What's going on during the next few days?

Here's the breakdown of the next few days:

--Besides packing my 130 lbs of luggage, on Monday, January 31 at 6 AM I fly out of Wichita, KS to Washington DC for staging. Staging is an orientation on Peace Corps policies, what to expect, paperwork, etc. We'll be busy until about 6-7 PM that night and we have our last free night out in the States.

--I'd love to hear from everyone for the last time, if you have free time on the 31st...email me: laura.m.vest@gmail.com!

Staging in DC

--We fly out, on Air France on February 1 for Mali. There's a major airport in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and that's where the 9-week training process begins.

--Our flight is about 24 hours long and we have a five hour layover in France. I hear that airport is like its own little city and that volunteers should arrive three hours early, so I'm not sure yet if we'll have time to "voyager en France."

Getting to Mali - Bamako, the capital city

Once we get to Mali, expect little or no communication from me for up to three months. I know, that's a lot of time, especially time when it's going to be really crucial to hear from you guys. Don't be discouraged!! Your letters, emails and thoughts will be really appreciated during this time...and expect them from me too!

PS - Send me your email and address if I don't have it, and add me on Skype so we can stay in touch! Laura.m.vest@gmail.com , Skype: Laura.m.vest

Training - cultural, technical and language

Training is some of the best training in the world. For nine weeks, we get intense cultural, technical and language training about six days per week, seven to eight hours per day. Good thing I worked about 17 hours a day at the congressional campaign...these are going to be some long and exhausting days.

For most of training, we will live with a host family to develop our language skills and get us integrated into the culture. I am preparing myself for little or no privacy. This time is going to the most challenging, as I'll be adjusting to a new climate (100 plus degrees, just getting there during "extremely hot season"), new culture, new language, new cuisine, new living situation, new water system, biking everywhere, new everything.

What happens after training?

During training we are constantly tested and analyzed, in a way, to see what our strengths, weaknesses and preferences are for permanent site placement. We get our permanent sites after training is over. Permanent site is where we will spend the next two years of our life, where our jobs and programs will be and where we will eventually get a place to stay and integrate into that community. We won't know anything about this - not whether it's going to be a small, isolated village or a bigger city, if we'll have electricity or not, plumbing or not...whether we'll start our own program from scratch or build off of another volunteer's programs, whether I'll work with artisians or municipalities or NGOs...won't know any of it until the next nine weeks are over. Such is the Peace Corps...always teaching patience :)

On old Peace Corps ad. (adcouncil.org)

What is life usually like for volunteers?

Peace Corps philosophy is to live at the level of the people you serve. Our stipend every month will equal about $200 per month, which covers basic living expenses. Every month we accumulate two vacation days. We can't travel anywhere (outside of country) until about six months into our service...so at that time we'll have almost two weeks of vacay added up (if we don't take long trips across Mali).

There probably won't be: electricity, plumbing, running water, showers, toilets, air conditioning, refrigerator, appliances, Internet. I sound crazy, and this is going to be challenging, but I am looking forward to overcoming these challenges. That's the point. No one who applies for the Peace Corps applies because it's supposed to easy. It's about the challenge and the end goal - making positive change in the world and promoting peace and understanding among other cultures. It's about learning. :)

Housing will most likely be

A mud hut, with no appliances, no refrigerators, no toilets, just walls, a room, a floor and some windows. Awe, the simple life. Some toilets are holes in the ground. Showers are bucket baths, which I hear are pretty refreshing after sweating in 110 degree heat all day. Peace Corps gives us a water sanitation "contraption." I'm sure the travel diaherra will be great. Expect some FUNNY stories!

Mud huts in Dogon. Is this similar to my next house? :) 

Attire

KNEES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EVER SHOW!! I guess this is the biggest taboo and is equivalent to running around naked! So, with that said, it's important for me to be as respectful as I can be and approproate attire is imperative toward building credibility. Women's attire is for long skirts or pants, must pass the knee (even when sitting down, knees cannot be shown). Short or long sleeved shirts, no skinny tank tops. All breathable, 100% cotton, quick dry clothing, and all clothes I don't mind ruining. They recommend no light colors because the brownish-red sand gets on everything. We'll be hand-washing everything which wears the clothes out quickly. Peace Corps vols wear a lot of flip flops, Keens and Tevas. Count me in!

Interesting...about malaria and stuff

It gets so hot that we will probs be sleeping outside. Well, as you know, mosquitoes and malaria are kind of a big deal in Africa...so we will be using mosquito bug hut pop up tents around our sleeping quarters outside. I got mine Tuesday, and it's a beautiful thing. It pops up in one second, is spacious, I can see the stars in it and it folds up into a little disc about the size of a small table top. When we're not sleeping outside, we must sleep under a mosquito net, take malaria pills, wear long shirts and pants for extra protection (recommended, not required) and wear mosquito bug spray.

Here's the exact mosquito tent I got! It's super roomy and pops up in seconds!

Final thoughts...four days out
Four days and 14 hours until DC. I am a mixture of really excited, pumped, ecstatic, energized...and a little bit of nervous, scared and anxious. It all still feels like a big DREAM. And I am so proud of myself for doing this, yet I know that I'm also a little crazy...BUT it's not about me. This is about serving my country, this is about using every reason I am fortunate to work with others who aren't, this is about cross-cultural friendship, peace, understanding, learning, love, and all of us being one. All of us being connected. This is about removing oneself from the comfort zone and growing....growing...growing. It's about direct experience...the kind that leads to true understanding. It's about saying and meaning, "Je suis ici," (I am here, even though je ne sais pas whether that's correct or not :).

Je suis ici. Nous sommes un. :)