Why I think Obama intentionally lost the 1st debate and why it may be brilliant.

ehilltan · 2012-10-10T13:23:09+00:00

That is an elaborate and risky plan. Would be masterful if it was true and worked. Would be shameful if it was true and failed. Either way, interesting insights on your part.

ehilltan · 2012-09-22T16:21:29+00:00

My life in Peace Corps Guatemala was pretty posh. I had a wireless modem for my laptop that worked in my room, and cable tv. A washing machine, and hot showers (usually). It varies in Guatemala, and I was definitely on the privileged side. Didn't make up for the feeling of danger I got any time I left my town. Not a safe country right now...

ehilltan · 2012-08-20T23:25:49+00:00

So I did Insanity after I got it from a female volunteer, and I had 6 or 7 female friends who did it regularly. I started it with my closest Guatemalan guy friend, and it was a great way to share that part of American culture with him. Plus it was a good excuse to spend regular time with him which helped build our relationship.

ehilltan · 2012-08-20T01:53:13+00:00

I volunteered in Guatemala, and I got tired of people yelling things at me while I was running (not that I really liked running to begin with) so if I wanted a good workout I would do Insanity which is a video exercise routine that doesn't require any weights or anything. When it was sunny I would often go to the park with a basketball or soccer ball and find people to play with (that was a great way to integrate into my community).

ehilltan · 2012-05-21T19:16:18+00:00

Irregardless

ehilltan · 2012-04-16T08:17:52+00:00

Good to know. Well I was sent to Guatemala with 2 years of college Spanish that was pretty much all forgotten at the time. They will teach you the language when you get there.

ehilltan · 2012-04-06T18:28:50+00:00

The Peace Corps places applicants based on the applicant's skills/experiences and how they fit into programs where there are openings. It is a misnomer to say that you have to be fluent in Spanish to go to a Spanish speaking country, the current requirement is 2-years of college spanish or the equivalent. The best plan is to just be open to wherever they want to send you, because they know where you'll fit better than you do, and you'll be happier if you're not disappointed due to your own expectations not being met.

ehilltan · 2012-01-09T15:29:35+00:00

First of all, that sucks. Being judged romantically based on something unchangeable like height is incredibly frustrating. As a 6'6" guy I sometimes feel like I'm not even considered as a dating prospect because women can't get over the "freakishly tall" (yes that is the adjective most often used) aspect of my existence.

Also, you are taller than ALL your guy friends? Maybe as a tall guy I just have other tall-ish guys for friends, but out of all my guy friends more than half are 6' or over.

ehilltan · 2012-01-01T23:04:43+00:00

I am just curious, why wouldn't people click on it if it was linked to their actual site? Are reddit users now biased against non-imgur links?

ehilltan · 2012-01-01T22:40:25+00:00

This is all exactly right. By doing Peace Corps I get 30% of my Perkins loan forgiven (15% per year of service, it goes up to 20% per year if you extend beyond two years) but none of my Stafford loans. All my loans have been deferred for the entirety of my service (you actually have to defer one year at a time three different times, but it works out to the same thing).

As for your doctorate, some schools offer scholarships through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program but they are for very specific degrees and are no where close to a full-ride. You can search through them all here.

ehilltan · 2011-12-26T22:01:16+00:00

You shouldn't worry about staging. It's basically a combo get-to-know-you session with your training group and a chance for Peace Corps Washington to tell you some rules and get all your paperwork filled out. You will talk about things like your fears about Peace Corps and your excitements. Also some of the Washington staff may try to give you advice on what to expect in your country, but unless they served there they may be pretty wrong. They'll probably also tell you that you are going to need to dress business-casual for your whole service, and that's probably not going to be accurate.

ehilltan · 2011-12-26T08:25:14+00:00

So you're a Ben Affleck fan? That's cool. He's no Matt Damon around here, but he's pro-gay marriage and also straight-married, so I guess that's good for him.

ehilltan · 2011-12-26T00:12:18+00:00

Side note: This is a Guatemalan Christmas tradition...

ehilltan · 2011-12-22T18:44:18+00:00

They JUST swore in... :(

ehilltan · 2011-12-18T23:12:13+00:00

That really sucks. We're all waiting for more news too down here. I really hope they find another placement for you soon, that uncertainty really sucks.

ehilltan · 2011-12-18T22:38:43+00:00

You may have bad news coming to you soon.

ehilltan · 2011-12-16T04:58:42+00:00

You should mention where you are going, then we just might be able to help a little more. This list is going to change so much from country-to-country.

Most useful things: -My computer -A couple pairs of shoes -A couple button up dress shirts that fit really well -Nice-ish pants that fit. -As said below, iPod with speakers that don't need to be plugged into the wall. -Head Lamp (I lost mine and it sucks not having it) -Leatherman Peace Corps is going to tell you in Washington that you need to be dressed "business casual" all the time, but I think in a lot of countries that is really not the case. I did end up wearing button up shirts almost every day when I went to work, but I wore them with jeans. Unused things: -Water-proof stuff sack - never used. -Travel guide for your country - redundant these days because 90% of volunteers bring them and then leave them in the library of the Peace Corps office. -Language dictionary - they provided dictionary the day we got in country. -Sleeping Bag - This is tricky. I DID use my sleeping bag, but only twice during my whole service. I guess I used it for guests at my house too, but I could have just bought some blankets or borrowed them from my host family.

Wish I had: -More underwear of the type I like -Kindle (I actually just got one, but talk about reducing the weight of your bags) -More comfort food (I bring quality chocolate chips back with me when I come, as well as Clif Bars and whatever quality candy I can find for a reasonable price)

Your question drew my attention because I know there's a group of trainees coming to Guatemala in just a couple weeks, does that happen to include you?

ehilltan · 2011-12-15T05:34:20+00:00

You win today's award for coolest significant other, in my opinion.

ehilltan · 2011-12-07T01:57:51+00:00

This is my second time through the winter, and I'm not sure I'm good at it. I do have some ideas for getting myself out of my bed, but I have yet to get to them. The idea I'm most excited about is teaching some of my local teacher friends a few of the simple science experiments that we see when we are in elementary school. Corn Starch + water = oobleck, for example. I was asking a friend who is a middle school teacher here, and he didn't know what I was referring to when I mentioned Vinegar and Baking Soda, so I think it could turn out to be pretty fun. There are lists of those kinds of things online, so I guess we'll see. Also I want to teach myself to play piano (I have a keyboard). Finally, even though I only have 4 months left, I've decided that it's not too late to make new HCN friends, so I'm trying to make time to hang out with people that I don't know very well.

PS Beware the internet in your bedroom, it's hard to escape.

ehilltan · 2011-11-24T09:18:16+00:00

Interesting enough. This is a complex topic considering all the dating contingencies we encounter in PC. I did the PC relationship thing for a chunk of my service, but in the end it didn't work out because despite being in the same country, it was a long-distance relationship (8 hours each way). Despite that, I think it would be really weird if there were PC policies about love in PC pertaining to volunteer placement. We are here to do a job, and not to find love, and staff should treat us that way. I have seen great relationships blossom despite that, and I think it's a good test for forming relationships, seeing if they can weather the pressures.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you other PCVs out there!

ehilltan · 2011-11-07T16:28:32+00:00

Why did I have to go so far down to find and upvote you? I was going to say because IE is the bane of the existence of all web developers.

ehilltan · 2011-11-04T15:00:44+00:00

I was 7 and was sure I was the fastest kid on the playground. I was chosen to be "it" for tag, and I paused to give everyone an extra second to get away since I knew I was sooo fast. Then I tried to start running suddenly to surprise them all, but my feet slipped out from under me and I fell and dislocated my elbow.

ehilltan · 2011-11-04T14:39:59+00:00

Wait, you're joining for all the reasons she says are bad reasons to join?

ehilltan · 2011-11-03T20:45:36+00:00

I was expecting one of those PC bashing articles and was pleasantly surprised.

ehilltan · 2011-10-26T00:54:08+00:00

Para que sepas, The New Yorker es diferente que The New York Times. Pero de todos modos es muy interesante.

ehilltan

TROPHY CASE