Thursday 18 September 2008

Staging

As I was reading about all of the things I should expect from the Peace Corps, details about staging were something I haven't read much about. Staging is a seminar-like event. There are two groups here at the Hotel in Philly. One group is going to Cameroon and the other to Togo. Cameroon group is rolling about 30 deep, and there are 31 of us Togolese volunteers. Within the Togo group are those of us doing Girls' Education and Empowerment and others doing Natural Resource Management. Everyone is about the same age, 23 +/- a year or two, and it seems to be split pretty evenly between men and women. We've played games and did little skits after learning all of the rules of the Peace Corps and learning about what we should expect and how to handle certain situations. I feel like I've really gotten to know a few of the other people... more so than I thought I would. People are literally from all over the country and even the world. Just about all of us have at least traveled to other countries, some people have lived elsewhere for long periods of time.


Tonight most of us are going out to dinner at a restraunt here in center city. Everyone seems to be on the same page and I can tell that we will all support each other through some of the tough experiences we will find ourselves in.

Tomorrow we get to be stuck with needles, eat lunch, and then we get shuttled off to the airport. Tomorrow will be a long day. This may be one of the last times I have both access to the internet and freetime to write in the blog so you may not hear from me for a while.

Tuesday 9 September 2008

The Ship's Manifest

Nolan was telling me about when he was doing research for a class on Jamaica during its colonization. He said that he was reading the manifests of the ships that were sailing across the Atlantic and that the settlers brought some of the most ridiculous things with them to the Caribbean. Things such as wool coats and church pews were all included in the manifests. This is a little bit like how I feel right now. I'm packing my bags to journey across the Atlantic and I don't know if what I'm bringing is appropriate. I guess this is as close to feeling like I'm going to settle a new world as anyone ever gets these days. I have no idea if I am over or under-packing. Here is everything that I've packed so far and I shouldn't be be adding too much more to this list. In no particular order:

stuff:
pens, 2 notebooks, envelopes, 3 books of stamps, scotch tape, scissors, journal, 1 combo and 1 key lock, "where there is no doctor" a medical field guide (thanks Nolan), "Moby Dick", 3 bars of soap, 3 sticks of deodorant, 3 toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor and a dozen disposable blades, shaving cream, hand sanitizer, 10 rolls of film, batteries - 10AAA - 16AA, crank flashlight, battery flashlight, book light, twine, clothes pins, seeds (tomato, cucumber, radish, etc..), duct tape, safety pins, sewing kit, 2 Nalgene bottles, french press coffee maker, sunscreen, daily vitamins, bugspray, ibproffin, sunglasses, mess kit, binoculars (not forgetting these like I did going to Scotland), day pack, crank radio, weekly planner, address book, extra watch, stationary (thanks Katelynn), backgammon (thanks Kevin), cameras (35mm and digital), sleeping bag, pillow case, bed sheets, calculator, 4 bandanas, pictures of loved ones, photoalbum/scrapbook (thanks Nicole), international power adaptor, iPod charger (wall and car), tons of bubble gum and blowing bubbles (to give to my host family's kids), a mirror, shampoo, small first aid kit, multi-tool, penknife, koolaid, oldbay seasoning

clothing:
underwear (all of them), socks (all of them), pajama pants, undershirts (6), waterproof trousers, bathing suit, polo shirts (4), button down shirts (4), one tie, waterproof "yacket" (thanks again Nolan), 4 pair of pants (three of which zip off giving me...), 3 pair of shorts, dress shoes, boot-ish type shoes, sandals, light blanket, towel, hoodie

This packing list seems completely reasonable to me now, but in hindsight it may seem somewhat ridiculous. Ideally I should have a use for everything on the list and never have to think "Ah, you know what I should have brought..." I guess I'll let you know when I think to myself "Why did I pack this?". We're down to only 8 days until I leave.