2 weeks 2 go

With two weeks left before I leave the country for two years, I realize I'd better start figuring out how to communicate with you people while I'm gone. I also realize that some of you might not even know I'm leaving? Oops. I guess I'd better explain. My apologies if you know a lot of this already, but I will be writing this entry under the assumption that you know absolutely nothing.

I've been thinking about the Peace Corps for a few years now (I suppose after having coffee with one Adam Hartstone-Rose the summer we were in South Africa), but in August I finally decided that it was something I for sure wanted to do after graduation. There are many reasons why I made this decision, but I'll try to give you a quick summary: 1. I want to spend more time abroad, learning how I fit into the world--focusing on other people instead of focusing on myself (though I know that the experience will certainly help me personally as well). 2. I have a tendency to throw myself into whatever I do. I cannot do anything halfway--if I do it, I do it completely. I need to be passionate about whatever I get myself into. The Peace Corps not only encourages but requires this of me. I decided that this is something I need to do, because it will give me the opportunity to spend every waking moment doing what I can to make the lives of others a little better--all while learning from them and growing myself. And what a better time to do it? I don't have anything tying me down. More importantly, it will allow me to get my priorities straight--to figure out what exactly my values are and how I see my role in the world--before I do anything else. I anticipate the Peace Corps giving me a good foundation for the rest of my life.

So what's why I'm doing the Peace Corps. Now I'll try to explain what I'll be doing. I only know so much at this point, but I'll tell you what I can. On June 13th I fly to DC where I will go through staging--a type of orientation before we all leave the country. A couple days later, I will be flying to Madagascar (via South Africa, which makes me very happy) with the rest of the volunteers (PCVs, for future reference) who are starting in Madagascar at the same time as me. We will spend a few months in training: we'll live with host families and will spend our time in intensive language courses (I'll be learning Malagasy and working on my French) and generally getting used to the Malagasy culture. Oh, yeah, and also we'll be getting training on what exactly we'll be doing during our service. Training will take place on the plateau during the winter (that whole opposite seasons thing), so it will be a little chilly. After training, I will be assigned a site. And then I move to my new home where I'll serve for two years! I will be teaching English and training teachers to teach English as the main part of my job. Other than that, I get to be a bit creative, determining my community's needs (with their help), and creating projects that will address those needs.

Okay. That's about all I can tell you for sure for the moment. At some point in the near future, I'll post websites where you can learn about Madagascar (very exciting, I know). I'll also post my address and anything else I can think of that you might want. I'm not sure how often I'll have access to . . . anything, really, while I'm there, so who knows how frequently I'll be able to post once I'm gone, but I'll do what I can--and will also try to post pictures for your viewing pleasure.

For those of you who got my so-called updates from Paris, I'm guessing this will be similar--me rambling about things I find amusing. You may not learn the details of what's going on in my life, but you'll be way more entertained. I hope? Hmm.

If you are in Minnesota, let's try to see each other before I leave, okay? If you can make it to DC on June 13th, I'm free between 10.30am and 2pm, so maybe you can join a few of us for lunch (a few of us being Choi, Robin, and Whitney).

I promise future entries (meaning once I'm in Madagascar--addresses and websites don't count) will not be nearly this boring or business-like. I promise.