Now that I have made that announcement, let me explain a bit more:

I am writing a travel guide to Zambia with a fellow Zam-RPCV and my good friend Jen Casto. Jen and I are working on this project under the Other Places Travel Guides series. Other Places was started by Kit Beale, an RPCV who served in Antigua and Barbuda. He realized that RPCVs are able to gain a unique perspective on the counties where they serve – and one that should be shared with as many people as possible.

Here’s a great explanation description from their website:

“Other Places Publishing is a start-up publisher focused on a new series of travel guides that bring local insight, culture and adventure to the intrepid traveler. What makes our series of travel guides so unique is that each book is written and researched by long-time residents of each country. Not only do our writers live in-country, they are all former Peace Corps Volunteers having experienced a culture and people like few outsiders can.”

So a few months ago, I contacted him about writing a Zambia guide. Currently, there are guides for fourteen counties – from Paraguay to Ghana to Mongolia and around the world again. Jen and I are about a quarter of the way through the process (at least this is my admittedly optimistic estimation). We’ve split the work down the middle and have been busily writing about Zambia – about the culture, food, and people, and about our recommendations for the best places to stay and eat and the best attractions to make sure to visit. The guides are primarily aimed at backpackers and PCVs/RPCVs – aka, people who love a good bargain.

I started with central Zambia, including Central Province and Copperbelt. Next up is Livingstone/Victoria Falls and Northern Zambia (Luapula and Kasama). I’m also working on a variety of sections with basic info about Zambia – the food, sports, history/government and demographics, just to name a few.

I thought I had travelled a lot throughout Zambia, but as I research places, I realize there is still so much cool stuff I haven’t seen. I am planning to be back in Zambia for a week in September to do some more research and hopefully attend a wedding (also, if anyone wants to join me, the invitation is open). Then the final draft will go through a ton of revisions and design – and hopefully be published early next year. It will able online, in print and ebook versions.

So far it has been an adventure. Whenever people ask me my plans for the weekend, I usually say “working on my book.” It makes me feel pretty cool. And someday, I’ll be a published author!

If you have any tips or recommendations that should be included, feel free to email me at mary@otherplacespublishing.com. You can also “like” the Facebook page at for continuing updates.

I am really starting to feel settled in D.C. I have been playing softball on my office’s team, which has been a lot of fun. We play right on the National Mall – it’s crazy to look up and see the Washington Monument right there as you are running the bases. I have also started volunteering at Common Good City Farm. Common Good City Farm is an urban farm and education center growing food with and for low-income residents in Washington, DC and providing educational opportunities for all people. I am supposed to be helping with their after-school program, but in the two weeks I have attended no kids have shown up. So I have just been volunteering around the farm – harvesting veggies and herbs that are sold to support their educational programs. So between volunteering and softball, I have been keeping busy.

I moved the first week of March. Moving is never fun, but I am really enjoying my new house. I found this house on Craigslist, and so far it has been great. I have three housemates (one girl, two guys), and we all get along well. We have a great deck, so it has been awesome to be able to sit outside and eat dinner or have a few people over on the weekends.

In April, I went down to see the famous cherry blossoms. It really was a cool sight – so many trees all in full blossom. It was also a sneak peek into tourist season – so many people! I have come to the conclusion that if you are on the Mall in the summer, you need to be wearing a shirt that matches at least one other person, because you are either in tour group or on a softball team.

I have remained active in the Iowa State Alumni Club of DC. I have met some incredible people and I am glad that the club is taking off. We had a picnic to celebrate VEISHEA – it wasn’t as awesome as actually being at VEISHEA – but there were cherry pies. We also participated in University Row at the Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is a big race that is held out in rural Virginia each year, and the University Row is a big tent with about a hundred university alumni clubs, eating and drinking. It was a great excuse to stand outside (it was a beautiful day!) in a slightly ridiculous hat.

Work has been busy – Peace Corps announced this week that they would begin accepting applications for same-sex couples to serve together, so we have been in the news a lot. The announcement was mostly received positively – I hope that we will be able to keep this momentum going. We also just got a new press director (my direct supervisor) so it has been an adventure teaching her about Peace Corps and the work we do to promote the work of volunteers around the world. We have added two new people to our office in the past month – so I am no longer the new kid! I was really hoping to get some new RPCV blood in our office, but it wasn’t to be.

Summer is kicking off in DC – lots of outdoor parties and events. It hasn’t gotten unbearably hot yet, so people are still willing to be outside. I plan on keeping busy and continuing to explore DC. If you are planning to be in DC this summer, just let me know – I would love to have some visitors!

Reblogged from BangweuluFish:

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With BBC Africa's recent footage of a shoebill nest in Bangweulu making headlines I've realised its high time I put some photos and facts up here about the Bangweulu swamp's flagship species.

Shoebill (Baleaniceps rex- meaning 'whale-head king') occur only in the Africa's most vast swamps and wetlands. Here they mostly just stand around, their giant feet supporting their weight on the floating grass.

Read more… 1,003 more words

I was offered a new contract at the end of my three months with Peace Corps. I accepted, and now have a job here for the next two and a half years. Peace Corps is unique (at least in the Federal Government) in that you can only work for Peace Corps for five years at a time. Apparently this policy dates back to the early days – Sargent Shriver (the first PC Director) said that if Peace Corps was going to be a federal agency, it wasn’t going to be one of those agencies with career bureaucrats that don’t do anything. And so, the five year rule was born.  

So, since I will be staying in DC for a while longer, the next step was to find a more permanent living arrangement. I was incredibly lucky when I moved out here that my friend Amy had an extra bedroom that she was willing to rent out to me. I didn’t really realize how lucky until I started looking for a new place. I seriously underestimated how much of an ordeal finding a new house would be. I started with Craigslist – trying to find the right mix of location, price and roommates. I went to numerous open houses of all types. I had group interviews, individual interviews, looked at bedrooms and bathrooms and tried to find something that I liked – with people that liked me.

I finally found a new place, not too far from my current place. The neighborhood is called Bloomingdale, in the eastern half of the northwestern quadrant of DC.  I will be living with three other people, two guys and one girl. It’s a great house, in an area of DC that has been gentrified fairly recently. It’s a little further from the office – but still within walking distance and close to a couple of bus lines.

Overall, I have found life in DC is pretty great. Sometimes it is a bit overwhelming being around so many people all of the time – but there are advantages to life in the city.

Here are my top three pet peeves:

1. Bicyclists on the sidewalk.  I was almost hit by one the other day. The road is for wheels, the sidewalk is for heels.
2. People stopped in the crosswalk. I hate having to walk around cars to cross the street.
3. Cars that do not yield to pedestrians, even though it is DC law (and well marked). Florida Avenue is the worst place to try and cross – without stoplights, cars never stop for you.

I have been trying my best to keep meeting new people and trying new things.  I have been active in the Iowa State Alumni Club of DC and I have enjoyed spending time with some fellow Cyclones. The club is really just getting started, so it has been fun to be in on the planning stages of everything. So far it has mostly been gamewatches and happy hours – but what else do you really need? Also, there are a few other Zambia RPCVs in DC (DC is a haven for RPCVs!) so we have something of an informal group and get together for dinner or happy hour every once in a while. It’s great to meet people with similar backgrounds and experiences.

So that’s the update from DC! Winter here has been pretty mild – a few snowy days, but nothing unmanageable. Hopefully spring is just around the corner. 

Also, I made the Peace Corps facebook page (and the pictures, I’m not in, I took)

Peace Corps Facebook Post

9:00 After a little confusion, I found the OpenGovHub. The room has a great set-up, lots of workstations with plenty of plug-ins. Right now people are rolling in, grabbing some breakfast (and the first of many coffees for  the day). The event will kick off at 10 with presentations of the problems.

12:00 We started the morning at 10, with presentations from various groups with their projects. We presented our problem set and got some positive feedback. After the presentations, everyone broke into groups to decide which projects to work on. It was chaos for a bit as everyone tried to find the right people to tackle the issues around the problems and solutions. Here in DC, we have people working on the “No More tro-tro-trouble Transport App” and the “Peace Corps Virtual Village”. There are also some people working on an SMS reporting app that will be used for lots of different problems, including some in the PC set. In Phildelphia, they are working on the “Living Directory,” and I am teleworking with them a bit as we try to create a database of NGOs and organizations. We decided Zambia was a great place to start since I have the inside information. It’s really exciting to be here and see how it all is coming together.

5:00 Throughout the afternoon, things have been quieting down around here as people really focus on collecting data, programming, and doing the legwork on solving these problems. I also think the DC Hack-a-thon is a little different than some of the others, in that there are more people just here to check things out. This is probably because a lot of organizations are headquartered in DC, so it is easy for the leadership to pop in and see the process in action. Even the acting Director of Peace Corps, Carrie Hessler-Radelet came for a while this morning to see everyone working on the Peace Corps problem set.

I spent the afternoon plugging away at finding data. There are several databases out there with lists of NGOs – the main problem is that they are of varying quality and varying infomation. The idea is to pull all the information into one place that it easily accessible. We are still working on figuring out a way to make sure the info is accurate and up-to-date. This is a huge problem, and even just to do one country (Zambia) has been a tremendous undertaking. I am heading home now, but people will continue to work here at the OpenGovHub until 9pm, and then will start up again tomorrow at 9am.

My idea was to create an interactive, searchable map that contains information on NGOs and other development/aid organizations that are working in a given area. (For my original submission, click here:
http://innovationchallenge.peacecorps.gov/idea/57
). By combining several submissions, the final problem looks like this:
http://www.rhok.org/problems/living-directory-do-gooders-and-their-programs
.

Those of you who know me, know that I am not a programmer, coder, or otherwise particularly tech-savvy. I am really good at using the internet – but I have no idea how it actually works. The idea of this “hack-a-thon” really intrigues me, and the more I learn about RHoK, the programs, and everything else – the more excited I get about being a part of it. Even though I might not be much help on the programming end, I am hoping to be able to contribute as a “subject matter expert (SME)” or by finding data on the internet. Another perk of the event is free food – enough to make any RPCV happy!

At this point, I really don’t know what to expect. The event in DC is being held at the OpenGov Hub – “an attempt to physically collocate historically distinct but like-minded communities of practice under a single shared physical workspace” (this is directly from their website; I have no idea what it actually means). My two competing images are either the situation room – lots of computers and TVs and everyone connected to each other with headsets and smart phones OR the basement of Friley Hall – lots of nerds on their computers in the dark chugging Mountain Dew. In reality, it will probably be somewhere in between.

So this is my “before” post – my idea is to keep a live blog with updates as the day goes along and the project progress. The first event is tonight, a reception at the World Bank that I am planning to attend with a few of my co-workers. This is something of an event-before-the-event, a chance to do a little schmoozing and meet some of the other people involved before things get serious tomorrow. So stay tuned as I navigate a whole new experience.

More info:

Peace Corps Innovation Challenge, 
http://innovationchallenge.peacecorps.gov/

Random Hacks of Kindness, 
http://www.rhok.org/
     

Turns out that Sandy blew past DC and headed for New York instead. Here in DC, it was pretty low key. There was some damage, mostly small to medium branches down around town. We didn’t even end up losing power. I think we ended up with about six inches of rain over the two days – a lot, but not as much as lots of other places.

We did get two days off from work – but it was business as usual for most people on Wednesday the 31^st.

All in all, DC was incredibly lucky. My thoughts go out to everyone who wasn’t as lucky. And now I can say I survived my first hurricane.

Previous post:

As you all have heard, the East Coast is having a bit of a hurricane. I thought I would post an update on the first day of the storm before my power goes out (as it likely will). DC started really preparing for the megastorm on Friday. I was asked by my boss to fill out a “telework agreement.” Basically, this allows me to work from home on days when the Federal Government is on unscheduled leave. Usually people are only allowed to telework after they have been working for 90 days, but since this is an “unscheduled” absence because of the weather, exceptions were made. But since it was short notice, I was unable to get the equipment needed to access my files from home.

On Saturday morning, I went with my housemate Amy and another friend to the grocery store to stock up on emergency supplies. We managed to get the last case of Dasani – all the store brand water was already gone, and all that was left was Fiji and Evian. The granola bars, canned stuff (especially the soup), and cracker sections were looking a little bare as well. Saturday was a beautiful day – the calm before the storm.

On Sunday afternoon I went to the staging for a new group of volunteers that are scheduled to leave for Jordan tonight. I don’t think they will make it. It was fun to talk to them and get some of their expectations and thoughts before they leave for their two years of Peace Corps service.

The rain started last night. It was raining steadily, but not too heavily. Overnight, it kept raining and the wind picked up. It’s now pretty windy, and the rain is still coming down. They closed the federal government to the public for today (and most likely tomorrow as well). I am working a little from home – what I can do without access to my work email and other work documents. Since the timeline was unknown, most people were expecting to be able to work on Monday. Not sure how long we’ll be out – my guess is it will depend on other things, like flooding, debris, and the power situation before any decisions are made.

The wind is blowing and things are looking like they will be getting worse. Our house is in an area unlikely to flood, but it is pretty likely we will lose power at least for a little while. So far the hurricane is mostly like a long rain shower with some crazy wind. Hopefully I will be able to post more over the next day or so.

I am living in DC with another friend of mine, Amy (different Amy). Amy and I have known each other since we were in 4-H together all through school. Amy has been out here for a couple of years, so it is nice to have someone who knows their way around and can help me out a little. Her house is in the NW sector, about two miles from my office. It’s a nice walk, and there is also a bus that runs from about half a block away to Dupont Circle, which is about a 15 minute walk to my office.  It takes about the same amount of time to get to my office whether I walk or take the bus, but it has been pretty nice, so I have been walking most days.

Currently just over 600 people work at Peace Corps at the headquarters. It is a little different than my last office, where there were six people. I have my own space, basically a cubicle. The Communications office is on the 8^th floor with the Director’s Office. Everyone has been really great and welcoming. I am currently the only RPCV in the Communications office, but overall the headquarters is about half RPCV and half non-RPCV. I haven’t met any other RPCVs from Zambia, but I know there are a few in the office. There is even another guy from Iowa who works on the 8^th floor. Peace Corps is a really fun place to work, and everyone has been really friendly.

One of the first things I helped out with for work was the Acting Director’s trip to Ames. Randomly, the week I started was the week before she was heading to Iowa State to give a speech as part of the World Food Prize festivities. I was able to pitch in a little with some details about Iowa State (where to park, how to get around campus). The focus of the speech was on food security and the Feed the Future program that Peace Corps and USAID have been partnering on during the past year. I believe I got a mention in her speech as a RPCV and ISU alum. I even got to have my picture on the Peace Corps’ Facebook page (www.facebook.com/peacecorps).  It was pretty awesome.

I have been working on a number of things already and have been learning the ropes

Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, DC

around the office. I have written a couple of press releases (hopefully one will be posted on the website this week) and even wrote a blog post for USAID about the visit to Iowa State. I have learned how to post information on the website and create lists of media contacts. Also, I have been helping the interns (we have four interns in the press office) gather the press clips each day. The press clips are a compilation of all the stories about Peace Corps or volunteers which are then sent out to all Peace Corps employees.

So far work has been really great and I am looking forward to the rest of my time in DC. I haven’t had too much time to check out the rest of DC. I have gone to the Iowa State football gamewatches at one of the bars, which has been great. It has been a great chance to meet some other ISU fans. I have figured out most of the basics – how to get to/from work, the grocery store, and some of the restaurants around my office.

In the upcoming weeks, I will continue to work on writing press releases and other information. The list of Top Colleges and Top States will be coming out soon, and this is always a big story for Peace Corps. I will also be helping out with some more stuff for Feed the Future and for the Combined Federal Campaign (fundraising events). Working all day is exhausting, but I am really enjoying it.

The position is titled “Public Affairs Assistant” and it is in the Communications Department of Peace Corps, at their headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is just a three month temporary position for now, but if they like me and I like working there (and like living in D.C.) there is a possibility that it will turn into a long term position.  It is a great entry-level position, but I will (hopefully) have some great opportunities to work on honing my communication and writing skills. I will be responsible for drafting some press releases and other information, answering media and other requests, and basically helping out wherever I am needed in the Communications Department. Some of these publications will be internal but others will be sent out, including on the Peace Corps website (and don’t worry, you’ll know when something I worked on makes it to the internet!).

I found this job announcement in the RPCV Google Group, and sent in my resume and information. A few hours later, I got an email asking for a phone interview the next day. After the phone interview, I had a Skype interview the next day. A few days later, I was offered the job! It was incredible to have it all taken care of so quickly…no waiting to hear if I got an interview, no anxiety when I hadn’t heard back after the interview. On the plus side, even though it is a temporary position, it is still a federal position – so now the door is cracked open a little further for the future.  Of course, the same day I was offered the job, another job I had applied for and had a phone interview six weeks previous called me to see if I was still interested. When it rains, it pours, I guess!

So after a lightning fast interview process, the hard part started. Since this is a federal position, I had to complete an SF-85, which is the light version of a background check. It included listing every place I’d lived and every job I’ve had in the last five years…and someone who can verify this information. These people then had to fill out an additional form to vouch for this information. I also had to fill out a fingerprint card and some other information. In addition, I had an in person interview with a Special Agent from the Peace Corps that was about an hour and a half long. During this interview, I had to go over the information I submitted, and also account for all of my international travel during the past five years. And not just where and when – the exact details of where I stayed, how I got there, what I did, what I drank, and who I was with (full name, current residence, age, citizenship, and gender). It took a couple of days to put together all this information, as I’ve been all over the place the last four years. Luckily, I didn’t have to account for the time I was in Zambia, since that was my country of residence.

Today I heard back that I had passed this security clearance, and would be able to finally start work. The choices were either start on Monday (as in three days from now) or in two weeks. After some research into flights and living arrangements, I decided that I would go with the two weeks from now option – and even booked a flight. This is real, people. My days of watching Law and Order: SVU and CSI all day are numbered.  I will be leaving from Omaha on the afternoon of the 6^th – after attending the wedding of one of my friends from high school. So if you are planning to be in the Washington D.C. area anytime in the next three months, let me know.

I’ll keep posting here since this is the address everyone knows and loves. Instead of adventures and misadventures in the middle of Africa, I will be having adventures and misadventures in the middle of the big city (hopefully more of the former and less of the latter!).  If this turns out to be more permanent, I might just have to change it to “Mary in DC”.