Cats and Slavic countries


Cats, Peace Corps / Monday, March 15th, 2010

For the past few years there has been a small dispute about whether or not I draw myself into my comic. I don’t, for the record.

But regardless, I did two things last Wednesday that was out of character. I forgot to post a comic before it should have gone up and I drew myself into the comic. I also used the comic to directly reference my life.

You see, last Wednesday my cat, Marley, was let out of our apartment by the construction workers painting in our apartment. I panicked and searched as much of the building that I could (I didn’t go in other apartments and there are nooks and crannies that I cannot get into). I went outside and wandered while looking for her. Thursday, I hung posters.

I got a lot of support from my friends and from strangers (via craigslist and my posters). Everyone wanted Marley to come home (it made me wonder if my friends were only my friends because of my cat). But she didn’t come home.

I had to find her.

Last night, roughly 11:30, I received a text from a guy in our building telling me that he saw Marley run under some stairs in the basement before he could catch her. I ran downstairs to find her. It turns out, she was hiding in the rubble of an abandoned elevator shaft that had been covered up. I had to take a piece of plywood off the wall to get her and then lure her out with a shoelace. I took her home and gave her a large bowl of food and water.

The realization that Marley was gone preceded some good news. It was a very confusing week. I found out on Thursday that my application went well and I was able to be nominated for a Peace Corps position.

I would have said something sooner, but I wanted to get some more details. For starters, I had no idea what being nominated meant. I found out today and I know where the application process will go from here.

Being nominated means I am put into a pool of possible candidates for the position. Well, I think it’s a pool. It might be just me if I accept it first. But that doesn’t guarantee that I will get to go.

I still need to pass my medical background check, which is next on the list. After that I have to pass a background check. And then I will get an invitation if the country still wants me.

While all of this is happening, I need to get more ESL tutoring experience. I have a few possibilities lined up already. Hopefully I can get it done in time and get an invitation.

So, nothing is set in stone yet but I’m a good step forward in the program.

For the record; the position that I was offered would be teaching English in an Eastern European country and it would leave in September.

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