Here Goes Nothing

Well here goes nothing.  I arrived in Philadelphia for Peace Corps registration and “staging,” which took the better part of today.  Then I’m off to JFK with the other volunteers Monday morning to board a flight to Brussels, Belgium. From Brussels we’ll board our flight to Burkina Faso.

Am I prepared?  It’s hard to say.  I have my bags packed (a daypack and a bigger backpacking pack) with most of the things that I think I will need.  I’m still in denial that I will be living outside of the United States for 27 months.  Definitely still in denial that the majority of that time will be spent without electricity or running water.  I’m sure if I could see into the future I would be way more worried, but for now I’m blissfully ignorant, which is enough to get me on the plane to Africa.

As of now, here’s a brief list of the things I’m worried about the most

1)      Language- Burkina Faso is a former French colony, so the officially language is French.  Unfortunately, my experience with French is limited (spending 5 weeks in Paris doesn’t exactly result in fluency).  During my 3 months of pre-service training, however, they will have extensive language training.  I’ll also be living with a family during the training period, so I’ll be forced to communicate in French. There are also 5 main regional dialects, one of which I may start learning once  I know where I’ll be placed in the country

2)      Climate- Burkina Faso is extremely hot and extremely humid.  Living in beautiful Southern California all of my life hasn’t exactly prepared me for muggy tropical heat, especially with the lack of A/C in most African countries.   I hope I can adapt quickly….the thought of falling asleep in 95 degree heat and 70% humidity is worrisome

3)      My stomach/intestines- It is rumored that Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in Burkina Faso have the highest rate of gastrointestinal problems during training.  I was reading the blog of one guy who contracted E.coli an impressive three times during his three months of training.  Not exactly comforting……

I could probably make this a much longer list, but it would serve no purpose.  I’m constantly reminding myself that when I applied for the Peace Corps, I wanted a public health position in sub-Saharan Africa, which is exactly what I got.  It’s one thing to read a textbook or article about Africa, and another thing entirely to experience it.  I want that experience.

My last meals in America consisted of dinner at TGI Fridays, drinks at the hotel bar, breakfast at Chipotle, dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, and drinks at TGI Fridays.  Yeah….they didn’t exactly put us up in the most exciting part of Philadelphia.   Did some good ol’ American sports betting tonight. Placed a bet with a Saints fan  and fellow PCV, Christina, that the Chargers would win. Needless to say, Drew Brees has an NFL record, the Saints have their first win, and I’m down $10.

I promise to keep this updated blog updated as often as I possibly can, which I admit may not be that often.  I won’t be preaching, making sweeping political generalizations, or guilt tripping those who choose to read.  I hope this will serve as an interesting, entertaining, and honest record of my adventures in West Africa. Feel free to sign up for an email notification when I have new post (probably the best way to keep up with me)