The Beginning

I have never blogged before, so bear with me as I figure out how to use a blog and how to say what I want to say. I will try to keep this blog updated as much as possible about my Peace Corps experience. However, I can not guarantee frequent updates.

To begin, I applied to the Peace Corps about a year ago now, and was nominated to teach in Sub-Saharan Africa last November, with my expected departure date being November 2009. The last year has been hectic: I've been busy finishing up at UMass Amherst, getting medical/dental clearance for the Peace Corps- breaking my ankle in March really put a damper on my medical clearance, and of course waiting. I've come to realize just how important patience can be.

I just recieved my invitation to serve, earlier today (August 5). I will be going to Tanzania on September 23, 2009 (2 months before I expected!) as a Secondary School Physics Teacher. I'm so excited to face the challenges that this assignment has in store: I was a biology major, so I will need to master a new topic, while mastering a new language: Swahili. I was on top of the world when I recieved my invitation and immediately drove home to tell my parents, bought a Swahili dictionary and a "Physics for Dummies" book. Too bad that don't have a "Physics in Swahili for Dummies" book, but I will make due. Then I settled down to read the 104-page packet that I need to read before I can accept my invitation. As I said, I was thrilled when I recieved the invitation to Tanzania. After reading the packet, learning more about the country, the culture, and my particular assignment, I could not be more happy with my assignment. Everything that I read, just made me more and more excited.

The next few weeks, I am sure, will fly by in a daze. I still need to move out of my old apartment, get everything that I need, pack, and of course study. I thought that I was ready to be done with studying once I graduated, but I am looking forward to learning Swahili and reading about physics so much. I never thought that I could get this excited about physics.