I feel like I should start off by saying that I am not a blog person, which is very ironic given that here I am, writing to all of you in a blog. By 'not a blog person' I mean that the only other time I kept a blog was during my five-month study abroad experience in Tanzania three years ago, and the fact that I'm not a religious journaler, nor blog reader, for that matter. Also, saying that I'm not a blog person means that I can't be held responsible if the contents of this blog aren't witty, humorous, or particularly insightful (I'm open to suggestion on content, though, especially while I'm there!). No guarantees, no promises, just the facts, ma'am - those being my experiences starting Peace Corps service as a health volunteer in Cameroon in September. Internet access provided, I figured this blog would be a way for friends and family to feel more connected to me as I start on this next big adventure!
For those interested in the journey up to now, here's a bit of timeline background of the significant Peace Corps and grad school events:
October 1, 2011: Sent in Peace Corps application
November/December 2011: Visited grad schools and contacted by Peace Corps recruiter - told to choose between grad school or Peace Corps first (the first real dilemma)
January 2012: Finish grad school applications and have Peace Corps interview. At this point, my recruiter tells me that I need to make a decision between grad school or Peace Corps first. To make my decision easier, he tells me that if he were to nominate me for a position and sector (choosing Peace Corps first), I'd be teaching secondary school science in sub-Saharan, Francophone West Africa. All things considered, I was prepared to choose grad school, but the daunting prospect of teaching science in French made things easier (I studied a wide range of biological topics for my Biology minor - none of which really left me feeling capable to take on a teaching role; not to mention, I don't speak French). Grad school wins.
February 2012: I got accepted to Emory and officially nominated as a Peace Corps Masters International (MI) volunteer!
September 2012: Start grad school, MI seminar classes and volunteering.
October 2012: Chose to switch from a two-year, four-semester program to a one-year, three-semester program. Class scheduling becomes more complicated.
March 2013: Fill out preliminary questionnaire regarding placement. And two weeks later, voila! I am invited to serve as a Community Health Educator in Cameroon!
June 2013: Medically and dentally cleared, and all paperwork (for now) completed.
August 2013: Graduate with my MPH (fingers crossed!).
September 11, 2013: (no one will ever forget my departure date) I'll meet up with my cohort in Philadelphia for a few days before we all fly out together to Yaounde, Cameroon.
There are about 43 of us going from all different sectors (agroforestry, health, education, youth and development, etc). From the posts/interactions on our Facebook group, it seems like this is going to be an amazing group of people! Depending on the day, my emotions go from being so incredibly excited it's hard to think about anything else, to absolutely terrified and dreading every element of uncertainty. At the end of the day - excited or terrified, I'm looking forward to the future adventures and experiences, and happy that you've decided to share in them with me by reading!
