So Jes, are you going to have a blog?

Yes, yes I am.  And here it is.
I plan to update it regularly pending my access to an internet connection.

I can't believe after all the waiting, medical stuff, interviews, applications and essays that I finally have my assignment.  It still hasn't really sunk it though.  I leave September 16 for staging (pre-training) in Philadelphia.  Then it is off to Lomé (the capital of Togo) for 3 months of training.

• May 2009 - apply to Peace Corps
• Summer 2009 - work 40 hour weeks, fill out requested additional information from Peace Corps recruiter
• August 17, 2009 - begin internship at prison followed by first Peace Corps interview
• September 3, 2009 - nominated for Peace Corps program working with AIDS in Portuguese speaking Subsaharan Africa
• September 2009 - December 2009 - visit doctor, dentist, optometrist, gyno, therapist, etc. and have them fill out extensive paperwork
• January 2010 - Request to have two cavities ripped out and replaced (bottom left and top right, sweet)
• February 2010 - June 2010 - waiting, e-mailing/calling medical staff to see how much longer I have to wait, telling people "I don't know" a lot when they asked me questions.
• June 18, 2010 - request for further medical paperwork
• mid-July - request for more up-to-date medical tests/paperwork
• late July - phone call saying I'm not eligible for the AIDS program, another interview, re-nominated for Girls Education and Empowerment (GEE) program.
• early August - receive official invitation to Togo
• August - packing, goodbyes, H1N1 shot, studying French, writing this blog, drinking lots of slurpies.