A few updates

The Gambia is a beautiful place!  So far all is well!  The days have been filled with language training (mandinka, woloof, and pular) and some environmental introductions as well.  And lots of immunizations!
The weather is nice but hot and humid...just like bama!  Tomorrow I will find out what language I will be speaking for the remainder of my time here.  At the end of the week I will move to my training village and will be living with a host family for 8 weeks.
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.  More to come soon!  Love you all very much!

This was the sunset on the beach today!

Me & my new buddy Lucia

Holding a python!

African puff adder

Greetings from The Gambia!

After several days of traveling and not much sleep, I made it to The Gambia!
Might have internet access for the next week, but not sure.
We got our cell phones today, if you would like to contact me, you must dial 011 220 first, then my number, 7339832.
I can receive calls and text messages for free, and apparently the most inexpensive way for you is to use skype to call my cell! You can also use an international calling card....
Please keep in touch through mail and/or phone calls as much as possible!
Thank you for all of your love and support!
I'll post more details later about all of these new experiences!

The Time Has Come

It's official: time is an illusion.  Only 5 more days left in the states!!!  And although pre-departure preparations have been on my mind for months, I have now found myself scrambling at the last minute to get everything done.  I am a procrastinator through and through.
The past few weeks have been filled with lots of wonderful moments shared with the special people in my life.  It makes me really sad to leave it all behind, but comforted by the love and support I will take with me...and come back to someday!  Bottomline, life is good!!

Sunday Sunny Sunday

 I have five more Sundays to enjoy stateside....hopefully they will be as sunny and peaceful as today.  Sundays are always such a conglomerate of emotions....anticipating the work week,  recovering from the weekend, and relaxing but also catching up on what you've slacked off on all week (i.e. house chores, errands, exercise...)
What I will miss the most from a Sunday is listening to NPR all morning, yummy brunch with a bloody mary and a mimosa (really that should be plural), and going to sleep to Echoes.
Now that I have a regular and consistent work schedule, I have reunited with the Sunday blues that come from anticipating and dreading Monday.  However, November 1st will be the Sunday of all Sundays, as I will depart for my big adventure the following day!

~Sunday's supposed to be the day for kicking off your shoes
But how come that's the day I always get the blues~  -Lucinda Williams-

Sitting here in limbo, knowing that I have to go...

There are 52 days 'till my departure!  It is really bittersweet.  I am enjoying spending time with everyone (especially my mommy), soaking up all the luxuries I will soon leave behind, and not working very hard or frequently :)  However, I am so anxious about what lies ahead that it becomes annoying just hanging over my head everyday.

Although I want to familiarize myself with the country and culture,  I want to avoid trying to know too much- so that I don't create a false sense of reality in my mind or have too many expectations.  With that said, today I received the Lonely Planet The Gambia/Senegal country guide in the mail, as well as a map of The Gambia (thanks Mom!).  As soon as I finish reading The Deathly Hallows (last of the Harry Potter series), I can devote my full attention to scoping it all out.

I am also working on creating a musical empire for my ipod, so please feel free to contribute any of your favorite music that you think I would enjoy!!  Listening to music will probably be my saving grace while away!

As I'm typing this, I just received an automated phone call asking if I would choose to re-elect President Obama....guess this is a follow-up to last night's health care reform speech, as well as this week's attempt to promote education and awareness to school children.  How dare him, hahaha!  :)   Well, at least the people of The Gambia love Obama!!

P.S. Aside from music, I am also requesting that everyone start saving $ so that they can come visit me!!!

The race is on!

Now that I have formally accepted my invitation to The Gambia, the race is on to get supplies, learn about the country, and spend time with everyone!

Cool new purchases include a sony world band receiver, solio hybrid solar charger, leatherman wave, and a duffel bag made from recycled materials-yes, it even saved 20 plastic bottles from the landfill!

For those of you who had to look at a map to figure out where Gambia is (I did also)....here are some useful websites that will give you a closer look at the country and culture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambia
http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/gambia_photos.asp
http://www.peacecorps.gov/welcomebooks/gmwb635.pdf


68 days 'till the big departure!  I'm so excited but will be sad to say goodbye!

Timeline

Welcome, this is my first blog ever. I'm not used to broadcasting my life over the internet (okay, except for facebook), but I intend to keep up with this thing so that I can provide you with stories, photos, and updates on my life while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

To bring us up to date, here is a general timeline of the pain that is federal bureaucracy I have endured just so I can live in a mud hut and continue to not make any money over the next two years! :)

• Two essays and pages upon pages of questions (education, hobbies, work experience, volunteer experience, medical history, finances, love life) later, I officially submitted my Peace Corps application on January 28, 2009.
• A couple of weeks later, I received a voicemail from my recruiter, Kyle Jessop, in the ATL regional office requesting an interview. After an hour of jumping up and down with excitement, I called him back and scheduled a phone interview for the next week.
• The interview was a couple of hours long and ended with Kyle informing me that he wanted to nominate me for the Protected Areas Management program in Latin America.
• March 12, 2009 I received my official nomination...woohoo!
• Somewhere around this time I had my fingerprints done and filled out the legal/background forms and sent them off.
• March 19, 2009 I receive my Medical Packet from the Peace Corps Medical Office.
• March 23, 2009 I peed in a cup, gave 6 vials of blood, had a physical exam, eye exam, a tb skin test, and spent an hour and a half getting the paperwork filled out with my physician.  Also went to the dentist, had x-rays, some fancy kind of dental exam, and had more paperwork filled out.
• March 24, 2009 I mailed my dental packet and receive Dental Clearance several days later.
• Upon receiving my labwork results, obtaining endoscopy/hospitalization records from last fall, and having paperwork filled out by my lady doctor; I mailed my Medical Packet to the Office of Medical Services on March 30, 2009.
• Way the hell later, on June 24, 2009, my screening nurse sends me a letter requesting additional information. As it turns out, the requested information was already included in the packet that I mailed. Unfortunately, when I called to discuss this with her, she was away on vacation for two and a half weeks! So, to avoid any further delay, I had my physician repeat info on a new form, and mailed it to her on July 6, 2009.
• July 8, 2009 I receive Medical Clearance with no problems! This means that I can serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in any country!!!
• July 13, 2009 I receive a call from Yung-Mei, my Placement Officer. She informed me that she was ready to give me my official invitation to serve, but unfortunately, due to discrepancies about my language skills, she couldn't offer me the Latin American position. Bummer!!!
• August 7, 2009 I received my invitation to serve in The Gambia!! Happy times!
• August 14, 2009 the invitation packet arrived in the mail.  More paperwork, reading materials, and passport/visa info.
• August 21, 2009 I created an updated resume and aspiration statement (what they quote you from if you die) in their requested formats, and mailed it off to the Country Desk Unit in Gambia.