Wow! Things sure do go fast sometimes! We started to send out information about this blog to yesterday and have already had more than 50 requests to join it. Thank you all for joining us on our journey. I/we are new to this blogging buisness, so please be patient with us.
We intend to post to the blog as regularly as possible, and who knows what that will mean after May 14th! My personal goal is that Kevin and I will post at least once a month. We will also encourage additions by friends and family who have head from us.
There are a couple of blog features that you might enjoy on the right hand side:
->Links to other related pages...go check out the live shots of the Panama Canal! (I fully intend to go through the canal at least once...we will have to post before we go so you can look for us!)
->A spot to sign up for alerts when the blog is updated. It checks once a day at 1am to see if the blog has a new post and will tell you about it.
I must say that after being careful for so long about who I talked to about Peace Corps...it is quite strange to have EVERYONE know! Welcome aboard!
April and Kevin in Kuna Yala, the northeast coast of Panamá
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The News is OUT!
Well, it's official. The news that I am leaving the Zoo for the Peace Corps is now completely public to all of our staff and volunteers. No more hiding anything from anyone! Yeah!
Monday, March 26, 2007
7 weeks and counting...
So, we have 7 weeks left.
5 weeks before we leave our home of 8 1/2 years.
3 weeks left of work.
Things are starting to look different around here. We are organizing things...paring down to what we keep and letting go of the clutter. It is both a slow and a fast process - I know that that doesn't make sense. But it feels like the days on the calendar stream past and yet the work to be done feels both slow and yet on target for where I want to be right now. I know that that will change as the deadline looms ever closer.
Some things about life feel the same, and some are rapidly changing. I handed over all of the things related to my leadership with Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy raisers recently and last week was my last class teaching puppy classes. Our last pup, Viking, went to a new raiser and now the house is very quiet.
We also handed over all of the training materials for Maryland Search and Rescue. It feels strange to see emails going out with someone new running the discussion. At work also, things are starting to move on without me. This weekend there were several trainings at work that I would have normally lead or coordinated...and they went on without me. It is odd. On one hand it is good to see programs that I have given lots of time to in good hands. On the other hand it is odd to be so easily replaced.
Thanks to Mom and Dad Cropper for helping with the packing, 1/4 round trim and stripping the paint from the front door. We felt like we got a lot done this weekend!
5 weeks before we leave our home of 8 1/2 years.
3 weeks left of work.
Things are starting to look different around here. We are organizing things...paring down to what we keep and letting go of the clutter. It is both a slow and a fast process - I know that that doesn't make sense. But it feels like the days on the calendar stream past and yet the work to be done feels both slow and yet on target for where I want to be right now. I know that that will change as the deadline looms ever closer.
Some things about life feel the same, and some are rapidly changing. I handed over all of the things related to my leadership with Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy raisers recently and last week was my last class teaching puppy classes. Our last pup, Viking, went to a new raiser and now the house is very quiet.
We also handed over all of the training materials for Maryland Search and Rescue. It feels strange to see emails going out with someone new running the discussion. At work also, things are starting to move on without me. This weekend there were several trainings at work that I would have normally lead or coordinated...and they went on without me. It is odd. On one hand it is good to see programs that I have given lots of time to in good hands. On the other hand it is odd to be so easily replaced.
Thanks to Mom and Dad Cropper for helping with the packing, 1/4 round trim and stripping the paint from the front door. We felt like we got a lot done this weekend!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Croppers in the Peace Corps FAQs:
When do you leave?
My last day at the Zoo will be April 14th. My last day in Maryland will be May 1st. We leave for Peace Corps from my parents house in Cincinnati on may 14th.
Where are you going in the Peace Corps? How long will you be there?
We are going to Panama. We don’t know exactly where in Panama yet. Peace Corps is a 2 year & 3 month commitment. The first three months will be job, language, and culture training in Panama just outside Panama City. During that training they will assign us to a specific community to serve out our 2 years.
Why go to the Peace Corps now?
I have wanted to join the Peace Corps since I was a freshman in college (let’s not be specific about when that was). When I got married just out of college I found out that my husband had done an internship at the NSA while in college….and the Peace Corps will not accept you for 10 years after you work with NSA or FBI (never for CIA- They don’t want anything in your recent past to bring your reasons for serving into question for your host country.). So I stopped thinking about it. Well, the ten year mark recently passed and I realized that I either go live the dream now…or wait until I retire. Plenty of volunteers here at the Zoo have made me aware of just how busy I will be in retirement…so now is the moment!
What will you do in the Peace Corps?
I will be assigned to work with in a community teaching environmental education with a group called the Community Environmental Conservation. The CEC has been working in Panama for over 14 years. Kevin will be working to promote sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Did you pick Panama? Do you speak Spanish?
You can make placement requests with your Peace Corps application. We requested 1. we want a Spanish speaking country (they said don’t count on it) 2. Prefer not Russia or former Russian countries (I had has some Russian in college and didn’t want to start that again). We were thrilled to hear Panama was the assignment.
As to Spanish…well, we are working on it. We have been taking Spanish classes at the local college for a while now…and I think I know just enough to be a little scared and very excited. I would have gone almost anywhere in the world with Peace Corps…but I really wanted to learn Spanish.
What are you doing with: house, dog / cat, Veggie oil burning VW Beetle?
The house is going up for rent for 2 years. Viking the current Guiding Eyes puppy is moving to another veteran puppy raiser here in Baltimore. Max, my cat, is going to live with Diana Trujillo past intern and JZC instructor. The Veggie Bug I haven’t decided about, I love it and don’t really want to let it go….if you know someone seriously interested in running on vegetable oil, I am open to offers.
My last day at the Zoo will be April 14th. My last day in Maryland will be May 1st. We leave for Peace Corps from my parents house in Cincinnati on may 14th.
Where are you going in the Peace Corps? How long will you be there?
We are going to Panama. We don’t know exactly where in Panama yet. Peace Corps is a 2 year & 3 month commitment. The first three months will be job, language, and culture training in Panama just outside Panama City. During that training they will assign us to a specific community to serve out our 2 years.
Why go to the Peace Corps now?
I have wanted to join the Peace Corps since I was a freshman in college (let’s not be specific about when that was). When I got married just out of college I found out that my husband had done an internship at the NSA while in college….and the Peace Corps will not accept you for 10 years after you work with NSA or FBI (never for CIA- They don’t want anything in your recent past to bring your reasons for serving into question for your host country.). So I stopped thinking about it. Well, the ten year mark recently passed and I realized that I either go live the dream now…or wait until I retire. Plenty of volunteers here at the Zoo have made me aware of just how busy I will be in retirement…so now is the moment!
What will you do in the Peace Corps?
I will be assigned to work with in a community teaching environmental education with a group called the Community Environmental Conservation. The CEC has been working in Panama for over 14 years. Kevin will be working to promote sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Did you pick Panama? Do you speak Spanish?
You can make placement requests with your Peace Corps application. We requested 1. we want a Spanish speaking country (they said don’t count on it) 2. Prefer not Russia or former Russian countries (I had has some Russian in college and didn’t want to start that again). We were thrilled to hear Panama was the assignment.
As to Spanish…well, we are working on it. We have been taking Spanish classes at the local college for a while now…and I think I know just enough to be a little scared and very excited. I would have gone almost anywhere in the world with Peace Corps…but I really wanted to learn Spanish.
What are you doing with: house, dog / cat, Veggie oil burning VW Beetle?
The house is going up for rent for 2 years. Viking the current Guiding Eyes puppy is moving to another veteran puppy raiser here in Baltimore. Max, my cat, is going to live with Diana Trujillo past intern and JZC instructor. The Veggie Bug I haven’t decided about, I love it and don’t really want to let it go….if you know someone seriously interested in running on vegetable oil, I am open to offers.
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