Hello everyone! I wanted to post a quick little entry before I lose my internet access for a little while. I have been at training for a couple of days now, and I have to say most of all that it is overwhelming. There is so much information to process...I think my brain is on overload. Add into that all of the feelings I have about leaving home, friends, family, and my Mike...it's pretty difficult. I am excited and sad at the same time. It is a tough combination to deal with.
Anyway, on to more fun stuff. So, I have been in Phildelphia since Sunday for Trainee Orientation. This is where we meet all the other people that will be serving in our sector (mine being Small Enterprise Development), as well as meeting some Health sector trainees that are going over as well. It has been a lot of fun meeting so many people from ALL over, and everyone is so excited and we share such a common bond. We are all trekking off into this unknown land...and at least we have eachother. There is something very comforting in that.
Everyone knows that my favorite day is tomorrow. What is tomorrow you might ask? Well...VACCINATION DAY! WOO HOO! Um...NOOOOOOOOT! I have a the craziest fear of needles...so as long as I don't physically harm someone while they try to poke me I will be okay. Lord help me tomorrow...I am going to need it.
Anyway, back to my update. We leave tomorrow night to take a flight from New York City to Paris, and then we go from Paris to Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina Faso). From there we are going to be transported to a smaller city in Burkina for our PST (Pre-Service Training). Upon arrival in the smaller city we will go through an adoption ceremony, where we are officially adopted into a local Burkinabe' family. We will live in their village with them for the 3 months of training. That is where we will be bombarded with tons of language, health, and technical training....OH MY! It should be a pretty intense few months. I am sure I am going to wish my francais skills were much better.
For those that are concerned about communication, I will have VERY limited access to internet and phone. Text messaging me is probably the best option for now...once I get settled in my adopted families house (which is supposed to happen on Oct. 1st or so), then I will work out the internet. I want to get to my village and get a "lay of the land." Then I can figure out what internet cafe to go to, etc. So...you may not hear from me for a while.
Anyway, things are really good so far...it is exciting, daunting, nerve-wracking, challenging, and all around wonderful. I just want to thank EVERYONE for their calls, their emails, and their messages. I am going to do my best to get in touch with everyone personally...but it is a lot to deal with...so it may take some time. Thanks to EVERYONE for their thoughts, their prayers, their well wishes and more. I can not tell you how much I appreciate it! My address is posted on the site...so if you are ever bored, pop a letter in the mail. I plan on writing to everyone at some point...so don't be shy.
Thanks for everything, I love you all, and "Ag Jamm!"
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