the shiny is gone, and I'm left with green on my finger

I've been a bad updater and blog stalker since I got my invite. I had planned on updating after I did the resume and aspiration statement, but I was too overwhelmed by the realization that I don't really have any personal interests / hobbies / aspirations, at least none that are relevant to my post. Like, I don't see how my extensive knowledge of Stargate is going to help me teach English in Mongolia in any way. I enjoy knitting and swimming, but really that's it. So that ended up being an arduous process in which I whined and was sad for a few days while figuring out a way to make myself sound more interesting than I actually think I am.

Then there's the paperwork problem. I sat down and read and reread every single sheet of paper in my invitation kit. First, it congratulated me on being part of the 21st group of volunteers to go to Mongolia, even though I know the M21s are already in country and I am an M22. Maybe I'm just confused, but I think it's a legitimate reason for confusion. Second, nothing in the kit says where staging is. Maybe because it's still five months away, but you'd think they would have decided that when they decided when the program was going.

Then there's the visa application which I still haven't sent in. I couldn't do anything with it until I got home last week anyway because my passport was here, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Well, haven't gotten around to sending it in. I finally got the photos taken today (I always look so angry, but they dislike smiles) and I filled out the passport application awhile ago, but I think there's something wrong with my visa application. The directions make it very clear that Mongolia has a two page application, that I need to fill out both sides, and I need to read both sides of the instructions. Both the application and the directions are only single-sided. SATO and I need to have a little chat tomorrow because I really don't want to send my current passport and all the paperwork in, just to have it sent back because they fail.

I feel like it's still unreal and too far away for me to really be excited. I still have to trudge through one more semester at school and graduate before I can leave. After Christmas sales are a fabulous way to stock up on thermals and long underwear (sigh cold), but that's really all I can do at this point. I didn't even get to be excited to open my invitation because I could see "Mongolia" through the address window on the envelope. As time goes by, I'll have plenty of time to get excited for everything Mongolia has to offer me, but right now I'm more stuck in the "oh geez what have I gotten myself into" phase.