Just received an email this morning from my Peace Corps handler, Joseph, and I have some exciting news! I've been officially invited to serve as a secondary school teacher in Africa and will depart in late September 2012!!!!!!!
I was starting to think that this dream would be stuck in the processing stage forever, although my application process took only 8 months compared to the standard 9-12 months. As it stands now, I only have to wait a maximum of ten more days to open my informational packet that will tell me of my specific country assignment.
This feels so unreal. I'm absolutely ELATED to be going to "Africa," and while that atrocious hyper-generalization will forever annoy me (considering that there's no way to conceptualize the diversity of an entire continent, let alone countries, peoples, and cultures lying within), I think back to my time in Zimbabwe and I'm THRILLED that I'll be able to live another piece of the African experience. I'm assuming I'll probably go to southern or eastern Africa since I don't know a lick of French (which would send me to Western Africa...boo, colonialism), but WHO KNOWS?? I could theoretically end up in any one of these 27 host-countries:
I was starting to think that this dream would be stuck in the processing stage forever, although my application process took only 8 months compared to the standard 9-12 months. As it stands now, I only have to wait a maximum of ten more days to open my informational packet that will tell me of my specific country assignment.
This feels so unreal. I'm absolutely ELATED to be going to "Africa," and while that atrocious hyper-generalization will forever annoy me (considering that there's no way to conceptualize the diversity of an entire continent, let alone countries, peoples, and cultures lying within), I think back to my time in Zimbabwe and I'm THRILLED that I'll be able to live another piece of the African experience. I'm assuming I'll probably go to southern or eastern Africa since I don't know a lick of French (which would send me to Western Africa...boo, colonialism), but WHO KNOWS?? I could theoretically end up in any one of these 27 host-countries:
I guess you could say that I have a perverse attraction to not knowing what's going to happen next.
Which reminds me - I have absolutely NO PLANS for the summer. I've been planning for a July departure date, which would have allowed me six leisurely weeks before I jumped on a plane, but now I have four whole months of summer!! Joseph encouraged me in his email to continue pursuing teaching opportunities. He also advised that once I discover where I've been placed, to begin studying the local language.
You thinking what I'm thinking?! How about another summer in Portland, taking Swahili classes at PSU and rowing everyday in the beautiful Oregon summer! Or even going backpacking on weekends at Hood and Rainier, and maybe even taking a mountaineering course???? Maybe get a job?? The possibilities are endless!
Let me tell you though, it feels good that I won't have to say so many incredibly hard goodbyes and then rush off into the sunset immediately after graduation. I'll have some time to process the last four years and prepare myself for the next two of service abroad. In the big scheme of things a departure date two months later than expected will not be a big deal. In fact, I think is the better outcome.
I'm just thankful I had the patience to sit on my hands long enough for things to work themselves out :)
Now, onwards and upwards!!
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| Hiking Mt. Inyangani - Nyanga, Zimbabwe (2010) |
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