1. I will be in Senegal with the U.S. Peace Corps. My training takes place in Thiès, which is the second largest city in Senegal. I will be there for the first eight weeks for language, technical, and cross-cultural training. While I am there, I will be staying with a host family and doing my best to learn a language or two, how to get around, and what I can expect for the next two years. If all goes well, I will be sworn in as a volunteer sometime in early May and make my way to a final placement to be determined.
2. My official title will be Preventative Health Educator. This doesn't tell you (or me for that matter) very much about what I will actually be doing but there it is. Broadly, I'll be working in a community to help improve the lives and health of the people there. What specifically I will be doing will depend on the needs and wants of my community and I probably still won't have a very concrete project until I am a few months in at my final site. That's why two years is the minimum commitment for Peace Corps service. Making meaningful and sustainable change takes a long time!
3. Most health volunteers in Senegal are in fairly rural areas of the country. It is very likely that I won't have running water or electricity on a regular basis. So, what's the point of having a blog? Good question. I'm hoping that I will be able to get somewhere where I can charge my computer and access the internet about once a week. That being said, I will do my best to update this blog as often as I can. That also means that I could have fairly reliable access to skype and email so those could be good ways to keep in touch but I'm sorry if it takes some time for me to get back to you.
4. For anyone who had no idea that I was doing this... sorry to shock you! I've been interested in joining the Peace Corps ever since I made a documentary about Sargent Shriver, the Peace Corps' first director, in my senior year of high school. To check out my documentary look here and to learn more about my path to this point, check out my post on UMBC's Breaking Ground blog.
One week and counting. I'll be spending my last week stateside running around like a madman, so most of you may not notice a difference. I have one day of staging in Philadelphia before I fly direct JFK to Dakar. I am so unsure about what the next two years of my life will be like but I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve and I am excited to share my adventure along the way.
Thanks for reading and happy trails.
