I MADE IT!!!

I flew into Dakar on Saturday, as my previous post stated.  I didn't get much sleep on the plane, well, I didn't get ANY sleep on the plane.  We landed at 6:00 am and bussed it straight to Thies for training.  The first day was exhausting and proved hard to stay awake after all 57 of us had pulled an all nighter.  Oh well, after two nights sleep I'm feeling much better.

Anyway, Thies is AWESOME.  So far, we've taken some basic "survival Wolof" courses and endured safety lectures, medical lectures, culture lessons, and pretty much anything else you could think of while visiting an African country.  The Senegalese trainers are some of the kindest people I have ever met, and are really helping to get everyone excited to serve for 2 years in the Peace Corps.

Today, we had an oral French interview... which I surprisingly still know quite a bit since not taking classes since high school.  I also had an Urban Agriculture interview, where our superiors begin to decide which post would be the best fit for me after I finish Preservice Training.  On Monday, we will find out which of the 8 possible native languages we will begin to learn.

We've spent most of our time inside the compound of the training center.  Yesterday was our first day we were allowed to leave the compound, and had the chance to walk through the markets and get a taste of real Senegalese life.  This morning I went for a jog around town... ok, it's not a town... 1.5 million people live in Thies.  Anyway, it is pretty funny to see the stares that I get.... It's not everyday the locals see a white man with beautiful curly red hair running down the street.  Some of the children think it's funny to point and say, "Bonjour, Toubab!"  (Hello, white man).  I can't help but laugh along because it's just so damn cute.  Yesterday, while I was in the market wearing a green shirt and bandana, some kid pointed and said, "Look it's Peter Pan!!".  Pretty funny, I just hope the nickname doesn't stick with the other volunteers, haha.

I'm beginning to get to know a lot of the other volunteers pretty well.  We spend much of our free time socializing and trying to get to know one another.  With over 260 volunteers in all of Senegal, there will be a vast support network in case I ever really need to talk or see someones face.  And, the girl-guy ratio is 60-40.... so that works for me.  I really enjoy lunches, where we eat on the floor out of large community bowls with about 5 people surrounding each bowl.  It really promotes bonding during meals, and I begin to wonder why we don't do this at home.  We have a little bar about a five minute walk away from the training center, where I had a beer or two with some of the volunteers and trainees last night.  It was nice to relax, and a few of us really got to practice French with some of the locals at the bar.  A funny note, Senegal is 90-95% Muslim depending on who you ask... so the bar is run by a Catholic family.  That's why when someone asks, "What did you do last night after dinner?"... you can respond, "I went to church."

It's getting to be about dinner time here, so I better wrap up this post.  They've been spoiling us with Americanized food to start off our journey (last night we had beef brisket and french fries with ketchup).  Hopefully, this gives you some sort of idea of how things are going so far.  I haven't gotten the chance to take many pictures as of yet, but I'll be here for 2 years.... they're coming... don't worry.

At the airport

Here it is. My last post before I leave for Senegal.  Nervous? Excited? Jittery from coffee? All of the above.  I'm SO pumped that I have a great group of people with me.  Staging proved to be a little boring and drawn out with safety lectures and ice-breaking games, but it was nice to see that so many people have the same anxieties as myself.  We have a group of 57 badass Agriculture kids, 14 of which are Urban Ag like myself... I think.  

My time spent in Washington D.C. was AWESOME to say the least.  Special shout-out to Katie Russell for being so hospitable and letting me sleep on her couch for a few days.  I must say I felt pretty damn patriotic touring around D.C. for a few days.  I took a tour of the Capital building, National Archives, Monuments, Memorials, Natural History Museum... etc.  I cannot feel more proud to serve my country in the Peace Corps, and think that this will be a GREAT experience of a lifetime for me.  

So, last night a nice group of us went out for our last dinner in America.  I ate a reuben and it was awesome.  We stayed and drank beers for awhile and really got to know some cool people that I'll be spending my time with.  I couldn't believe how many of us are in this Ag group, which will be a great support group for me while I get settled.

We land in Dakar at 6:10am tomorrow morning after an 8.5 hour flight.  Hopefully I'll be able to sleep... why did I just drink so much coffee?  We are then shuttled straight to our training center in Thies.  There we spend a week all together, and afterwards are broken into small language learning groups where we live with a family for the remainder of training.  Should be an exciting time, and hopefully I'll find enough internets to let me continue posting on this blog.

Goodbye, America.  I will miss you.

Welcome

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog.  I've told many people that I was going to create this blog to share stories, pictures, and anything else I feel like sharing during my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer. This blog was pretty easy to set up, and I plan on staying as active on here as possible during my travels.

This past weekend, my parents threw me a going away party as a last hurrah in America.  Friends and family nearby came to celebrate/mourn my departure.  It was a great reunion, with many of my best DePauw and other close friends.  I thank anyone who was able to make it, and it's great to know that I have so much support from everyone.  And after three kegs, I think we successfully raged, or DePauwtied, hard enough that I will need a two year break from drinking anyway.

I have a little over a week until my flight to Senegal, and am making my last preparations before I leave.  My staging takes place first in Washington D.C. on the 25th, and I fly to Dakar, Senegal on the 26th.  I can't express how excited/nervous I am to leave, and feel like it hasn't really hit me yet that I'll be gone for two years.  It's comforting to know that I'll in a training group with others in the same position; and, I'm sure I'll meet some of the greatest people along the way.

Again, welcome to my blog, and I encourage anyone who is interested to subscribe (hopefully there is a way to subscribe I really have no idea) to my blog and follow me in my journey to Senegal.  More to come before I depart.