can you hear me now?

I was thinking about how to stay in touch with friends and family back home as much as I can, and a friend told me about Google Voice.  It's a pretty nifty creation, and I thought I would explain how to set one up and how to use it.


First of all, log in to your Gmail account.  If you don't, you will need to create one.

After you create one, go to https://www.google.com/voice


This window will pop up:

Click "I want a new number"

You will then get to choose your number.

You can pick a number based on a specific area code, or a number that has a certain phrase in it.  You can type in an area code, and available phone numbers will appear.

You can go through your options and select which number you prefer.  If you want a specific number with a word or phrase in it, you can try that too.

You can also combine the two options and pick an area code with a word or phrase.

Select your number and click "Continue".

You will then enter a PIN number to access your voicemail by phone.  (If you access your voicemail through Gmail, you don't need this PIN number).

Now you add a forwarding phone (which you can "unforward" later).  You must provide a phone number to finish the setup.

This window will appear

This is to verify that you have access to that phone.  Click the "Call me now" button, and it will ask for the verification code.  It then says you can change your voicemail greeting now or wait and do it later.

Click the "Finish" button and voila!  You have Google Voice!  But now we need to make sure Google Voice and Video is activated.  Go to your Gmail inbox, and on the left panel at the bottom there is a chat bubble icon.  Click that and then click "Call phone".  A dial pad should appear on the right side of the screen.  If there is a message above the dial pad that says to download Google Voice and Video, click it, and follow those directions.  If it doesn't, you are good to go, and people can call/text you and vice versa!

Now, if you want to "unforward" messages/calls to your phone, go to your Google Voice home screen.  On the right side of the window towards the top will be a gear shaped icon.  Click that and click "Settings".  Under the "Phones" tab, you will see that it says "Forward calls to:".  Unclick "Mobile" and click "Google chat".  This will allow calls to connect to your Gmail account rather than your phone.

For you to be able to answer a call, you must be signed in to Gmail.  Otherwise, people can leave you a voicemail or a text.  If you would like to change your voicemail greeting, click the "Voicemail & Text" tab.  Then you can click "Record New Greeting" and follow those directions.

Well, I think that's about all the basics you need to know when figuring out your Google Voice!  Let me know if something doesn't make sense, or if you have any questions!  Happy Talking!

here's the mail it never fails

I was doing some research on the Peace Corps Wiki (which is VERY helpful!).  Just go to www.peacecorpswiki.org .  There's a TON of information, so at first, I was pretty overwhelmed.  After a while of browsing, it got pretty easy to navigate around it.  Anyway, the point of this post is to give everyone my address while I'm in Pre-Service Training (PST).  It will be about a 10-12 week training period.  When sending mail, Peace Corps advises you to write "Air Mail" on the envelope.  Another thing, all packages are opened and inspected in Accra (the capital of Ghana) at the post office in the presence of a Peace Corps staff member.  So keep that in mind when sending me things :-)  So here is my address:

http://evainathens.blogspot.com/2012/03/major-
cleaning-in-my-mail-box-yippee.html

Jessica Keeton PCT
Peace Corps/Ghana
PO Box 5796
Accra-North, Ghana
West Africa







Mail takes about 2-3 weeks to arrive.  After my training period, I will move to a new location and have a new address.  I promise to get that address to you once I figure it out!

And to wrap things up, here's a little video with an addicting song.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1wUirNlR0U

the joys of student loans

Yes, they were pretty nice during school and for the 6 month grace period after graduation.  I have a different feeling towards them now.  Fortunately, a good chunk of my loans are able to get deferred while I'm away.  However, one of my loans (which I will now refer to as the Mega Loan), is kicking me in the butt.  The Mega Loan is about 50% of my total loan debt.  Probably poor planning on my part when first applying for loans, but what can ya do.  The Mega Loan is non-deferrable (I don't care if that's not a word).  Perfect.

Though I think I have figured out a solution.  My tears, anger, stress, and foul language turned into patience, gratitude, and smiles (and maybe a few more curse words here and there).  It was definitely a hoot trying to figure all this out, and I recommend setting aside at least 3-4 days to get it all settled.  It normally shouldn't take that long, but with me, I needed to take a lot of breaks to calm myself down and to fully think my options through.  So, if you're in the same sinking boat as me, definitely do NOT wait until the last minute to figure your student loans out.  I recommend taking care of them first.  It's definitely a huge stress reliever to get it out of the way.  Even if it is temporary.

http://www.easystudentloanoptions.com/student-loans/help/student_loan_debt_forgiveness/

Some of my loans that are getting deferred require you to renew the deferral after a period of time (ex. 12 months).  So make copies of all your forms you have been filling out, and take them with you to fill out when the time comes.  My printer is smoking and sparking because I've printed so many (and probably unnecessary) copies.  But I can't be too safe.  I was also told to jot down all the information from each loan company you have loans through (i.e. address, phone number, fax number, etc.).  This is important too because a few of my loans require me to have proof that I am in the Peace Corps, which must be given to me by an official Peace Corps affiliate, which cannot be given to me until staging.  Make sense?  So take all your filled out forms, get that proof signed by a VIP (Very Important PeaceCorpsAffiliate), and fax away!  I've told my group that we are having a faxing party in the hotel.  It's gonna be grand.  We'll see if it's as stress-free as I am currently assuming.  Fingers crossed!

That's my advice when it comes to student loans.  I've probably left something out by mistake.  I've probably left some emotions and bad feelings out on purpose.  It's a ride.  Just be prepared for this chunk of it.  And once you're done with it, it should be smooth sailing...right?

staging

My group and I received our staging info on May 7th!!  It was sooo exciting to get this email (yes, it's an email, not postal mail...no need to wait by the mailbox for it).  This staging email gives you information on where you'll be flying out of to get to Ghana (or wherever it is you get to spend the next 2 years of your life), a pre-departure online security orientation, hotel information in your staging city, registration info, baggage advisory, and safety info. 

http://www.btsadventures.com/Ghanatripdetails_000.htm

Our group is flying to Washington, DC to have our staging/orientation, and then we fly from DC to Ghana on a 10.5 hour DIRECT flight!!!  How awesome is that?!  One thing we were required to do was contact the travel people and set up a flight from home to DC.  I officially have my ticket and I land in DC in the afternoon on June 4th!  We have an intense orientation the next day (on the 5th), and we leave for Ghana later that night!  Oh my gosh!  Seeing that itinerary has gotten me even MORE excited!!!  Everything is slowly but surely falling in to place, and it's amazing! 

farewell to wisdom

Welp, my wisdom teeth are out.  And I am more than happy to say that it took me about 10 hours to fully heal.  Yep, you read that right...10 HOURS!  That's it!  It was a piece of cake.  My friends and I actually went shopping later than night, and I went back to work the next day.  It was definitely a stress-free procedure.  Woohoo!  After submitting all of my paperwork (and submitting more to fill in the cracks), I was sooooo excited to see this

Yahoooo!!!! That means I am 100% completely and utterly CLEARED to go to Ghana!!!!!  It was a huge relief to see that and know that I don't have to worry about any of that stuff anymore.  Now I can focus on packing, student loan payments, credit card payments, packing, rent payments (in an apartment I'm not longer living in), packing, going away parties, and all the fun things left to do before my departure in 3 WEEKS!!! Whew!