Check it out--we made CNN.com! http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/10/04/ethiopia.peacecorps.ap/
Staging in DC culminated tonight with a special event at the Ethiopian Embassy; the Ambassador, the Deputy Director of Peace Corps, and several other important folks came to wish us well. We all cleaned up in our best togs and enjoyed some excellent Ethiopian food and some inspiration from them and from returned volunteers. It feels really special to be a part of this first returning group. It's also a big responsibility, and I feel a tremendous sense of duty.
Staging has been a whirlwind. My brain is full! The other 42 trainees, however, are wonderful to a person, and I am incredibly lucky to be spending the next two years with these people.
More soon, from a medium-sized town outside of Addis Ababa, where we're set to train. We fly out tomorrow evening around 8:30 pm. It should be an adventure getting 43 people, each with 80lbs+ of luggage, to the airport!
Showing posts with label beginnings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beginnings. Show all posts
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
So it's real
My departure is official. I've started a blog.
Not only that, but I've started selling furniture on Craigslist. As is typical for me, I went directly from entirely ignoring the fact that I'm moving in a couple of weeks to full-fledged panic. I packed about a third of my room today, and will probably be rid of most of my furniture by the end of the week. Then comes the odd limbo of not having furniture, but not being ready to leave quite yet (I leave August 15th). Why do I always set myself up for that?
I have a feeling that leaving Seattle is going to make this whole Peace Corps thing come into sharp relief. The notion still hasn't entirely set in that I'll be living abroad, with who knows what kind of Internet and phone access (let alone electricity and water!), for two years. Yes, I've been abroad before, but in neat little chunks. A summer, a semester, a month. Two years. Wow. Two years ago I had just barely moved to San Francisco; it's amazing to think how much has changed in my life since then. I can only imagine that as much (probably more!) will have changed when I return in a couple of years.
So, here we go. I'll be updating periodically about departure preparations, and then whenever I can from Ethiopia. Here goes nothing!
Not only that, but I've started selling furniture on Craigslist. As is typical for me, I went directly from entirely ignoring the fact that I'm moving in a couple of weeks to full-fledged panic. I packed about a third of my room today, and will probably be rid of most of my furniture by the end of the week. Then comes the odd limbo of not having furniture, but not being ready to leave quite yet (I leave August 15th). Why do I always set myself up for that?
I have a feeling that leaving Seattle is going to make this whole Peace Corps thing come into sharp relief. The notion still hasn't entirely set in that I'll be living abroad, with who knows what kind of Internet and phone access (let alone electricity and water!), for two years. Yes, I've been abroad before, but in neat little chunks. A summer, a semester, a month. Two years. Wow. Two years ago I had just barely moved to San Francisco; it's amazing to think how much has changed in my life since then. I can only imagine that as much (probably more!) will have changed when I return in a couple of years.
So, here we go. I'll be updating periodically about departure preparations, and then whenever I can from Ethiopia. Here goes nothing!
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