what a pleasant surprise!

Yesterday, one of my former student whom I used to tutor math emailed me out of the blue. I hadn't spoke to him since March when I left for Vietnam. I just thought he had lost my email or didn't care to stay in touch, which is kind of a bummer because I really liked the kid. He was pretty mature for his age. Despite being a poster child for punk/rock emo kids who wear trench coats in the summer and can pull off the dark eyeliner look better than I could, he was sweet and funny, and we have spent quite some of his 'studying' time discussing Dragon Balls. (I might have started that conversation.)

When I first started working with him, he had an F in the class, like a 20 something percent, and after one semester with me, he went up 40 percents and ended with a D+. So he didn't pass the class, and I was pretty disappointed, but he motivated by saying that he didn't even think it was possible to get up there, so I shouldn't let it get to me. (Wasn't I suppose to do the motivating?)

Anywho, he emailed to tell me that thanks to my help, he got an A on the second semester and retook the first semester and ended with a B+, and that he missed our tutoring session because it was "fun and educational."

Well shit, that just made my day.

Occasionally I wonder what goods came out of my 6 months stint in San Diego except for the rock bottom feeling and endless Vietnamese sandwiches, and that short email was a nice reminder.

A pleasant surprise indeed. But that's not all!

I mentioned that I spoke to a placement officer last week, and she told me to expect a phone call sometime in the next two weeks about my country and invitation. That was last Thursday, so it hasn't even been a week yet since then, but I got a phone call today!

Another placement person asked me about my biking ability, (which I said yes) and that there is a program that fits for me (yeah!). It is Health and Sanitation Education in sub-Saharan Africa and I will be leaving the first week of February (!!!).

Holy crap.

So of course, I tried to bargain and asked if there was any earlier programs that I could go to, but that's not bad at all! I looked up Peace Corps Wiki again, and the only African country leaving first week of February is Ghana!

Two pleasant surprises in one week consecutively? This is just too much good stuff. How am I handling this right now, I don't even know.

I don't know how I missed putting Ghana on my list last week, but it's so exciting. I know I shouldn't be so sure about it, since I still have five more months to go (ugh) and things might change, but this is giving me so much hope, I might stop breathing. I'm getting my invitation envelop something in the next week so everything will be concrete then. I. Can't. Wait.