What Mali has taught me...

So I have been in Mali now for what seems like eternity but in reality it has been 4 months! I have learned so much though in these 4 months, had an experience that very few Americans can say that have had.  I have been living as a Malian which is one of the hardest things one could do, but yet a Malian does it every day.  Mali taught me that people do not need all the amenities in the world to be happy, that electricity is not necessary, or material items do not make you better than another.  In this culture, it is a culture of sharing and family, what is mine is also yours.  My host father is a very fortunate Malian who manages to have more than many other, he has a car, a motorcycle and is building another house, but yet he does not feel superior to another, he shares what  he has with everyone.  If someone needs a ride, he will give them his motorcycle, or drive them anywhere they need to go.  If he sees someone not eating and he is, he will offer food to them.  This is the Malian way, any time anyone is eating, they will offer, even if they can only offer a little.  This culture has taught me a new appreciation for humanity, to be able to see people who are the poorest in the world, give the little they have to others so another can be happy.  I am an American who would be considered very wealthy in Malian standards because I have disposable income to buy ipods, computers, abundant amount of clothes, but where does this make me better or superior to a Malian.  Malians have no need for these items because they have what many in the world desire, they have family, and what I mean my family, its not just a mother, father, sisters or brothers, everyone is their sister and brother.  It is a confusing concept for me to grasp, but as a form of respect, one calls each other n balimamuso or n balimace which means this is my brother or sister, even though their is no blood relation between the two.  This country has created a joking cousin in which you are allowed to tease someone with a competing last name.  This creates a sense of harmony and teaches everyone not to take life to serious.  Mali compared to most African nations is one of the safest there is, also the most stable.  The violent crime rate is very low here compared to many of their neighboring countries, because they have this since of community and everyone gets to know everyone.  It is amazing how it works out. I wish  that many Americans could have experienced what I have in my four months here, I believe they too would grow an appreciation.  Nothing is better on the soul than watching a small child running down the street with a smile on their face while using a stick to balance a rolling spare tire.  Many Americans are simply spoiled and our children expect toys that in reality are not needed, not to say that we need to give up our way of life to live like Africans, but I think we all need to have a better for of appreciation for all the gifts and privileges that America has offered us.  We are all fortunate to be Americans, we have choices, whether it is for clothes, entertainment, food, culture, or leisure, we are so blessed to have all of these at our opportunities that most of the world does not.  I will never take a toilet for granted know that most of the world doesn't have one, as I take my morning shower, I will appreciate the fact that I did not have to walk 10 minutes to get a bucket from a pump or well and carry it back to my house so I can bathe.  Everyone who reads this, please take 5 minutes or an hour, and think about all your problems and realize that you can work through them, that you do not need to work 100 hours a week just so you can get the new Ipad, remember that as long as you have loved ones in your life, that is what really matters!  In my first four months in Mali, I know I have grown beyond what I thought, through all of my complaining, I appreciate the fact that I am here, and the most important thing that I have learned and hoping to keep when I return to America is patience.  It has always been my biggest flaw, being impatient, but I hope I can take what I have learned from Mali and adapt as much of it as I can in America.  Until next time, peace!

Another travel to Bamako!

So once again I am in Bamako, I have another medical issue so I came to Bamako for a check up.  It is quite crazy since I have been here less than 2 weeks ago.  It is also crazy to think of the time gone from site. I will be back in Bamako the 11th for IST training which last for 2 weeks.  The first 2-3 months is suppose to be time spend with the community for integration, to learn their culture, and start inquiring into the needs of the village and what projects I could do for the next 2 years.  Yet I have been getting sick quite often that I have missed a lot of this time for my integration!  It is taking its toll on me physically and mentally being sick, it is very tire some, but being here in Bamako, I have been able to catch up on sleep that I haven't had in the past 2 weeks.  I have stomach issues, insomnia, and my viral infection still, it is very difficult dealing with this at site, especially dealing with it alone.  It is difficult to discuss the issues you are having at site, because a lot of your illnesses is lost in translation with the locals as well as the lack of knowledge of common diseases.  The other day a girl in my village was having hiccups but they took it as a serious disease, I told her why she had her issue and she was like no, it is a sickness! Also, since many of the locals are very strong and tough people, they have to be, so many illnesses are just ignored because it could interrupt with their daily lives and lively hoods.  There is no such thing as a paid sick day in most villages, if you are sick and forced to take a day off then you lose that days income which could bankrupt a family.  It is difficult to experience when you see people with disabilities caused by injuries and illnesses that were just ignored. So with that said, they acted that it was odd for me to go all the way to Bamako just to visit a doctor but we as Americans and even as Volunteers, it is very imperative to take care of ourselves here. African way of life is very tolling on Americans and Western Civilized people, everything we have is difficult since it is very foreign to our bodies.  Lets hope I get better soon, although I know I will get sick again soon!

Birthday in Africa!

So today is my 26th Birthday!! Its a crazy place to have a birthday to say the least but I appreciate my fellow volunteers who came to Bougouni especially Clare and Marlow, and celebrated this with me.  I have never been a big fan of birthdays, they generally depress me, but this one I think is nice where I am able to just chill in a hotel with Clare and enjoy some A/C, a shower and a good old porcelain throne. I went out to a local bar last night and enjoyed the luxuries of whiskey, and just was able to relax a little. I know that if I celebrated in my village, this would have been a devastating day, so all round a good day! I also appreciate all those who called me from America, I know it is expensive but I really appreciate it and love and miss you guys:) You know who you are!  Tomorrow is back to site which is going to be once again tolling on me but it has to be done!  I have some plans to make the next couple of weeks entertaining before IST so it should be okay!

Woke up and guess what, I am in Africa!

This entry is different for all others, it is not a rant, these are just my thoughts.

I know I have been here for several months now, but every so often through all my discomforts I have to wake up and remember, I am in Africa. I feel there are days where I will be back in NYC at my apartment on the Upper East and think of all this as a long dream.  Guess what though, every day I wake up on my mattress enclosed in my mosquito net wishing I was some where else.  Its not all bad as my dramatics may make it seem. I am really appreciating the experience.  I was on a bus this morning headed off to Bougouni for my birthday weekend, and while looking out the window, I had another moment where I was reminded I am in Africa.  I look out and see children running in villages chasing tires, I see women carrying their livelihoods on their heads, I see donkeys in the  roads and farm animals roaming every which way, I am on a bus with no A/C surrounded by people who have not heard of deodorant, through all of this, I remember I am in Africa.  I really do appreciate all of this, it opens my eyes to a whole new world; one can forget that we share the same planet! Do not get me wrong with previous posts that probably seem to just be a long random rant of bitchiness, I appreciate this experience and encourage people who are interested in the slightest to try it out.  I am told by many volunteers that this is not for everyone, and I agree it is not.  I will never regret my decision to join this wonderful organization, it stands for everything I believe in.  With that said, whether I stay here another 2 months or 2 years that is to be foreseen,  no matter how much I love this experience, I do have to listen to my body and mind.  It is very tolling on my as you can see from previous entries; I am not sure if I was ready for such an endeavor. This is my question to myself, How would I know when I would be ready?  Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be 26! I realize here that I was not ready to leave NYC, not sure if I was ready to make a 2 year commitment, but when would I be ready?  I am realizing there are so many things back home that I am not sure if I want to miss... my nephews first birthday, my moms 60th, more holidays more anniversaries. I understand that I will have to miss something no matter what I choose to do, but to be unhappy and miss out on the lives of my loved ones.  I am not homesick, but I do think about what I will be missing.  As I said, whenever I choose to leave be it in July or April 2013, I appreciate the fact that I got to meet some amazing people, not only volunteers but the Malian people.  Malians are extraordinary, they live in such adversities with a smile on their faces!  They are some of the most hospitable people, yet they have next to nothing. If I asked, they would give me the shirt off their backs.  There are the annoying ones of course, especially the children who stare and taunt but as a whole, this is a wonderful society.  I just wished I was ready to accept it and be a part of it!  I could only hope with time!

More Adventures... or not!

So I am currently in Bamako, about to leave actually after being here for a week.  I have been sick with some unknown disease, they call it a viral infection but not 100 percent what caused it.  I had major pains in my lungs, my chest, I had a migraine that lasted for 14 hours, nausea, fever, major headache and other such fun symptoms.  They do know that it was not Malaria though which is good.  So I have been in Bamako which was a nice break, hanging out with other volunteers, enjoying the air conditioning and have some good food, only thing is that I spent a fortune here but it was worth it.  I do not feel 100 percent yet but I feel it will be good for me to go back to site and see my villagers, I haven't seen them since last sunday!  Plus I will be going to my regional capital next weekend for my birthday celebration, big 26!!!

Before I got sick, things were going okay...  I have been trying to find ways to motivate myself to stay, I had an LCF visit for 6 days which was a great help.  He helped me find a tutor which will make Bambara a little easier to learn.  He also talked to my villagers to let them know that I do not eat fish so they will not make it for me anymore which I am so happy about.... I hate fish! As for nothing to do, I find out that the reason I have not visited my service since I have been at site is because they will not be opening this year.  They did not pay taxes or electric last year so they will be shut down.   I wish I knew this before hand but my homologue (local counterpart) decided not to tell me.  He has been avoiding me at all costs which is annoying since he is the one I am suppose to count on to meet my community start my work.  Only reason I found any of this out was because my LCF told me...

At site, I have been reading a lot and watching a lot of tv shows on my laptop to help get by the boredom.  I read in front of the boutique so the villagers gets to see me.  I have been trying to spend significant time with them and show them that I do care.  I really like my villagers, it is still taking some time to adjust to the life here.

I managed to get a lot of new downloads for my ipod as well as tv shows for my computer.  I am starting to get into glee which is an awesome show!  I have a lot more to watch at site.   I will be going to ist in less than a month which will be another nice break! Then we are allowed to travel to other areas.  We will have a 4th of July party in Kaye which will be awesome and then I will probably go to Sikasso and visit the waterfalls.  I need to plan these trips so it will help me stay here as long as possible, nice little breaks from site every so often!

Well next Saturday is my birthday and I will be going to Bougouni on Friday to Sunday... I will be with clare and some other volunteers, it will be nice to celebrate it with other volunteers, versus alone with my village which just sounds awful!

Until next time...

Week in Hell?? We will see!

So I finally have a little time with the internet access which is nice to catch up on the world. So this has been quite the past several days! I have been at site for about 9 days now and man it has been very difficult. To start, I was very fortunate to have Peace Corps drive me to my site which made me happy, I was suppose to take the bus but when they saw the amount stuff I owned, they offered to drive.  When I got to site, nothing that was suppose to be done was done which was a little upsetting but then hey I am in Mali during hot season, things run a little slow.  Then the week started... It was very difficult for me, it has been hot season so being warm may play into a lot of my unhappiness but here is my rant.  First off, I really really love my host family and the locals that I spend time with everyday, this is nothing against the locals.  I am having a very difficult time adjusting to the life here, everyday I am taking a bucket bath with visible dirt and dead bugs in it.  After I bath I am still dirty which is very difficult to get use to.  Then there is the fact that I can not properly communicate with anyone, my french is decent but most people do not speak French and I do not understand Bambara very well yet, this makes it difficult to get to know everyone.  I also have not been eating a lot because majority of my food consists of fish, which I do not like, and there are bones in the sauce which makes me very ill.  There is also a constant bug problem in side of my room, for example the other night I was awoken by a cockroach crawling on me.  I am also still very homesick, I really miss my friends and family.  I realize and started appreciate the aspect of having them in my life.  I called my parents and they give me all the encouragement to stay, explaining that I will get use to my life here sooner or later.  I really hope so, a lot of people explain that I can go home, and my friends would like me to, but I feel it might be too soon to throw in the towel.  There are moments in the day when I feel I can do this, but it is greatly outweighed by the moments of wanting to run away back to America.   I may just be being dramatic or overly critical, but everyone experiences thing differently and adapt differently. 

I have found a new appreciation for America while being here too!  I really miss it, and everything it offers.  I like the variety of foods and will never take it for granted again.  I am really trying hard to stay here for a while still, I need to work this out and I really hope I can.

Until next time, Happy Easter!

What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger

So yesterday I became an official Peace Corps Volunteer.  We went to the Presidential Palace where we were sworn in by the US Ambassador to Mali.  It was quite the occasion, the President of Mali presided over the ceremony and he had a formal speech with us. It was quite memorable and I have tons of pictures.  The only thing is, we all decided to don mustaches which was super creepy so when you see my photos, they are creepy!!  So today I left training site and on my way to Yanfolila for the next 2 months before In-service training. I will be in Yanfolila on Friday. I am currently in Bougouni for some last minute shopping.  I am really nervous for the next 2 months because I will have minimum contact with all my friends and other Americans.  I hope everything goes well for me and the rest of my Kennedy family members.  This is going to be a very difficult time, but as they say "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger." 

So last 2 weeks update :)

To start, my update is going to be in the form of an ADD person, random...  I will be jumping around for 2 weeks, NOTHING is in chronicle order.

So to start, I am officially done with my homestay :) which is nice and not at the same time.   I am really going to miss my family, they cooked for me and I didn't have to worry about anything with them.  They too real good care of me.  It is nice though too because I will not be constantly watched over and questioned with everything I do, which is just the Malian way of life.  I am currently at my training facility which is relaxing, having electric and showers, but it will only last until next week Wednesday when I officially move to my site. I become an official Peace Corps Volunteer next Tuesday at the Presidential Palace of Mali. This is exciting because we are the first stage to ever have that happen.  It is pretty cool to have my swear-in ceremony too!  I am a legit volunteer.

So now what happened during my 2 weeks.  The best part was last Sunday, all of us trainees went to the America Club in Bamako.  It was awesome because we got to go, drink some beer and swim in a pool; basically we got to relax and be Americans, something we can't do with our Malian host families. Alcohol is frowned upon here because 95 percent of the population is Muslim.  I had such an amazing time there and definitely didn't want to leave. It is very rare for me to have actual fun here, between all the classes and limitation on what we can do.  Then last Saturday was awesome too, I was at my village and there was a crazy dance party.  I got a shirt from the locals for the party which was cool for the party.  The dance party started out lame because no one really dances at dance parties and Malian music kind of sucks.  Although, later in the evening, the party was crazy.  The music was amazing, and they had this professional dancer who was ultra creepy, dancing very Malian inappropriate (I say that because he was appropriate in America).  Malian dance parties are funny though, the main way they dance is having 2 lines of people, girls on one side- boys on the other, then all they do is sway towards each other one pair at a time.

I finally got 2 Malian outfits made, one informal which is super big but very comfortable, the second outfit was formal and made for my swear-in ceremony.  I think I will get more clothes made too, especially pants which are comfortable and considered dressy in all occasions (they are Pajamas in America).  The clothes are all costumed made by a tailor, my out fit for shirt and pants cost about 10 dollars, fabric and labor.

I am not fully liking it here still but it is growing on me.  I really appreciate the experience I am having and look forward to learning more.  My language is difficult for me still but I am slowly learning it.  I have my final test tomorrow to see if I need a tutor, which I do.  I am up to 22 pounds lost also! I have to take this day by day, the culture is amazing here, but I am just having trouble adjusting to the heat (110+ everyday) and not understanding everything that is going on. 

I will try to update again before I leave for site.  I hope it isn't too long until I have access to the internet again.  TTYL

Update on Life!

So it has been a month or so since I have updated last so basically nothing new really happened, my life is basically the same each day.  Until last week, I have been studying Bambara and living with my host family.  It was good, some drama with some people but nothing to lose sleep over.  Same donkeys making the same ridiculous noise!  Then last week occurred, I found out my site which I am happy with. I am in Sikasso Region where all the fresh fruits and vegetables of Mali comes from, and it is greener than the rest of Mali. I arrived there last Sunday by bus.  Taking a bus in Mali is an experience in itself.  The have jugs of water in the aisles because once every seat is full, they start sitting people on the jugs, once those are full, people stand (for hours).  They played some very lame music videos that were hilarious, Malians dance worse than me which is saying a lot!!  I went with my Homalogue/counterpart to Yonfolila which is my new village where I will be living for 2 years!!  When I arrived, things were okay, I was a little homesick but things were okay, I was in a "hotel" with air conditioning, I use the word hotel loosely because the place was mad sketchy.  Well I stayed there for the first 2 days because my room was not set up yet.  The first 2 days went well enough, I didn't sleep much nor did I each much but it was okay.  I met a local french volunteer so I hung out with him a lot.  Everything was good until day 3!  I fell into this major depressive wanting to leave Africa mood which lasted until today.  It was terrible, day 3 I moved into my house which was not finished yet still...  I had a mouse that seemed it liked to annoy the hell out of me, I got 1 hour of sleep, kids were opening my door at 3 a.m. because my lock didn't work, all in all it was hell.  This consisted for 3 days there, I was bored and annoyed.  I couldn't even communicate with anyone.  My only saving grace was my friend William, who was the french volunteer.  I hung out with him everyday so I can have that connection to western life.  He will not be there when I go back because all the French volunteers have been evacuated, which annoys me because he was the only westerner for 80k from me.  I will be in my village alone :(. Then there is the libya stuff, there is some concern for safety issues with that too.  There is a very strong relationship between libya and Mali.  So we will see how that unfolds.

Honestly, a lot more has happened but I don't have the patience to write any more so I will update in 2 weeks when I return to the internet. 

Adios

Update on Life!

So it has been a month or so since I have updated last so basically nothing new really happened, my life is basically the same each day.  Until last week, I have been studying Bambara and living with my host family.  It was good, some drama with some people but nothing to lose sleep over.  Same donkeys making the same ridiculous noise!  Then last week occurred, I found out my site which I am happy with. I am in Sikasso Region where all the fresh fruits and vegetables of Mali comes from, and it is greener than the rest of Mali. I arrived there last Sunday by bus.  Taking a bus in Mali is an experience in itself.  The have jugs of water in the aisles because once every seat is full, they start sitting people on the jugs, once those are full, people stand (for hours).  They played some very lame music videos that were hilarious, Malians dance worse than me which is saying a lot!!  I went with my Homalogue/counterpart to Yonfolila which is my new village where I will be living for 2 years!!  When I arrived, things were okay, I was a little homesick but things were okay, I was in a "hotel" with air conditioning, I use the word hotel loosely because the place was mad sketchy.  Well I stayed there for the first 2 days because my room was not set up yet.  The first 2 days went well enough, I didn't sleep much nor did I each much but it was okay.  I met a local french volunteer so I hung out with him a lot.  Everything was good until day 3!  I fell into this major depressive wanting to leave Africa mood which lasted until today.  It was terrible, day 3 I moved into my house which was not finished yet still...  I had a mouse that seemed it liked to annoy the hell out of me, I got 1 hour of sleep, kids were opening my door at 3 a.m. because my lock didn't work, all in all it was hell.  This consisted for 3 days there, I was bored and annoyed.  I couldn't even communicate with anyone.  My only saving grace was my friend William, who was the french volunteer.  I hung out with him everyday so I can have that connection to western life.  He will not be there when I go back because all the French volunteers have been evacuated, which annoys me because he was the only westerner for 80k from me.  I will be in my village alone :(. Then there is the libya stuff, there is some concern for safety issues with that too.  There is a very strong relationship between libya and Mali.  So we will see how that unfolds. 

Honestly, a lot more has happened but I don't have the patience to write any more so I will update in 2 weeks when I return to the internet. 

Adios

Angry Humping Donkeys

So where to begin, possibly with the title of this blog?? We will soon see. 

I am currently at the training center after 12 days of being at my homestay site.  To be honest, I am very relieved to have electricity, internet and a shower, but I find myself missing my homestay family.  They are really awesome, I am learning a lot of cultural information which is great and I do not feel very awkward at home which is a relief.  When I arrived, I was actually very nervous because I met my brother who seemed very intimating to me. I soon find out he speaks fluent english and is super awesome! The only negative to the English speaking at home is that I am not getting the necessary practice in Bambara.  I honestly am getting upset with the language itself, I keep on rushing myself to know this language that I have been speaking for 2 weeks now, what more can I ask for. I do feel that others expect me to have a conversation, and others try to make me feel bad that I speak English at home.  I do practice with my host bro MaMari, he teaches me a lot. 

Now for the random stories such as the title above.   So I leave in this little town outside of Bamako, it is a little dirty (meaning a lot of garbage everywhere).  We have language class outside in which we had 2 angry donkeys trying to mate came running through our class.  We have had herd of Cattle, chickens, sheep and goats walk through our class too!  It is very distracting, so we changed classrooms to the LCF's compound where we were interrupted by an angry women who was screaming at these people, she was topless and her child was trying to breast feed at the same time.  She was very angry and was yelling for over an hour!!

My family now, they make fun of me all the time now, they know that I don't know their names and call me out all the time.   They have patience with me and are trying to help me learn the language.  Also my host bro, MaMari, thinks I am fat so I have to go for a run and when I return there, he will be making me play soccer to lose more weight.  I have lost 13 pounds so far!! 

All in all I am enjoying Africa, nothing too shocking yet that makes me want to leave, so 27 months here I come!!

A Demain!

So tomorrow I will be moving to my host family/village for training.  I will be living in the village of Dialokonoboro(or something like that). I will be training in Bambara for sure now which is great since it is one of the biggest languages here in Mali, and has versions of the same language around west Africa, so for business purposes and foreign service, it is a good language to learn.  I am a little nervous about the whole ordeal, but I think that I may be psyching myself out a little, only time will tell.  I feel it will be awkward for a couple of weeks, until everything gets adjusted and use to things. 

On an interesting note, I bought bleach today to add to my water. It is weird to purposely drink bleach, but it will be diluted enough I guess.  It cost 175 CFA which is roughly 35 cents, I gave the guy 200 CFA and since he didn't have change, I let him keep the 25 CFA (5 cents) and he was so excited and grateful.  It is astonishing on how cheap everything is here and how appreciative things are.  I got paid 90000 CFA (180 dollars) for walk around money, although I don't have to pay for food or housing for the next 9 weeks.  This may not seem like a lot but the average Malian only makes 15000 CFA (30 dollars) a month, and they have to pay for everything :(... Yesterday, I bought Malian fabric that cost 10000 CFA (20 dollars) which is enough to make a 3 piece outfit and it was hand printed and dyed by a woman's association here in Mali; this type of fabric would normally cost 20 dollars or more a yard in the USA.  I bought this fabric to be tailored in my town to have as a ceremonial outfit for my Swearing-In. 

I will not have the internet for the next 2 weeks so I will update then.  It will be an adventurous one so we will see what happens, keep posted.

First Couple of Days

I ni Wula...(Good Evening)

So here is a rundown of my last few days of being here in Africa...

I have arrived in Bamako, Mali at 9p.m. on Wednesday night (5 hour difference for the east coast).  We then came to  our training facilities, which is neat, it is like being at summer camp :).  We sleep in huts, poop in a hole in the ground and take cold showers or bucket shower with warm water from a huge cauldron.  It is quite interesting :) 

Our first day here, we had general greeting, no the rules and what is in store for us. All of our classes are in huts too, one big hanger type and then a few small ones.  I had my language test yesterday, and I managed to get intermediate-medium, which is good since I forgot so much french because I haven't spoken in a while.  It is also the level that I need to become a volunteer so I am set :).  Last night, I hung out with volunteers and we played riddles, and true to their names, I couldn't figure any out.   It was also very warm too, about 100 most of the day. I did start my malaria pill regime today too.

Today is a little cooler and more intense, we learned about Diarrhea or what they call Mr D. and how we can work to avoid it, such as not drink the water with out treatment, don't drink the milk that hasn't been boiled etc... I got my hepatitis A shot today and my Meningitis shot. We also had our first lesson in Bambara, it is interesting, there are letters that are not in the English alphabet, but I managed to learn how to say, good evening (I ni Wula), how are you (I Ka Kene) and what is your name (I togo), plus the responses.  I requested today to be placed in a medium sized village and I want to be speaking Bambara and French, so hopefully this will come true for me. 

I will update more soon, but training is just interesting, and next week I move in with my host family which will be awesome, they will help me learn the language and culture, I will live with them for 8 weeks too.

Until later, au revior.

My final farwells and departure!

So right now it is 10:30 in the morning in Washington D.C. I am sitting here in my comfortable bed at the Holiday Inn in Georgetown and I am about to finish my packing and readjusting my luggage.   Today is departure day for me, I am very anxious and truly excited at this moment for the thought that tomorrow I will be in Bamako, Mali, FINALLY!!  I am very ready at this point, I spent the last month saying good bye to everyone that is very dear to me, I have been reading numerous blogs to mentally prepare myself, and of course I ate everything that was in front of my face (20 pounds gain in a month, not bad, lol). I had staging yesterday which honestly made me so much more excited and motivated about the future 27 months. I am moving to AFRICA!!! 

From this point on , this blog will have a different tone for obvious reasons, instead of talking about my application process, and all the hardships I had and the anticipations.  I will turn the page and write about the ADVENTURE. I will try my best to update on a regular basis, letting you know my feels, my stories, and everyday life that I will be experiencing. I will start uploading pictures once I arrive, and share everything. 

Only 2 weeks to go!!!

So the last month and half have been a whirlwind of fun hanging with my Family. I was able to go to New Orleans for a week with my mom and dad, which was really nice. Spent sometime in Georgia at my sisters with her new baby, Zander.  I went to Orlando and was able to visit the new Harry Potter Land at Universal Studios-Island of Adventure.  I am so happy that I was able to spend this time with my parents before I leave. We have decided that I am probably not going to go home at all during my 27 months, but through my mid-service time frame, my parents will be come to Africa for a couple of weeks. So I know I will miss my parents so much!!  The last two weeks will be busy for me too, I will be going back to New York City for a few days to get some needed good-byes in and important stuff done. Then I come back next Sunday which leaves only 8 days until I leave... I still have to finish backing, and I really just want to enjoy being home and having some home cooked food. By the way, I gained like 15 pounds in the past month, eating all of my favorite foods that I will not be having in the next 2 years!

No matter how much I know I will miss my life here in the USA and my parents, I am so excited about going to Mali, Africa!  I feel very confident that I am making the best decision in my life, joining the Peace Corps has created such a great sense a pride and excitement in my life.  It is going to be an experience that is unparalleled by any other opportunities that I may have had. I am looking forward to meeting and living in a new culture, and helping part of the world so many have forgotten. I can't wait to meet the other volunteers that I will be serving with, I know that they will be a great part of my life.

2 more weeks!!!