All I Want for Christmas

...Is for more Creative Arts Therapists to apply to serve our country in service to the Peace Corps.

It is almost unbelievable that it is Christmas because I am sweating buckets and seeing coconut trees swaying in the (slight, very hot, and very humid)  breeze. It's hard to imagine that one year ago, I received notice that I was being considered for a youth development position in the Dominican Republic; Fiji was not even on my map yet! Christmas is about the spirit of giving, spirit of peace, and spirit of love. Today, I am going to relate that back to my service in the peace corps.

Applying to serve in the Peace Corps takes guts; it is hard to click "submit application" knowing you may be leaving your family for two years. Being here, is a choice and a frame of mind; I don't see my service here as a volunteer position because it is a job. Unfortunately, many in the creative arts therapy field don't have many options when it comes to working abroad or serving your country. You can work for your country and be an ambassador for your field! During my interview, the Peace Corps worker happened to be a musician and already knew about music therapy. She told me that applications like these often get passed over because people don't understand it. There's just something special about being able to explain music therapy in a country where this isn't a field yet.

We know humans respond to the creative arts because it's innate. Every culture that has ever existed, has had music in some way. There is a desperate need for people willing to go beyond the norm for ideas on how to promote the same materials. As much as I want to establish something here, that's a long term goal and I'm only here for two years. They need others to carry on the torch of international level advocacy. A more realistic goal would be for me to show the current counselors, in country, how to appropriately use music therapeutically. But, everyone deserves the chance at healing that works for them. Long term, that's not a fix. My goal for music therapy is simply to create an awareness that eventually will, hopefully, develop on its own into a need.

Using music to teach resiliency

Peace Corps is fairly flexible in how you accomplish the goals they give you; it is all about the process. Did you know Peace Corps has volunteers in health centers, hospitals, schools, hospices, businesses, non-profits and so much more!? Here is the catch, you don't get to choose... You can pick your country now (I highly suggest the creative arts therapists pick "I'll go anywhere" in order to get more options and more visibility with placement officers) but you cannot pick your site placement. You have to trust in destiny, use your improvisational skills, and make it work.

I did not want to be in a village, at first, because I wanted to be in a city or town. Now, I'm blessed to have been placed on the main island, in a wonderful village off the highway, have electricity all the time, running water all the time, a shower, I am close enough to visit my host family, have the ocean behind me, and quick access to two big cities! I am so blessed with a principle who understands the idea of empowerment and capacity building. I am blessed to have a village who supports me, even when I'm grumpy and homesick. There is a system and it works.

If you've ever considered it or thought it was a long lost dream, just consider giving the gift of yourself. If you can't do that, then google "let girls learn" and donate there. If you can't donate, find a volunteer organization to spend a few hours volunteering each week.

Substituting for an English class as a music therapist working as a peace corps volunteer

Being removed from the states has given me a new perspective. As Americans, we tend to be so individualistic, almost at times, to a fault. I know personally, I didn't spend time thinking about other people because why? I cared about myself and that was enough. Now, this isn't wrong, but just consider the other side for a moment, a side where the entire community is committed to improving itself. There is no individual because everyone reflects the community. The benefit to this side, is that it's easier to notice the struggles. I am a super sensitive person and am extremely compassionate; I want to help everyone. But, I can't. So I'll just encourage others to give back in some way instead.

Take Christmas back to its true meaning and consider giving a gift that keeps on giving...in whatever way that means to you. Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Site Announcements, Swearing In, and Settling In

Part of Group 92 in traditional wear at Swearing In! 

Hello everyone! Sorry about the long wait between posts; I have been very busy with moving to site!

Last time that I updated, I was in training in Dravuni Village on the east side of Fiji. During training you learn the language for 2-3 hours and then have technical training the rest of the day. Technical training may be a traditional cooking lesson, government department, non-profit organization, current volunteers presenting on related topics, Fiji youth presenting, core Peace Corps training sessions  and much more! You know all the training you have for a new job? Imagine that for 8 weeks...Pre-service training was some of the best and worst times of my life. The best part is that you are still surrounded by other Americans and can be yourself; you have this protective bubble. The worst part is that by week 5 you are so finished and want to move on. Spending 8 weeks with these people that have the same goals as you seems amazing in the beginning, and then like normal people, you begin to get on each other's nerves. The end of training concludes with site announcements, language proficiency exams, technical exams, medical exams and safety exams. I passed all my exams with flying colors and scored in the top 5 for language; I scored "advanced mid" in the Fijian language. We did not test over, or have many language sessions on, Fijian Hindi because most of us will not use it that much at site.

The staff at Peace Corps make site announcement day super exciting, but as I understand, this is actually very different depending on the year and your country! Some countries go in knowing their site placements. The group before us, didn't find out until the day or so before they swore in! Crazy!

We went to a resort on a Friday and then quickly got to work. They put everyones picture on a photo of Fiji, and then an arrow would slide over to your placement on the next slide. I was placed in Navola Village and assisting at Nasikawa Vision College along the beautiful coral coast. I'm about 45 minutes southeast of Sigatoka and 1.5 hours west of the capital of Suva. My village has about 150 people and is unique because most of the women work at the nearby resorts. I will be working with the youth in the village and in the school. I'm not technically a teacher, but a more of a capacity builder.

   

The screenshot from site announcements!

At a basic level, that means I will be teaching the Family Life Education classes, which is basically youth wellness and includes physical, emotional, spiritual, reproductive and social health. How we teach the classes is up to us; which means I will be using music therapeutically (can't practice in country, it's against Peace Corps rules). My principle is absolutely amazing and totally gets the idea of using music or creative arts to re-engage students in the core courses, as well. I've also been asked to assist with the PEMAC (physical education, music, and arts/crafts) classes. These courses are typically taught by one teacher and the students in Fiji, rarely, seem to see actual sheet music. The PEMAC teacher is delighted to have assistance and is eager to transition to sheet music. I recently learned there are some hymnals with the actual sheet music instead of just solfedge notations and couldn't be more excited! The schools in Fiji are very religious, which means I will be incorporating that where it is appropriate.

On November 4, 2015, I was sworn into the Peace Corps service, made an oath, and transitioned to being a Peace Corps Volunteer instead of Peace Corps Trainees. We had a few people who were evacuated because of the Ebola crisis last year right before they swore in and were given a special mention during the service, which they definitely deserved. We had a RPCV and foreign service officer give our speech and our oath. The girls and guys both performed a traditional make, or dance. I'm sure there is footage somewhere; I'll find it and out a YouTube link up at some point this year...on Fiji time, of course. I couldn't stop coughing in the middle of the ceremony, which is probably good because I would have been emotional otherwise; turns out I was allergic to the flower necklace my host family gave us.  It's amazing the connections you can make with people in 8 weeks. The rest of the week was spent packing and then we were off to our villages; boy, I was nervous!

My village is wonderful and pretty soon, I will upload the maps that the community members will draw as part of their assessments. Speaking of assessments! For the villages served by the Peace Corps, volunteers complete what's called PACA, or Participatory Analysis for Community Action, which is a community wide assessment on location, needs, and assets of the community; this is what I will be doing for the first 3 months at site. Currently, I'm still trying to learn the village life, names, who works where, and who lives where. Everyone knows me (only American girl in the village), but there are about 150 members plus the school.

School here is ending because it's almost summer...Remember that I'm down here in the Southern Hemisphere? However, I've met all my fellow teachers and have been helping renovate the library. It's amazing the things we are so blessed with that we never knew. I'm not an expert in libraries, but I have experienced the ones with systems that work and can relay the information that I know. I found an English church, which has been wonderful. I met some of the missionaries that run the religion aspect of the school, they are from Korea, and are some of my new friends. The resort within walking distance has an Australian owner and there is another Australian, retired in the next village over.

While I'm here in Fiji, I'm part of the Community Youth Empowerment Project where we work on goals such as wellness, mental health, suicide prevention, pregnancy prevention, STI/HIV prevention, physical health, nutritional health and developing capacity for both parents and teachers.

I realize that this is a very long post and will talk about the CYEP project goals and objectives another time! I'll even go into our assessments for my MT friends out there. I will also touch on my interventions used during both my youth camp presentation on reproductive health, consent, and prevention and my school presentation on stress management during PST, because it's slightly different working not in a clinical setting while still incorporating music therapeutically.  Until next time, moce mada!

The Hardest Part

Most of you know that I had a family member pass away this week. While, the Peace Corps does allow emergency leave, it must be an immediate family member. The hardest part about training right now, is the adjustment away from life in America. I'm not discussing the difference in culture and lifestyles, I am talking about the idea that life moves on no matter where you are in the world.

I've read several blogs from RPCVs (returned peace corps volunteers) that stress the notion that the toughest part of readjustment is that everyone else's lives have moved on, too. Because of our access to the Internet and instant communication today, we have instant access to everyone back home. This can be both a blessing and a curse.

Running away from your problems doesn't make them go away. The things that were tough in America, will still follow you because of our instant access to communication. While it is wonderful to talk with family back home, it is hard to try and share this part of my life. Because unless you have studied abroad, are military, or are RPCV... It's tough to imagine my life. It's a lot of pretty pictures with children. Peace Corps is so much more than that and it is incredibly difficult to even begin to describe my experiences in words. Maybe one day, I'll write a song instead! It really is the hardest job you'll ever love.

Conversely, everyone back home has a life..that continues. That is the hardest part. Trying to keep up this identity of myself as an American, while applying everything I've learned here, is difficult. I am not the same person anymore, even in seven short weeks! But, neither is anyone back home because life moves on and you don't have to be abroad to do great things or struggle with life. When something happens at home, I have to find a way to cope while dealing with the difficulties here. Peace Corps Training, by it's very nature, is designed to make you uncomfortable and test yourself. Back before the Internet, you could leave America back home to an extent. Incorporating my American life can be mentally exhausting, but it is worth it.

So I ask for your patience as I try and learn this new culture. If I snap because you're the third person to ask me today how the food is different, please foregive me. I love sharing my experiences, but I never thought I would be tested like this. I can do this; I am a Phoenix rising from the ashes. I am choosing to constantly re-evaluate myself and see what I can positively change.

I feel like for the first time in my life I have truly found myself. Every step in my life was a step closer to this adventure. I thought majoring in music was amazing, then I found music therapy, and now, I learned that I can use my music therapy training as part of humanitarian aid. I love living abroad and being here, only makes me want to experience more of the world! They talk about our lives as being "America," "peace corps," "host family," and "past self." Every part of that makes me who I am, but how do you cross those barriers? Hopefully, this blog will help! Those who are currently also abroad have a special place in my heart because they can totally understand what I mean by all of this. Thanks for reading!

We have site placements next Friday! Expect a post soon about where I will be for the next two years!

Time is NOT always money

You know the psychological concept of "schemas?" It's the idea that your brain tries to incorporate new information into existing groups of information. For example, a toddler may see a cow and state, "dog" because it has 4 legs and a tail.

Well, one of the reasons culture shock is so difficult to work with is because there is no schema to incorporate this new information into. The peace corps gives us a book on being a volunteer and I have begun to re-read it at the suggestion of a fellow volunteer. It is hard to have everything you do in a day be totally different; I even use the bathroom in a new way! Not only am I learning a new language, I'm relearning how to do everything I ever knew.

It is hard as an educated citizen from the US to come to another country in more way than one. The second you step off that plane you are, for all intents and purposes, both deaf and mute in this new culture. Nobody cares that you have a masters degree when you can't even ask for the bathroom properly, and nor do they understand it. The added difficulty for me, is that they don't have any concept of music therapy. When I try to explain what I did in the states, people don't even know about the closest allied health discipline to relate it to in their head.

Why am I saying this? Because training is hard? No, it's because I keep telling myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and just because that is the way we do it in America, doesn't make it right. The village life of Fiji has so much to offer American citizens. I've been eating meals with my host family, basking in the simplicity of life, playing with my host brothers and sisters and having my life views challenged on a daily basis. The odd part is that the developing nation of  Fiji, isn't that much different than America. It's all a matter of perspective.

The Cultural Iceberg used in our trainings (OH-I-SEE.com)

One of the most frustrating things for me, is the lack of consistent technology. It doesn't just make me mad when my cell service cuts out in the middle of a conversation back home; it is absolutely infuriating. We have been taught that time is money and if it's broke, just get a new one from when we were toddlers; is that the fault of being in a third world country or my own faulty perspective? If you choose to ever study abroad or join the Peace Corps, expect to have your perceptions and personal philosophies challenged on a daily basis. I can choose to be infuriated, or I can choose to have patience, delayed gratifications and value the fact that my technology works at all over here.

I don't have the option to just fix it and move on. I have to be willing to sit and analyze my own thoughts and actions for fault. I am not right just because I believe to be so; in fact, that doesn't make anything right or wrong at all. I could choose to be negative and hole up in my room, but I choose personal challenge. Maybe time is NOT money after all? How can you challenge your own perceptions abroad or at home? Leave a comment below!

(Forgive the errors, typing on my phone again)

I used the book "A Few Minor Adjustments" by the Peace Corps as a resource for this post. 

Frequently Asked Questions: PT 2

How do you like it?

So far, it's a lot of culture shock, integration and lessening. You know that mundane training that everyone has to go through when you get a new job? Yup, the only difference is add in a little culture shock. Supposedly they make PST a little mundane to get you amped for site? You get this picture in your head of what peace corps will be like after dreaming of it for so many years. Even after being told to have no expectations, it's hard. It's everything I ever dreamed of and so vastly different all at the same time.

Do you enjoy your little piece of paradise?

I'm not sure bucket baths, sweltering heat, cockroaches, rats, and stinky lamb sausages = paradise. Don't get me wrong, Fiji is beautiful, but I'm not living on a resort for the next two years. The black sandy beaches (SURPRISE!) are beautiful and there are palm trees everywhere. But, these island countries have people who have lives, an infrastructure, jobs, businesses and transportation; they are so much more than the resorts. It is beautiful, but not in the way you would expect.

Are they feeding you? How's the food?

I have plenty of food. It's not vastly different from the states, except that everything is cooked in coconut milk (I've only tried one dish with coconut that I liked). Lots of snails, fish, oysters, and mussels. Lots of meat with bones in and tons of fresh fruits. Vegetables aren't as common, but I get them when I ask. There are quite a few starchy, potato-like plants that are decent and tons of refined grains.

Do you get to swim?

I've only been swimming once... I am here to work. Haha.

What's the time difference? 

I am 17 hours ahead of CST.

Can we plan a time to talk?

Right now during PST, I am not in charge of my schedule or life, so I have to decline. It also gets overwhelming to try and explain the exact same thing to everyone, over and over; not your fault! That's just why I have the blog! When my schedule gets more stable after swearing in, in November, I'll be able to talk more. Thanks for being patient!

Are you better? 

Yes? Maybe? Apparently being sick is part of training.

What's your village and host family like? 

I have 2 parents, who have 5 children, although one is out of the house and has a daughter. They range from 17 to 3 years old. There's also a sister in law, with her daughter and 2 6 month old grandchildren. There's another aunt and son...that's just during the week! On the weekend the family comes in from the city and there are more children/adults! There's always something to do! My village has sbout 15 houses and is on a black sand beach. We have a community hall and chief.

1 Stripe, 2 Stripe, 3 Stripe, 4 Stripe

In my village there are a ton of cats. Those of you who know me from the states, know I have two of my own furbabies, Symphony and Madi. Thankfully I have an awesome friend looking after them. Anyways, pets aren't seen the same here as in the US, because they are more for practical purposes like guarding houses or catching the geckos and rats. Yesterday, we had a momma cat bring it's baby into the house (the cats normally stay outside) and chaos erupted. Mostly it was loud and people were afraid. This caused the momma cat to drop the kitten and run away. I returned the kitten to it's mama after the cat "showed" me where to put it. I'm the only one who really pets the cats, so they are starting to trust me more.

I told my family the story of how my mom's cat, "Roo," got her name; she used to pounce everywhere when she was little. I asked if the cats had names yet... There are four orange and white striped cats, which we named "Stripes." Yes, all four have the same name because we can't tell them apart! Haha! Now, we have "Stripes Junior," although I joked that he/she should be named "Plaid."

Singing "Let It Go" in my host village, Dravuni, Fiji

Our goals for peace corps are to 1) bring another skill to empower your community, 2) bring awareness of American culture in Fiji, and 3) bring other cultural experiences, in my case Fiji, back home. It's nice to be able to show the local children they don't have to be afraid of animals just by a simple act. I work on goal three by having a blog... Because I can assure you that Fiji is not all resorts; I love the unique experience of the local villages, even when it is totally different than what I imagined.

Funny story of the week: we were doing presentations and asked to come up with a metaphorical symbol for change. I suggested a butterfly, but in a flit of inspiration, my group decided to tell everyone that a "Bebe" (mbeh-mbay) is actually a cow... Oh our language teachers laughed and laughed! I finally said what was going on when I couldn't stop laughing at my own joke. You know how we are the ones who think we are the most hilarious? Ha.

On a positive note, I'm starting to feel better, but they keep telling us that being sick, gastrointestinal issues, and other unpleasant human body experiences are part of the experience here.

I'm excited about getting to see how the current volunteers live in our host visits next week. A secondary benefit is definitely eating more American-ized food. I can't wait to see which parts of the Fiji culture my hosts took to their sites and which parts of the American culture they took, too. I know gender empowerment is a large part of how we live our home lives.

Good things are happening! If you want more information about my site placement or details then email me or use whatsapp. Because my blog is a reflection of the US government, I can't post everything that's considered "subjective;" my interpretation of our potential site placements is subjective because it is my personal experiences and interpretations.

Leave your questions below! Again, I am typing on my phone and it's hard to proofread!

It's the Little Things

I woke up Tuesday feeling extremely lethargic, headache, sore throat and achey... I checked my throat and saw white spots on my tonsils. I texted our amazing Peace Corps Medical Officer and was tested for strep throat. I tested negative on the rapid test, but because of my symptoms, I was given antibiotics. I don't take penicillin, so they put me on a different antibiotic...the downside is the constant extreme nausea. But in the past few days, I've realized a few things.

1) The gate theory of pain control is real and effective! This means that distraction will minimize pain because your body can only process so much at a time. My stomach pains and nausea went away with distractions.

2) I wouldn't trade this time laughing with my host family and playing uno in Fijian for anything.

3) Sometimes something as simple as a hot bucket bath is all you need to make you feel a ton better.

4) We all have our own personal struggles; treat everyone extremely kindly. Every single Peace Corps Trainees has personal drama and struggles back in America. We all lead double lives; neither of which intersect. It's so important to be patient and remember why we signed up!

This is a short post because I'm writing on my phone; therefore, please excuse the typos.

PS: I have no envelopes or stamps to mail anything yet, but I LOVE MAIL! A simple letter from home literally will make my month. My contact info page has my address! Shout out to Annie B. For the first letter.

PSS: We have our host volunteer visits next week where we get to stay with a current volunteer for a few days... Once again, I'm on the beach! :) I get to stay with a volunteer who was supposed to complete the Hindu Firewalking Ceremony last year and I am stoked!!

Love you always,

Kelli Maddock, MMT, MT-BC, PCT

Tau Tauvata (Same Same!) My 3 year old host sister, Ilisapeci.

Un-posted Post

This post is from my first week here!

Bula! My updates won’t always be this frequent, but I wanted to have a short update that I landed in Fiji this morning. And, after traveling for 12 hours on an overnight flight, we were ready to begin training. I successfully managed to stay awake until now. It’s 6:51PM, Thursday, September 3, 2015. On the positive side, we landed right as the sun was rising and were greeted with the Fijian version of a mariachi band. I can barely hold my eyes open while I type this today, but it is so worth it. This island is beautiful, and I will have pictures after I figure out how to get them off my camera. 

We have been training with the Tonga volunteers and a fun fact about Tonga is that even though they are in the same time zone, they are over the International Date Line! They are exactly 24 hours behind us and they will be flying back in time. The idea of relativity of time is fascinating. Even though, technically, in the U.S.A you are in the past, you are still at the same present as the volunteers over here in Fiji.

We had our welcome ceremony complete with the consumption of Kava, which is a depressant made from the root of a vegetable grown on Fiji.  Traditional ceremonies, as someone trained in psychology and music, are fascinating! What does this ceremony really mean and where do the traditions come from? The traditions of the music and how each song has been developed are fascinating. I’ve also had coconut, cassava root, several fresh fruits and a few other delicious, traditional Fijian meals today.

I also went for my first run today and I brought my sole sister with me in form of our “Sole Sister” tags on my shoe. I took a ton of pictures because I wanted to be able to share my first run in Fiji with everyone, but I forgot that I needed an SD card reader for my computer! We happened to stumble on either a Hindu temple or Hindu shrine; I’m not aware enough of the Hindu culture to know the difference and therefore, we did not enter the temple. We saw many people and the reaction to three obvious Americans running was interesting. We take for granted so many things in the United States! I’m pretty sure many people had never seen a woman in work out clothing, even if they were modest, or running with guys before.

I can’t wait to see where the rest of this week takes me. My updates will be sparser after Monday, though. I feel like I have so much to share with everyone that I will probably upload several entries at once. Do you want me to continue writing the detailed entries, or would you prefer the non-detailed entries?

Staging in Los Angeles

As of 8AM this morning, our staging facilitators called Washington D.C. and we are all officially serving in the Peace Corps! Wow! The past two days has been a whirlwind. Yesterday my flights did not go according to plan, but I managed to get to Los Angeles with all my bags and only one was overweight. It is absolutely nuts and I feel like I should wake up from a dream at any point now.

I am where I am supposed to be and these are my people. As much as my life has been amazing, I feel like I have really found my tribe and my calling. I am so ecstatic to be getting on the plane tonight! I have one more thing tup finish and then all my U.S. responsibilities are done. I can't even begin to describe the feeling of meeting people who want to do the same thing as you and applied for this crazy adventure just like you. They get it! They don't tell me it is stupid because I'll get hurt or that I'm going to be living the life by living on an island; they just understand me.

The concept of two years is really starting to sink in, but at the same time, I have no schema to even begin to interpret going overseas for that long. I am a day dreamer at heart and I cannot dream about this because it is so out of my world. I have begun to realize that every job following this one will probably pale in comparison and that I will be constantly searching for more.

We have done a lot of orientation, get to know you activities, and basic trainings on safety and culture today. We were given time to create a skit to put our "Peace Corps: Core Expectations" to use... and of course, my group performed a song parody to "Let It Go" about how to deal with witnessing corporeal punishment by one of your community partners, as an education volunteer.

Fiji and Tonga Volunteers at Peace Corps Staging

After September 8th, 2015 my phone is set to turn off, but that gives me time to contact people if I need. Please download what'sapp, viber or skype to chat with me! I want to keep in contact with everyone and that is an amazing way to do stay in touch. My blog will be the first place you will start to see how I'm doing. Eventually, I'll have a way to book time to make a call or run with me, in your timezone, too! I will land at 12:50PM, Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Central Time, but it will be 5:50AM, Thursday, September 3, 2015 Fiji Time... I think, the timezone thing is still a little confusing. 17 hours ahead from Central Time!

The next step is our flight tonight, Fiji Airways 811, and then we begin pre-service training in the morning in Fiji. We receive our host families and placements for training Saturday. I'll try to post on here when I've made it to Fiji, but no guarantees.

The bus to the airport! #peacecorpsfiji

If anyone wanted to mail me anything my address is in my "contact me" section!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it real for you yet? Not quite! I know that I'm leaving, but it will not be real for me until I am over, and at about two months later, do not come home. I went away for internship, so this feels very similar. Certain parts of the process have felt more real than other parts of the process.

What happened with your cats? A friend from St. Louis took them in!

My family  at Copper Run Distillery right before I left

What about your house? My house is currently on the market and no, we are not interested in renting it out currently. My parents and I both own the house, so we are splitting the responsibilities. If it sells I will celebrate!

When do you leave? I leave tomorrow for Dallas in order to spend a few days with my parents, but I fly to L.A. monday and fly to Fiji tuesday night. I'm not posting my flight details on my blog, but please e-mail me for questions about that.

Are you excited or nervous? Bittersweet!

Do you want to hang out? No, sorry! I don't have time currently and that's why I had my going away parties, but can we set up a skype date?

How will I contact you? Okay, so communication is tricky because I don't know how often that I will have access to my phone or internet. You can find me on What'sapp or Viber using my personal facebook page for calling and texting. Email is also good. The entire point of this is immersion into the culture and reducing technology is part of that.

What's the time there? 16 hours ahead or subtract 6 hours and add a day.

How big is Fiji? Approximately 7,000 square nautical miles and 332 islands!

What language do they speak? Fijian, English and Hindi

Do you already know these? I'm going to be spending the first two months in training for language, safety and culture! I know English and a little bit of Spanish.

Where will you be staying? That's a good question, ha. We don't know until swearing in, which is in November. Training happens in smaller groups around the island.

Can you call me when you get over there? No, sorry, but I can't call everyone. Please check my blog and facebook page for updates!

Do you have any other questions? Leave them in a reply below! If you are interested in applying, the Peace Corps just opened the applications for Group 93 for Fiji departing next year!

I Shall Run the Race with Endurance

It is really starting to sink in that I am leaving; in 2 weeks from today, I will have landed in Fiji and will begin my wonderful adventure. I don't cry very often, but when I do it's usually because I'm angry. I've been trying to prepare myself and participate in some self-care that involves getting very emotional in order to process the change that is about to occur. Self-care is so important; but even the realization that my runs are numbered with my running buddy, makes me a little teary eyed.

I had a realization today about training and my future job. The current volunteers say that the Peace Corps is the "hardest job you'll ever love" and to me, that mirrors running. I love to run because it is hard, but you can meditate and overcome the pain. Running as many miles as my buddy and I do, you start to peel away those safety layers during every mile. The more you run, the more you learn about each other because you start to see each other at your absolute worse, but you don't judge the other person for that. Some days it's literally the worst run of your entire life, but those good fuzzy feelings during the fantastic runs make it all worth it. My running buddy has become my best friend simply because, you can't learn that much about someone and not be friends; it reminds me of the troll incident in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

My running buddy and fellow music therapist, Emily Keeling, MT-BC

The next few months are going to be hard and enduring; it will be like training and racing! The volunteers that we are placed with really will become our family because they, unlike anyone else, know exactly what we will be going through. They will see us at our worst and at our best, but they will still choose to like us; we are the only connection that they have over there.

As I spend the last week and a half in the US packing, I'm looking forward to getting to know my new friends and the adventures we will have together. That doesn't mean your old friends will be put on the backboard because without them, you wouldn't be who you are now! I will keep everyone updated, but please note, during training our access to the internet is restricted, so please don't panic if I haven't posted for a while!

Our Sole Sister chrms on our shoes! "Maybe in distance, but never at heart..."

Here's a bible verse I was reminded of today: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1 ESV

Bula or Hello

Bula (Hello!), 

Today is exactly one month from when I will board a flight to L.A. to join the Peace Corps and almost exactly a year from when I passed the music therapy board certification test! Last August, after I finished my internship, I applied to the United States Peace Corps. I decided that if I couldn’t find a job in the United States working in my population of choice, youth mental health, I would could find one abroad while living in a new culture and having the adventure of my life. I figured that fate would decide which door would be open. Ironically, I didn’t even apply to the country that I was given an invitation to serve in! Somehow the Fiji Placement Officer, who also is a musician and understands music therapy already, found my application and asked to interview me. In march, I was invited to be part of the 92^nd group to serve in Fiji (right over there near Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa) under the Community Youth Empowerment Project and I will depart August 31, 2015.

I have wanted to serve in the Peace Corps since high school, but it always felt like a far away dream and I was always in school. I didn’t have a job, was finishing school and wasn’t dating anyone; I decided that since the chances of getting in were slim, that I should just go for it. I am absolutely excited to be an ambassador for not only my country and generation, but my field as well! There is no music therapy association in Fiji and the only music therapist in Fiji is currently a Peace Corps Volunteer. I love what I do so much, that I decided that even though not everyone in my city has my exact skill set, someone could learn to do what I know if they needed it, but in Fiji, there is nobody with my skill set!

I will be working as a Community Youth Empowerment Facilitator and working with developing positive youth mental health. In Fiji, youth is defined as birth to 35 years old. It will not be direct clinical work, but if you are a musician, you understand that music is ingrained into every culture and everything we do. If there is a therapeutic way to incorporate music into my goals as a PCV, then I will find a way to use my skills. As my former professor, Dr. Wlodarczyk always says during introduction to music therapy, “music is a key;” we never know what music can unlock that traditional counseling cannot unlock.

I am selling everything I own, so if you need something, you know who to contact! I am getting super excited about this opportunity and living on an island for two years, but I am also hesitant to leave my relationships behind. Thankfully, my close friends and family are all very supportive of this new adventure. Granted, most of them are convinced that I’m going to meet some amazing guy over there and come back married, haha. (Note: this is not my reason for joining the peace corps!) I’ve been warned that this is not allowed, unless there are invitations sent out, of course. I have many friends and family who have decided that they will try to come to Fiji to see me, and the ocean, of course. 

The biggest thing I will say is that we are supposed to be creating a new support network within the Fijian culture, so I am not be in contact, as much, for the first few months. I am so grateful for the support of the music therapy community! I will not have facebook messenger or much access to facebook. I plan to keep using “whatsapp” to text and call back home! I will post my address on here in a few weeks. It takes anywhere from a week to three weeks for post to go in and out; sometimes, that depends on if there is enough mail for the post man to go to that city. I do know, make sure everything is sealed and mark food as a generic label, such as “snacks,” or customs might take it. Please don't mail me anything worth over $200 or I will have to pay a customs tax.  I would appreciate snail mail, e-mail and many more! Mail can lighten up the mood during training, or so I've heard. 

I am not doing a count down, but I am very aware of the date. I want to live these last few months up as much as possible and spend time with my loved ones!  I can’t wait to see where life goes in the next two years! This blog will be the easiest way to follow where I am and what I am doing. On the topic of where I am... I do not know exactly where I will be stationed. Once we pass our language, cultural and safety competencies following our “pre-service training” in country, then we will be sworn in and notified where we will go and exactly what we will be doing! I could be in a “city”, or the only American on an rural island. The Peace Corps is all about adaptability, or as us musicians like to say, improvisation! I am excited for you all to follow this journey with me. 

If you want to support me, I need to pay off my medical bills before I leave. Here is my gofundme account: http://www.gofundme.com/yrrgg6p

-Kelli Maddock