Wait, you’re still not a volunteer? Ahhhhh, PST…Pre-Service Training. I refer to it as Boot Camp, and our instructors take every opportunity to re-enforce that yes, as of now, we are just trainees. Yes, the Peace Corps is about as far from the Army [or other military branch] as imaginable, but this 10 week period…
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World Cup and Making Friends
I described the process of being matched up with host families as being anxious kitties at the shelter. Imagine this: You are placed in a room with about 50 people who you do not know, where everyone is speaking a language you do not know. All you can do is listen for your name. And…
Holidays and Exams
It’s been a busy week out here in training-land. 3 holidays in one week, and only one day off. July 1 is Rwandan Independence Day [but it’s not celebrated]. July 4 is both American Independence Day and Rwandan Liberation Day, and for us, our only day off. My fellow trainees and I went to the…
Being Lost
I’ve been trying to finish this post for a few months now. I don’t think I’ve ever struggled so much trying to put in my words how I feel about fear. But I’m going to try, let’s do this… Does anyone else have an annoying voice in the back of their head that only appears…
Pre-Service Training
For those of you who like my soul searching [baring?] posts, this is not one of them. Stay tuned next week for more of that. This one is about pre-service training. What exactly is pre-service training? Glad you asked. If you thought, like I did at one point, that as soon as I got on…
Settling in
Days 2 and 3 involved getting ourselves safely to Kigali–an adventure by itself. Our bus was about an hour late getting to Philadelphia. Then the driver wasn’t really sure where he was going so he was on his phone both as a GPS and texting. There were a couple of close calls where he tried…
Alive and Well
Yes, I am in fact, alive and well. I’ve been in Rwanda for about a couple of days now, and I have lots to say. Unfortunately, a lack of Internet and computer/electricity access has made it difficult to communicate with those of you back home. When I get the chance, I’ll actually post some updates…
Last Night at the Hideaway
It’s Saturday night. I’ve just work my last shift, and for now, I am alone. Blissfully alone. I love my friends, I do, but as an introvert at heart, being around people is exhausting, and tonight, tonight, I am blissfully alone. Tomorrow night, I will say good-bye to even more friends. And to my kitty…
Stay. Don’t go.
Stay. Don’t go. That’s all I wanted to hear. We met for dinner one last time before I planned to leave. We met at our favorite pizza place. A place we’d been probably a hundred times before. A place I haven’t been since. All I wanted was to hear you say “Stay with me.” Those…
Saying good-byes
Fact: good-byes are the worst. For more months than I care to remember, I’ve been preparing for departure. Preparing to say my good-byes to a life I’ve spent the last few years carefully crafting. All the government required paperwork, the new purchases that are a *must-have* [like a nifty head lamp], and setting up Lucy and…