Details

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this, especially during training, so I decided to lay out all the details I already have. Doing this might actually help me remember more/keep all the info straight :)

I'll be in Philadelphia for staging (training) the 16th and 17th.
September 17 Depart Philadelphia
September 18 Arrive Paris
September 18 Depart Paris 5 hours later & Arrive Lomé, Togo

There's a welcome reception that night and things like that.

Sunday the 19th through Tuesday the 21st I'll have health sessions, security training, a French Placement test (crap!), given a bike assignment, a diversity session and other detailed trainings. During this time I'll be staying in a hotel.

On Wednesday the 22nd, I'll travel to Tsévié (North of Lomé) while the Natural Resource Management (NRM) volunteers will be in Gbatopé- 6km away from me. I will meet my host family this afternoon.

Training at the PST (Pre-service training) site begins on Thursday the 23rd.

That's what I have for week 2 of training. Considering the French is my #1 worry, I'm pumped there is lots of language time.  I remember how much I loved learning Spanish so I'm hoping for the same. I get so excited when I understand conjugations, irregularties, etc.  The freaking pronunciation of French is so hard though.

Did I mention how pumped I am for the location of my host family?  My friend Melissa shared some language/cultural experiences about her long trip to Ghana. I can't remember too much, but I remember her mentioning Ewe people and the language.  According to Wikipedia, Tsévié is inhabited primarily by Ewe people. Sweeeet.

Also, there's an asterisk that says "* You will eat all meals with host families."  I thought that is worth noting.

Alright, so I get to Lomé the 18th, have arrival retreat to the 22nd and then stay in Tsévié from September 22 to October 23rd at the PST site with my host family.  Then I'll have a site visit to feel out my prospective future site/placement from October 23-30. I'll go back to my PST site for a couple more weeks until November 17th and if all goes well (and I can pass an intermediate-medium level in French by the end of Phase II) then I will be sworn in as a volunteer on November 18 and depart to my post on the 19th.

As I get more and more information, it is becoming more of a reality. Now that I'm even more overweight from constantly stuffing my face the past couple weeks, it is time to get moving.

I haven't even began to pack, but I have a GIANT pile of everything on top of the suitcases. We'll see how this 80 pound limit plays out.

Maybe once my going away party is over on Sunday (and it finally hits me once I see all my friends for the last time) I'll start cracking down.  Until then... Facebook, Yahoo Gin and Tumblr will continue to distract me :)

http://jshine.tumblr.com/