A Day with Lots of Firsts

I am writing this post from the Seoul airport in South Korea, where I have a 4 hour layover before my flight to Mongolia with my 45 fellow Peace Corps Mongolia volunteers.  My travels from home have included many firsts for me, including:

• My first 14-hour flight, which included tons of complimentary movies and music, a full dinner, snack and breakfast, and about 20 beverage runs (and the necessary trips to the airport bathroom after all of that liquid)
• My first time eating Korean BBQ chicken (it was good, and came with a kind-of-strange-but-tasty carrot, cucumber, and egg salad)
• My first time in Asia
• My first time in a non-English speaking airport/country
• My first time (in several years) traveling without a cell phone, since my contract has ended and my phone wouldn't work here anyway
• My first shared experience with my Peace Corps Mongolia colleagues
• My soon-to-be first time in Mongolia!

I found this photo online, but all of the korean air flight attendants and airport personnel wear this, and they look so cute!  

So far, the trip has been without any major problems.  We have had minor baggage problems and other sorts of things, but I expected this with such a large group.  Working through the different conflicts has helped us to rely on each other and help each other out more, and if 2 heads are better than 1, it can't get much better than 46 smart and resourceful people handling a situation.  I am feeling pretty sleepy because I haven't slept much the past two nights (first packing, then we woke up very early to take buses to the DC airport), and the long flight accommodations weren't quite comfortable enough to make  a long sleep possible.  

I am so excited to be in Mongolia soon, and I will update again when I have a chance!  

Peace (Corps) Out!

Peace Corps Application and Review Process...

....aka the longest, most repetitious process I have ever been involved in.  And believe me, I have filled out my share of applications.  I can appreciate that the Peace Corps has many applicants and has developed a method of weeding out people that aren't truly interested by means of the application process.  I am just incredibly glad that I am almost done!

Tomorrow, I leave home to start my journey across the world.



There are no words.



Here is what I have been up to since the end of school: mainly, spending as much time with my family as I can!

I helped Mom, Dad, and Karie plant flowers for our back deck.

We all pitched in to help Tracey and Phil landscape their new yard.

I spoiled my nephew Clark as much as possible.

See, we are best friends now!

Sisters, 

Sisters, 

All of my sisters!

Congratulations to Tracey on her graduation from her MBA program, I am so glad I got to celebrate it with you!

And most of all, I got to enjoy all of the little moments like these, when my mom can make the funniest faces:

....And sorry, Mom.  I'm sure you won't appreciate me posting these (;

Everyone took a turn keeping the fire going while camping over memorial day weekend, and I endured lots of jokes about how I need to get used to cold weather.  I hope I am not sitting outside in frigid temperatures as long as we did last weekend though!  But our fire kept us warm, and packing my under armor was definitely a good idea.

Lounging around a campfire is my favorite camping activity!

I have loved spending time with my family, and I am both excited and nervous to leave.  There are many unknowns in the near future, but that is part of the draw of the Peace Corps!  I am looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.  

My next post will be from Mongolia!  See you soon, everyone!

Life Update!

I am almost halfway through my second semester of grad school.  Time is flying by!  I have been focusing on eating lots of mexican food, and getting all of my PC paperwork completed correctly and on time.

I got mail:  Paul sent me this beautiful samovar from Russia!  I also got my W-2's from my mother, but that was less exciting.

I spent a weekend in Cleveland with my sister and her in-laws for the baptism of my nephew-in-law (the cutest 4-month-old ever!!) and I had a great time catching up with everyone.  It was my first experience traveling by Megabus, and it went really well!

Tracey and I after the christening!

Babies are awesome.  A Baby nephew is better, because I get to enjoy him and hand him off whenever he cries.

Cutest baby ever, and he enjoys Aunt Tracey's singing!

We visited the Cleveland Art Museum:  I thought this statue was very pretty, if a bit creepy.

In other news, I have become addicted to some new-to-me shows this semester.  The first was the BBC show Doctor Who, and I don't think I can call myself a geek any more since I had never watched this before.  It is so famous, I can't believe I just found it!  I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in science fiction, space, british tv shows, or anyone looking for a witty and humorous show.

Just this week I started watching a youtube show called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6690D980D8A65D08&feature=g-all-bul), a modern-day recreation of Pride and Prejudice, where Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bennett records video blogs about her life as a masters student, and all of the drama of the Victorian era translated to the 21st century.  I think the creators have done an amazing job portraying the story in a new way, while still taking enough creative license to make it a whole new experience.  I am so glad that one of my Facebook friends posted a link this week when I don't have as much homework, and not a busier time of the semester for me, because I couldn't stop watching!

I shamelessly borrowed this image from google images.  It shows the girls from left to right: Charlotte, Lizzie, Lydia, and Jane.  Kitty is an actual cat, and Mary is a cousin rather than a sister. 

I don't have too many plans coming up, except for actually following my training regimen for the half marathon in DC at the end of April.  I haven't been doing a very good job waking up to work out, so I need to think up a good motivating technique.  It's amazing how extra free time can make it more difficult to get things done!

Peace Corps Mongolia!

Mongolia: a country with a long history.  A country of nomadic people.  A country with mountains, deserts, and everything in between.  Here are some of the cool facts that I have learned about Mongolia since discovering that I will spend the next two and a half years there:

• Mongolia is historically known as the kingdom of Ghengis (of Chingis) Khan, who ruled the Mongol hourde at its height in the 13th century.
• Side note on Ghengis Khan: about 1 in every 200 men in the world (0.5%) share the same y chromosome.  It is hypothesized that all of these men share the same y chromosome because they are all descendants of Ghengis Khan!
• Mongolia is a landlocked country located between China and Russia.
• Mongolia was a part of the USSR, and gained independence in 1992.  Since then, Mongolia has been a democracy.
• Mongolia, with just over 3 million citizens and around 1.5 million square kilometers of land, is the most sparsely population country in the world.  It is roughly the size of Alaska.
• It gets very cold during the winter.  It is common for temperatures to drop down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (or -40 degrees Celsius, as they are the same temperature).
• Mongolia is said to have incredibly beautiful blue sky and sunny weather a majority of the time.
• More Mongolian women attend college than Mongolian men.
• The official language of Mongolia is Mongolian, which is written in Cyrillic (although it is more similar to Turkic languages than Russian).
• The most common religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism.
• The Peace Corps has sent volunteers to Mongolia for over 20 years, since 1991.
• As a volunteer, I will live with a host family during the first three months, when I will be in training.  After that, I will move into one of three possible living spaces: an apartment complex, a two-room wooden house, or a traditional Mongolian 'ger,' which is a type of round semi-permanent tent.  

More information to follow!  Please comment or contact me if you have any information about Mongolia or would like me to focus my Mongolian research in a certain direction.  I am very excited to learn more about Mongolia and the Mongolian people.  I think that the Peace Corps did a great job placing me in Mongolia, and I hope that I will be able to make a difference during my time there.  I know that it will be a life-changing experience for me!

I bought a camera!

This is an initial review of the camera I just received, a Sony alpha NEX-F3 mirrorless digital camera.  It is a step up from a normal point and shoot, with many versatile features and interchangeable lenses.  I think it will be a good beginner camera for me, since I have never used a more complex camera for any length of time.  Here are some random photos I have taken so far:

The NEX-F3 has a tiltable LCD screen, so you can take pictures of yourself!  It is sort of awkward to do this though, since adjusting the lens and everything is difficult when the camera is facing you.  I'm sure it will get better with practice.

One of the many features allows for a gentle blurring of the background.  You can choose the amount of blurring (or clarity) you prefer, which can create some neat photos.

In comparison to any other camera I have owned, the low light photos are phenomenal.  This shot was taken with only a small candle as the light in the room.  I definitely want to try some nice twilight and night landscapes soon.

Here is another added effect: you can choose a darkened halo like this, or many other filters that can add a lot to a photo.  

And to finish this post, here is my latest knitting project: a pair of mittens!  Well, not a pair yet, as I only have the right mitten done.  I am going to make a headband or hat to match as well.  It is my first foray into two color knitting that isn't double knitting (meaning that it isn't reversible), and it is an interesting technique!  I bought a book of hat, scarves, and mittens patterns that include more two color patterns to develop this skill more.  And now that I have this great camera, hopefully I will be better at documenting my creations!

Adventures in the Strip District

The Strip.  Where to begin when describing such a wonderful place?

The strip district is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh full of shops and street vendors, and it is the place to be every Saturday morning, when it is packed with lots and lots of shoppers.  I like to go every week that I can make it--mostly just to enjoy the atmosphere, although there are some great shops with good deals.

One of the best coffee shops I have ever been to--everything I have ordered here has been delicious!

A beautiful Polish Catholic Church.  The interior is full of stained glass and the stations of the cross in Polish.

A whiskey tasting at a distillery nearby!


Important places in the strip that I don't have pictures of yet: the best taco stand in the world at Reyna's Mexican Grocery, a Saturday morning farmer's market, several other coffee shops, and other specialty stores (Penn Mac, a Biscotti Company, an urban winery, and so many more).  Every time I go to the Strip, I discover more.  It is one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh!

Notre Dame-Pitt Showdown 2012

Although this post is a little late (sorry for no new posts lately!), I am going to recount my epic adventure to Notre Dame for the ND-Pitt game two weeks ago.  I had an amazing time, it was really great to see so many of my friends that are either still students or came back to campus as well.  I hadn't realized how much I had missed everything about ND until I went back!  The whole weekend was filled with intense nostalgia for my years as an undergrad.

Instead of trying to describe everything I did, I am going to use a whole bunch of pictures to document the occasion!

After a long car ride and a quick stop by my undergrad research lab to say hello, it was time for the marching band's fun Friday march out.

Here are some of the clarinets!

We attacked Nik with a feather boa and since he was at attention, he had to wear it for the whole march out!  Ever the gentleman, he told me that it kept his neck warm during the chilly afternoon march.

Saturday morning--my first ever tailgate!  Erin is looking super cute with her awesome touchdown gloves.

On a speedy walk through campus before the game, I got a picture of the beautiful fall weather and Touchdown Jesus.

Olivia and I were sitting in the fourth row of a bleacher section in the south end zone--we had to walk on the field to get to our seats!

The players came over to our end zone to say a quick prayer before the game.

The view was amazing!

The band performance begins--and these ushers haven't figured out that they are in my way.

It was so great to see and hear the band in person, it was the first time that I have seen them as a spectator.  They sounded great!

Here is a video of the band playing the fight song and forming the ND monogram (although you can't see the formation from our seats). This is one of my favorite songs ever, and it never gets old. I apologize in advance if it won't play correctly!

**update: aww shucks, this is the wrong video!  Here is the actual video of the fight song:

It was an exciting and scary game, but it ended with another Irish win!

I didn't photo document everything that I did during the weekend, so this post cannot do justice to how much fun I had.  But there were many things I didn't get the chance to do in so short of time, and I am sure that it will take many more trips to do so!  I look forward to spending some more time at ND over the years, even if I won't have another chance to go to a game for a while.

Go Irish! Beat Demon Deacons! (and Trojans!)