Moving Onward...

My news for the NEW YEAR is that I have been accepted to join the US Peace Corps ! and I am leaving the country in about 18 days for my assignment and training in the Eastern Caribbean.

 

Looks pretty idyllic--huh? but the Island where I will be volunteering has alot of poverty---not always apparent behind the tourist industry's promotion of paradise. But more about that in a later post--after I am there and know more. This I do know: the average temperature is 85 degrees year round, it is a tropical rain forest, and the least developed of all the Caribbean islands.

Some of you may know that in doing this I am following in my parent's footsteps--they were in the Peace Corps for 2 years around 1971 and were sent to Jamaica (also in the Caribbean). In fact, their service there and hearing so much about the Peace Corps from them over the years, is one thing that inspired me to do this.

So, I am leaving Seattle on Jan 23--not long off at all! and very busy packing and dealing with last minute affairs. I plan to start a NEW BLOG about my Peace Corps life, and will probably not be posting much here. However, when I get the new blog up and running (hopefully soon), I  will post a link here for everyone.

oh! and in case you are wondering which island by now?---I am going to Dominica Island (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic)....see above? it is in red on the map....

I really lucked out with this location and plan to make the most of it and help all I can. So far, the Peace Corps tells me I will be doing "NGO Development"---which could be almost anything. I won't know until I complete my 3 months of in country training exactly where I will be or what I will be doing....so for now I'm just going with the flow and letting that mystery be. I know everything will be ok and I am on the right path....

Abundance Dream

I believe in abundance---that is---I believe that everything good is readily available. This morning I woke up from a dream with this phrase in my head: "Do what you love and the money will follow."

Then I saw myself making a page in my journal with this phrase which was resonating in my head, so I got the colored pencils from my suitcase and started drawing. For months now I have been adrift without a job, living on savings while I reconstructed my life and pursued the elusive perfect next chapter of my life.

Thank Goddess my friends and the universe threw a good summer job my way---in a few days I am off to a small town in Alaska---where I lived for many years in my youth---to work for the summer. I will be cooking (a chef!!) at the Laughing Raven Lodge for the guests and staff--a fun job, working with good friends---but also hard work. I have done this job before a few years ago--so I know what it entails. I will be living and working in Port Alexander on Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska until the end of August--then who knows?

I have put much energy out into the universe requesting and searching for a meaningful job---because at this stage of my life a job is no longer about the $$$ money, it is about doing something meaningful that gives back to my community---and I do not doubt that a new door will open and I will step through it into my next adventure.

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible." ~Margaret Drabble. For several months now this has been my motto---I have tried to stay open to all the possibilities, rather than fall into despair each time I applied for a job and was rejected. Of course, I was living in Portland, Or---a state that is second in the nation in unemployment---where a job is advertised and 6oo people apply. Talk about fierce competition! I am glad to be going to Alaska to work awhile and feel blessed to be graced with this job.

I have stored 99% of my belongings in storage locker--freeing me up to go anywhere the next escapade leads me. After moving all my stuff--down one flight of stairs (no elevator) and up 3 flights (freight elevator) and stowing it all away, I wanted to sell most of the stuff---all my books, artwork, furniture, shelves etc. and take the $$$ and hit the road as a travelin' gypsy. Who needs all that stuff anyway?? Memories are what count---not material possessions.

"Do what you love"---? well, I do love Alaska--my first home, and I love cooking (and eating!)so, for now, this job fits the bill...I will be blogging from my trusty new refurbished and very portable Macbook about my Alaskan adventures..so please stay tuned!