New country, new family

Don't know where to start. It's been crazy ever since I arrived. We did a bunch of admin stuff the first few days I was here, and then we broke up into pairs and piled onto a bus to drive to the southeastern part of the country to visit a Peace Corps volunteer and get a taste of volunteer life. We spent four or five days there, and I got to see some of the health projects my host was working on. I saw a health center, visited a junior high where she does a peer educator program, an NGO that does AIDS education, and a youth center that does free AIDS testing. Also went to a health talk or causerie, but didn't understand a word as it was in Pulaar.

Now I am back in Thies for the next seven weeks, staying with a host family while I go through Peace Corps training. They aren't kidding around when they say your family takes you in as one of their own. It's hard to describe the sense of welcome I feel in my host family; there is simply nothing comparable in the U.S. That isn't to say I am completely comfortable there yet, because it is a very different situation, but they are going out of their way to make me feel comfortable. They are all taking good care of me and are laughing at my pathetic attempts to learn Pulaar. That part of family life, at least, is familiar.

Peace Corps 101

Tonight is my last night in the States. I've been in Philadelphia since Sunday night, meeting my fellow travelers and going through orientation together. There are about thirty of us, all headed to Senegal, although to various assignments. The staging, as it is called, is mostly a preliminary transition, to finish last-minute paperwork and ease anxieties. Also, to get to know one another, although it's hard to tell at this point who will even be assigned to post near me. We will all be going through training together for the first eight weeks, though, so I imagine I'll get to know everyone pretty well.

We check out of the hotel tomorrow and take the bus to a clinic to get all our vaccinations; then we will take a bus to New York to catch an evening flight to Dakar (direct, thankfully). We will arrive in Senegal at about 6 am local time and go straight to Thies, where we will go through pre-service training. We spend three days at the training center, then spend 3-4 days visiting a Peace Corps Volunteer who is already at their post, so we can see what that's like, and then we head back to Thies to spend 7 weeks with a host family and to complete the preliminary training period, which will consist of cross-cultural training, health education, some very basic professional training, but above all, intensive language training. After the eight weeks of pre-service training, we will be assigned our post, and then we will learn more technical/professional skills for our assignment. More to follow from Senegal.

Greetings

After many requests to receive updates on my experiences in Senegal, I've decided to start a blog where people can read about my adventures at their leisure.

As many of you know, I leave March 12, 2006 for Philadelphia, where I will spend three days at my Peace Corps orientation before leaving for Senegal March 16. Once I arrive in Senegal, I will spend about three months in training in the town of Thies before I receive my post assignment.

Right now, I'm just packing up and getting ready to go. I don't know when I'll next have internet access, but I'll post again as soon as I can once I have something to report from Senegal.

Please stay in touch!