in Central America bugging them for interviews. The reason I had a week off from this? Well, one person mentioned that it was infact Semana Santa, which meant everyone down there in CA get's a week long vacation. Well, not wanting to take any chances of people not being around, I figured I would work on something else for the time being and wait till TODAY to send the emails out en-masse.

So far so good. People have been responding pretty quickly. About 5 of the 20 I sent out this (late) afternoon have already responded. People in Tourism seem to have pretty long hours down there, or their work/personal emails combine. Anyways, things look good there. I also have some new contacts for Panama, which is great since I have no data from that country yet.

So my date for my defense is set. June 28th, which means I have to have a completed paper on June 22nd. OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!! That is coming up super fast. And I don't have all my data. So, hopefully I get the rest of it in two weeks, which gives me till the end of April/beg of May to analyze the data (here's hoping for two - three weeks of analysis TOPS). And then I can start writing the thesis in May. I have a week that I'll be gone in June, but I also drop down to 15 hours/week at work.

Oh my friends, please think nice thoughts at me.

And I'll do my part by trying... no, staying incredibly on top of everything and not slacking off. Sound like a deal?