Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Departure Date Postponed

Well, blog readers, my December 2nd departure date has been postponed until, tentatively, Mid-January for precautionary reasons due to the first democratic elections in Guinea. The winner of the November 7th election was announced yesterday, November 15, in Guinea. The Peace Corps wants to make sure no political violence breaks out due to this announcement so they pushed back our departure date 6 weeks for our own safety and so they can keep an eye on the situation. Here is a link to this breaking news that was posted on BBC News:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11762142.

We should know more information on our departure at the end of this week or beginning of next week. We also have a conference call with some Peace Corp employees in Guinea next Wednesday to talk about the situation!

At first I was bummed about the setback, but after thinking about it for a very short minute I was very thankful for many reasons:
1. The Peace Corps does a helluva job looking out for us and our safety, thank you!
2. I get to be home for Christmas with my family :-) Who could be upset about that?
3. I get to be home to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday with her!!
4. I get to ring in the new year 2011!
5. I get to cram some more French studying in.
6. and I get to spend extra time with friends and loved ones!!
7. More time getting together the last few things I need.


So this postponement was a blessing in disguise! :-)
Heather

Thursday, November 11, 2010

21 Days.... Yeah, that's 3 weeks

It's been awhile since I have posted. I apologize. I've attempted to post a hundred times since my last one, but there is so much I could write about that I get overwhelmed and say forget it. So if there is anything in particular you would like me to post about, please feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment. I would be happy to write about it! And please send me any questions you may have!

Today marks exactly 21 days until I leave for Guinea, West Africa. Am I scared? Hell yeah. Am I excited? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! I am way more excited than I am nervous! I've met approximately 14 of 48 people in my training group so far and all of them are AWESOME! I can already tell I'm going to make some life long friends while on this amazing journey. I cannot wait to meet them in Philly on December 2nd!

I guess I could give you all an itinerary of what my next 3 weeks look like and my travels to Guinea:
Today-December 1: STUDY FRENCH!!! STUDY FRENCH!!!
November 15-19: Get the rest of the items on my 3 page packing list.
November 20: My going away party with friends and family
November 22-26: Get some good quality sister time in with Mandi! She will be home from college for Thanksgiving break!
November 23: Celebrate my dad's 50th birthday! :-)
November 25: Thanksgiving!
November 26 & 27: Hit the town with my friends one last time!
November 28-30: Spend time with family.
December 2: Fly to Philidelphia for Peace Corps Staging (aka: orientation). Staging is from 12-7pm
December 3: Get vaccinations, then hop on a bus to JFK airport. Depart for Guinea at 6:05pm.
December 4: Arrive in Guinea at 7:00pm

I will post my packing list I've been trying to dominate the past few weeks so you all can get an idea of the things I am bringing with me on my 2 year journey to Africa!

Happy Veteran's Day to all the women and men who have and are currently serving our country. THANK YOU!!!

Heather