Uncharted

Only two weeks of being patient left! I cannot believe my trip is coming so fast. These last 14 days are going to be filled with my wonderful FAMILY, amazing fRiEnDs, delicious FooD, and finishing up packing- which surprisingly is just about complete (sigh of relief). 

Bring on the graduation parties, visits from out-of-staters, weddings and farewell fiestas! 

24 (days, not hours)

Just 24 more days left before I board my flight to Chicago. Crazy, I know! I do not think it has really sunk in that I am going to be living in Sierra Leone. The morning of the 31st is the first time the group of us will meet and have a brief orientation before we depart to Brussels, then on to Freetown. There are a couple of us flying in the night before, but I believe the majority is arriving in Chicago shortly before orientation. Maybe it will become more of a reality when I meet the 30th group at the O'Hare Airport and as we shuttle over to our hotel, getting to know as much about each other as possible. I'm so excited- for the trip its self and being in the airport (my favorite place) but also to just meet all these new friends.

I'm busy packing and worrying about my bag weights, being careful not to exceed 80 lbs. It makes me a bit nervous that we "should be able to carry all [our] own gear." I have a large backpacking backpack, a day-backpack and was planning on also bringing a duffel that rolls... that's a big load for me to carry. I love shopping, but I have to admit that shopping for outdoor gear is not the most enjoyable.  Who knew outdoorsy stuff is so expensive? On top of that, its not like I really want a $100+ daypack. I need it, but I'd rather have an amazing outfit. Oh well, I know I will eventually want it.

Left to get I have host family gifts, some food must's (Nutella, chocolate and candy), bag locks and a safe carrier for my passport and money. So the next couple of weeks shouldn't have stress due to packing.

official business

It's official, everyone knows I'm off to Africa!

And I love this song by Josh Radin, listen, I bet you will too

is now joining...

For the first ten minutes of the group conference call this morning, all I heard was "mumble mumble, is now joining" (robot voice). It was pretty funny. I don't really know who was all on the line, but they asked some great questions. The notes I took during the call are below, all my interpretation of the conversation, so I could be wrong.

Travel Stuff:

• Home > Chicago (May 30th/31st) get immunizations, orientation/ new friends! > Brussels > Sierra Leone (all together)
• We will arrive in Freetown, Sierra Leone around 6:00pm, be greeted, take a bus to a ferry (on the ferry we will be handed our first dosage of Malaria meds)
• Spend 4-5 days in Freetown doing orientation stuff
• Go to Miliki or Mikenly or something? There we are placed with our host families
• In that 'M' town, we will be within walking distance from the training site

Security/Safety:

• Sierra Leone has a lower security risk than other regions of Africa right now
• Two main concerns:
• Transportation
• Crime (low level violence crimes, but more so petty theft, pickpocketing, break-ins)
• We have lots of training on this
• PC gives us a "foot-locker" to keep valuables (2ft x 18" x 1ft)
• Do not give natives the temptation of stealing from you
• Locks and a lockable suitcase
• Money belts and fanny packs (haha)

Dress Code:

• Teachers are expected to dress in a professional manner
• To the natives, it is a sign of respect for their culture to dress appropriate

School:

• The location of the school we go to after PST (Pre-Service Training) will be in one of the 12 districts Sierra Leone has
• Last time PC covered 8 districts
• We will begin teaching at the start of the new school term (September term)

Stars = Breaks in school

• Our first Dec. break, we will be attending more training

Money and Credit Cards: 

• Credit cards not widely used
• Fraud risks and places don't have the equipment
• Take a credit card if you plan on traveling outside of Sierra Leone during service
• Peace Corps sets up a bank account for each PCV
• Electronic deposits
• Should live close to the means of the other local teachers

Electronic/Internet Info:

• Cell phone coverage is likely to be somewhere close to you
• Most of Africa has abandoned the 'land-line' and just gone with cells
• PC gives PCV's a cell phone to use, in which they can call other volunteers and PC Staff for free (family plan)
• Easier to get a phone plan with US family, if that's what you choose to do, in the US (before leaving), as it is less expensive than it is in Sierra Leone
• Charging/ generator kiosks for phones and laptops are not hard to find, 25 cents or so to charge
• 1-2 current PVC's in Sierra Leone have electricity, few have running water, about 1/3 have a in house toilet
• Most have internet cafe's, access during weekends
• Don't use the cafe's flash drives if you don't have to, virus galore
• Super speedy connection, kidding- real slow

Life and Host Info:

• Everyone wants to watch you, get used to it :)
• At the end of training, you should feel comfortable to go out and live
• Health, security, cultural and language knowledge
• The host house will vary for each PVC
• Gifts (if you bring them) for the host family should be non-flashy, small and modest
• Do not want people to think you are wealthy, even though they think you are a billionaire/billionairess 
• Family pictures from home, calendars of your state, kids toys ect.
• Give after you form a relationship with them
• Family may teach you how to cook! yay!

After PST:

• You get 'placed' in your village on decisions made by the PC staff
• They get to know you and what your individual challenges are, where you will best fit
• The PC Staff prepares your village for your arrival, helping them understand PC standards of living and the expenses that go with housing us
• We take 6 weeks of Krio, which is understood "everywhere," then can narrow down which language will be most helpful for our situation
• During PST, everyone will be taken to their living site, be introduced, evaluate and get the feel of it
• Some PVC's will be in the same town, but teaching at different schools and some will be in their own town completely
• In most cases, PVC's can make the effort to see another PVC in a neighboring village
• You will be provided with a mosquito net
• Kitchen is dependent on the 'house' you are living in, some outside, some have a room for it
• Some PVC's get a 'helper' to cook, clean and do laundry for them (I missed what is expected for a payment, whoops)
• Likely that you will eat a meal(s) with your neighbor 

Randoms:

• Over 100 Sierra Leone schools applied to have PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteer)
• April 28th will get Staging Packet
• 2 bags totaling 80lbs, one no more than 50lbs
• Peace Corps in Sierra Leone cannot store and keep your belongings safe, sorry.
• Locals think it's weird/funny when men cook and do laundry
• Vegetarians are strange, because meat is expensive and seen as a "treat"
• Snail mail takes about 2 weeks. Only 1 or 2 towns have a Post Office
• PC provides basic vitamins, if you have something special you like taking, bring it
• American medical Dr. on site
• Given bug spray, sunscreen and condoms
• For the first week or so, you will not be able to e-mail; however, parents will receive an e-mail with an update and info on the arrival

invisible children

This morning I went to an assembly at my old high school. The presentation was about the terrorist war going on in central Africa and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by a man named Joseph Kony. The terrorist group abducts children from the villages, forces them to join the pre-existing army and threatens death if defied. Ransacking through towns, the kidnapped children are taught not only to murder, but also seemed stripped of any emotion.

The Invisible Children is a group that was founded by young people who were fed up with Kony and has aided in getting the LRA out of Uganda. However, the LRA has now moved on to the Congo, Sudan and the Central African Republic. It was great to see the impact just a couple individuals can have! Invisible Children is now touring the United States, along with actual Ugandan LRA survivors, raising awareness and gaining support for the LRA to be stopped. Since 100% of the profit from the merchandise sold at the events goes back to the victims of the LRA, I of course had to go shopping!

• Mend bag- each made by a woman LRA survivor, mine was made by Ajok Betty
• Invisible Children t-shirt
• DVD and bracelet of a survivors story, I have Emmy

countdown's on

I am counting down the days till I leave, 64, but having a hard time deciding what to pack. There are small piles all over my room of possible 'brings'. How do you even begin packing for two years? I have a hard time packing for weekend trips.

Crazily enough, I have gotten in contact with a couple people who are in Sierra Leone right now. Their advice on what to bring has really helped me out. One thing I know for sure is that from now until June, I will be cutting rice completely out of my diet (not like I ate that much rice to begin with); I keep being told that rice is about 95% of your food intake. Yum.

So, I've decided to stock up on the food I want while I can still have it. Yogurtland and Starbucks. Still, I think I am going to miss Myleigh the most, I wish I could take her with.

Invited

I've been waiting since August 2010 for what happened yesterday. That UPS man probably was unaware  he was delivering a package that would soon change my life, literally. My assignment for the Peace Corps is teaching English to secondary level students (7-12th grade) in Sierra Leone, Africa.  I'm due to leave, 06-01-11, that's right around the corner!

Excited is an understatement.