Pre-Orientation

So I’m here in the Hilton now waiting to leave for Orientation. This hotel is WAY TOO NICE, it's like teasing me with amenities. The shower head looks like something on a nuclear submarine. Mom left, after putting her best efforts into significantly embarrassing me. I’m literally checking into the hotel trying to be professional and she’s taking pictures of me!!! The Ethiopian attendant just smiled for the camera, bless heart. Mom then proceeded to leave hidden messages all around the room saying, “I love you”, “I’m so proud” etc. left everywhere: under the phone, near my stuff, in the bathroom. Thankfully my roommate hasn’t got here yet and I believe I have located all of them (I love you mom thanks for coming down, and thanks Shari for going to IHOP 3 times with us J) This weekend was really fun, first off thank you Eric for showing all my friends around DC, and thank you guys who drove all the way down here to see me, I love you all. It was also great to see all of you family and friends. Downtown Alexandria is actually really beautiful, it has a real ‘old town’ New Orleans feel I think. That night we all took the metro down to GW to see the town. We also checked out the zoo Sunday.

Well I’m sorry to cut this short but I’m going to leave for orientation soon but I want to update you all on a basic time line for the next few weeks. Orientation (staging as we call it) will be here at the Hilton. Wednesday we’ll all wake up and get the first round of shots then go to meet our United flight to Brussels around 5:30. We’ll get to Brussels around 7:30 (Belgium time) and have a layover for 4 hours where I plan on eating a Belgium waffle and hoping it doesn’t suck. Then it’s off to Banjul, The Gambia on Air Brussels, we should get there around 6 in the afternoon. For the first week I’ll be staying at the Gambia Pastoral Institute just outside of Banjul. I’ll be staying with a roommate from our program. On the 12^th we move up country out east to Tendaba Camp, a rustic tourist camp, located near the training village; though sometime while at the training village I will be assigned a host family where I will stay in my own “room/house” until signing in. This single room dwelling is constructed with local materials. I will take part in a “community-based Training” (CBT) “activities that are centered on formalized language learning, the host family experience, and assigned technical and cultural exercises emphasizing community involvement.” There I’ll be with 3-4 other volunteers doing intensive cultural immersion. I’ll more details about what I’ll be doing at each location after orientation.

I hope to put another post up after orientation right before I leave for Brussels but if not, thank you all for your warm wishes and please do not feel discouraged if I’m not able to contact you often, realize the mail can come anywhere from 1 to 2 times a month and I won’t know the internet availability I will have until I get there. Take care all.