Another quick post before I forget:
If you want to send letters/packages, I added my address to the side panel. Its PCT after my name until August 21st when I swear in, then I'm a PCV. Other than that, here is a short list of things that would be awesome to have:
DVDs of anything, TV series are usually the best
Beef Jerky
Trail Mix
Bandanas
Pictures
USB Thumb Drives
American Candies (sour patch kids please)
Anything else that you think would be useful in the middle of nowhere in Africa!
Thanks~!
Monday, June 30, 2008
The saga continues...
And an update for today!
Me and my buddy Matt are here in Lome (the capital) due to our amazing ability to be ill for extended periods of time! I've been fighting some sort of bug for the past week, and now it decided to be a sinus infection and resulted in me getting a 104 degree fever this morning. Matt had the same fun fever, so we got to be shipped out for the day. We ended up getting Malaria tests, which neither of us happened to have, and then got Z-Packs for our infections with the instructions to rest.
...so we went to the grocery store here in Lome and bought cookies/candy for our buddies back at the training site. We get to head back tomorrow, so they better be appreciative...I don't doubt that they will be.
Other than todays med fun, its been kind of the same here. I've gotten into a routine and have just been enjoying the time here in training. We find out our post assignments this week, so I get to learn where I will be spending the next 2 years of my life starting in August! I already have an idea of where, but I'm not sure yet. I've also got my hands full with figuring out what to do for the 4th of July here. We get the day off from class, so we're organizing something fun to do.
Sorry about the lack of updates, we don't have much internet access during stage; the only reason I'm posting this is because I'm at the med unit. I'll keep stuff going as much as I can, feel free to keep emails coming!
Me and my buddy Matt are here in Lome (the capital) due to our amazing ability to be ill for extended periods of time! I've been fighting some sort of bug for the past week, and now it decided to be a sinus infection and resulted in me getting a 104 degree fever this morning. Matt had the same fun fever, so we got to be shipped out for the day. We ended up getting Malaria tests, which neither of us happened to have, and then got Z-Packs for our infections with the instructions to rest.
...so we went to the grocery store here in Lome and bought cookies/candy for our buddies back at the training site. We get to head back tomorrow, so they better be appreciative...I don't doubt that they will be.
Other than todays med fun, its been kind of the same here. I've gotten into a routine and have just been enjoying the time here in training. We find out our post assignments this week, so I get to learn where I will be spending the next 2 years of my life starting in August! I already have an idea of where, but I'm not sure yet. I've also got my hands full with figuring out what to do for the 4th of July here. We get the day off from class, so we're organizing something fun to do.
Sorry about the lack of updates, we don't have much internet access during stage; the only reason I'm posting this is because I'm at the med unit. I'll keep stuff going as much as I can, feel free to keep emails coming!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
6-10-08
Today continued! I am currently sitting in the second floor of the hostel and talking to people right now. I spent the evening out at one of the local establishments watching the Greece vs. Sweden match for football and seeing Sweden won was awesome. Today was another exciting day full of shots, per usual...I'll be vaccinated for almost anything before I leave I feel like. After shots and learning how to take a stool sample, we came back to the hostel and then got cultural training! Anyone who has seen The Office's diversity day episode will appreciate what we did...it was almost as bad. Following that, Joe and I went for a run. I have a feeling that I am going to be in ridiculous shape by the time I leave...there is a marathon being held in Ghana here in September, and I plan on entering. Yay for running for fun!
So far, Togo has been absolutely amazing. I know I may sound like kind of a broken record right now, but this country is awesome. I can't wait until tomorrow when we get to go to our host families and then start our actual training! I won't be able to mooch wireless from the hostel anymore, so updates may be quite few and far between, however I'll continue to write when I have free time. I hope that all is well, and you guys continue to keep in touch!
Today continued! I am currently sitting in the second floor of the hostel and talking to people right now. I spent the evening out at one of the local establishments watching the Greece vs. Sweden match for football and seeing Sweden won was awesome. Today was another exciting day full of shots, per usual...I'll be vaccinated for almost anything before I leave I feel like. After shots and learning how to take a stool sample, we came back to the hostel and then got cultural training! Anyone who has seen The Office's diversity day episode will appreciate what we did...it was almost as bad. Following that, Joe and I went for a run. I have a feeling that I am going to be in ridiculous shape by the time I leave...there is a marathon being held in Ghana here in September, and I plan on entering. Yay for running for fun!
So far, Togo has been absolutely amazing. I know I may sound like kind of a broken record right now, but this country is awesome. I can't wait until tomorrow when we get to go to our host families and then start our actual training! I won't be able to mooch wireless from the hostel anymore, so updates may be quite few and far between, however I'll continue to write when I have free time. I hope that all is well, and you guys continue to keep in touch!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
6-8-08
Day #2 in Africa! Its currently 12:30 and I'm sitting out on the ledge of the hostel with a group of volunteers. I tried to get onto a few open wireless connections but I think I may have broken a few in the process. As of now, theres no internet and its kind of a weird feeling. The power works in the hostel though, so I can at least charge my laptop and the like.
Yesterday was the arrival into country. We took a flight from philadelphia to paris, and then paris to Lome, the capital of Togo. We made it without any sort of hitch, the Air France was actually pretty fun. Getting into Togo was fun, we got to wait in the airport in a small room and sweat for a bit before getting all our luggage into the vehicles and driving to our hostel/hotels. We were greeted by current volunteers and there was a ton of food and drinks waiting for us, which was awesome. The food is incredible, there are some amazing sauces that make anything edible. After eating and greeting, a few of us went out with some of the current volunteers to learn about what goes on here. It was an enlightening experience to say the least...I need to work on my French, thats for sure.
Today has been a day of wandering around as well as getting shots and more malaria medication. We get to eat lunch soon, and then get to get our bikes!
6-9-08
It is now almost 9pm here in Lome and I'm trying to stay awake to write this real quick and post it online via the wifi signal I've managed to hijack while in the hostel. Last night the current volunteers threw us a huge fete (party) at a local bar, whereat the most amazing band I have ever seen live played. We danced and had an awesome time, and I got to meet more of the current in country group as well as learn even more about the wonderful country that I get to live in for the next 2 years.
Going along with said fete, I got about an hour of sleep last night and about 40 minutes of nap at lunch after getting tons of shots at the med center as well as learning about malaria and other fun things here. In the afternoon, we had orientation for “stage” (say stage with a french accent, stahge). It was quite informative about the fun stuff we will get to encounter while having to poop into a hole in the ground. I'll finish relating the rest of today tomorrow, for I'm feeling pretty tired and am gonna head to bed. Bon nuit!
6-10-08
Getting a full nights sleep is probably the best feeling in the entire world. For breakfast we got to eat something that was kind of like a mix of oatmeal and grits...after adding sugar and strawberry jelly it was outstanding. The food here so far has been amazing, there are so many different sauces that anything can taste good if you just add enough.
Last night was pretty sweet. We got to go to the Country Director's house and have dinner there with most of the in-country staff as well as with the Ambassador to the country from the US. I totally seized the moment and used the opportunity to snag a photo with him (as my current facebook pic will show). He was a really down to earth and nice guy too.
Today is our last full day here at the staging house in Lome. Another 4 hours of clinic await, as well as more shots! My arms are still sore from yesterday, so this should be quite fun. Hope all is going well back in the US, I don't know when I'll be able to update again after tomorrow morning but I'll try as soon as I can!
Abiento!
Day #2 in Africa! Its currently 12:30 and I'm sitting out on the ledge of the hostel with a group of volunteers. I tried to get onto a few open wireless connections but I think I may have broken a few in the process. As of now, theres no internet and its kind of a weird feeling. The power works in the hostel though, so I can at least charge my laptop and the like.
Yesterday was the arrival into country. We took a flight from philadelphia to paris, and then paris to Lome, the capital of Togo. We made it without any sort of hitch, the Air France was actually pretty fun. Getting into Togo was fun, we got to wait in the airport in a small room and sweat for a bit before getting all our luggage into the vehicles and driving to our hostel/hotels. We were greeted by current volunteers and there was a ton of food and drinks waiting for us, which was awesome. The food is incredible, there are some amazing sauces that make anything edible. After eating and greeting, a few of us went out with some of the current volunteers to learn about what goes on here. It was an enlightening experience to say the least...I need to work on my French, thats for sure.
Today has been a day of wandering around as well as getting shots and more malaria medication. We get to eat lunch soon, and then get to get our bikes!
6-9-08
It is now almost 9pm here in Lome and I'm trying to stay awake to write this real quick and post it online via the wifi signal I've managed to hijack while in the hostel. Last night the current volunteers threw us a huge fete (party) at a local bar, whereat the most amazing band I have ever seen live played. We danced and had an awesome time, and I got to meet more of the current in country group as well as learn even more about the wonderful country that I get to live in for the next 2 years.
Going along with said fete, I got about an hour of sleep last night and about 40 minutes of nap at lunch after getting tons of shots at the med center as well as learning about malaria and other fun things here. In the afternoon, we had orientation for “stage” (say stage with a french accent, stahge). It was quite informative about the fun stuff we will get to encounter while having to poop into a hole in the ground. I'll finish relating the rest of today tomorrow, for I'm feeling pretty tired and am gonna head to bed. Bon nuit!
6-10-08
Getting a full nights sleep is probably the best feeling in the entire world. For breakfast we got to eat something that was kind of like a mix of oatmeal and grits...after adding sugar and strawberry jelly it was outstanding. The food here so far has been amazing, there are so many different sauces that anything can taste good if you just add enough.
Last night was pretty sweet. We got to go to the Country Director's house and have dinner there with most of the in-country staff as well as with the Ambassador to the country from the US. I totally seized the moment and used the opportunity to snag a photo with him (as my current facebook pic will show). He was a really down to earth and nice guy too.
Today is our last full day here at the staging house in Lome. Another 4 hours of clinic await, as well as more shots! My arms are still sore from yesterday, so this should be quite fun. Hope all is going well back in the US, I don't know when I'll be able to update again after tomorrow morning but I'll try as soon as I can!
Abiento!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The Start...
6- 6-08
Done with staging! The past 3 days have been crazy. Wednesday was an event unto itself, leaving the family behind and taking off to Philadelphia for the start of this wonderful West African adventure I am now a part of. After arriving in Philadelphia and finding a cab to the hotel, I got to check in and meet my roommate Andrew for about 30 seconds before we had to go downstairs to the conference room for the start of the staging seminars. That night was a bunch of introductions, I met all the other brave (or crazy) volunteers who I'll be spending the next 3 months with. The group consists of 31 people, out of which 16 are CHAP, which is Community Health & AIDS Prevention, and the remaining 15 are SED, which is Small Enterprise Development. I fall into the latter category along with another 2 brave individuals, with which none of us have any IT-related degree.
Following the introduction and information session, which lasted about 4 hours, a large group of us left to go get food. When in Philadelphia, the first thing that comes to mind for a dinner is totally a cheesesteak, with which we all destroyed quite quickly upon finding a suitable place. After that, a few brave souls decided to check out one of the local bars. The next few hours were spent getting to know one another more so that was discussed at the hotel, and also the other staging group going to Cameroon showed up to hang out. Realizing that almost all of the volunteers are pretty much just like me made me feel great, since I know that I'll have a ton of new friends that will be going through the same hardships and trials.
The second day of staging involved an entire day devoted solely to sessions and making the most beautiful flip-charts possible. I'd like to think that my designation of the Hearts team as “Team Love” was a way of spreading the love to as many as possible, which is totally my style. After long hours of learning how to synergistically integrate into the host culture, as well as writing a song about coping with unwanted attention with the most beautiful lyrics one has ever heard, we were finished. 12 hours total of information and that was it. A summation of the day, for those reading this who weren't actually there:
One group thought exercise after another, usually involving a large piece of paper known as a flip chart upon which we got to either draw or write our thoughts.
It was a lot of fun and also really informative, I learned a lot about Togo that I didn't know. The fact that our coordinator, Abi, was from Burkina-Faso helped a bit for she knows West African culture. After taking a group picture, we dispersed for the evening for dinner and also with the plan to hang out at the pool later that evening.
Andrew and I decided to go to dinner at this Italian place with outdoor seating so we could sit outside and enjoy the city. This led to our party of 2 becoming a party of 5 as Emily, Kristina, and Krysta showed up. Then Reid came. And then Rose. I think our waitress was getting a little flustered, but we had a good time.
That night, we hung out at the pool for a while, but the water was ridiculously cold so I didn't get in. After the staff closed up at 10, we headed back inside to Mitch and Eli's room and continued our fun there. Good times were had, and pictures were taken. That is sufficient enough to say for here...
Friday morning began with a shower and the attempt to repack my bags for the upcoming flight to Paris. Following that, we headed to Starbucks for coffee and a quick breakfast snack. Returning to the hotel, we checked out of our rooms and then headed to the clinic to get our Yellow Fever vaccines and take our first anti-malarial drug! I get to be on the weekly Mefloquin, which is supposed to give you crazy dreams (so I'm pretty pumped...I'll update when I actually sleep to say if anything happens). After that, Mike, Matt, Rayan, Andrew, Mark, Nikhil and myself went to lunch for the last time in the US. I decided to go with the All-American meal of hot wings and chili fries. Delicious. Even better was the fact that the place where we ate had Smithwicks on draft...I will definitely miss that...
After lunch, it was back to the hotel to load up on the bus to head to the airport. We got there really early and got to sit around for a few hours and wait. I managed to kill the time by wandering around with Krissy, Mike and Andrew, as well as hanging out and helping Kristina with her blog and also teaching Krissy to play Euchre. I'm glad there are a few volunteers besides myself who know how to play, I'm pumped to bring the single exciting thing about the midwest to Togo. I made a few final phone calls to people; specifically my dad, Ellie, Kat, and Haley (I was threatened that care packages would not be sent if I failed to call). Then began the boarding process. Walking down the ramp to the plane it slowly began to hit me. This is the last time I will be in America for 27 months. I hesitated on the entrance of the plane, felt the butterflies in my stomach, and then smiled and stepped in.
That brings me to the present time. I just got finished eating a surprisingly decent airline meal, which is probably due to it being an Air France flight. Now I sit here with the cabin lights out, laptop lid half open due to the awesome guy in front of me leaning forward and back repeatedly as he attempts to sleep on the plane...I don't think that sleep is gonna happen for me on here, but who knows.
Hope that this was insightful for a look into what I've been doing for the past few days! I'll update as much as I can, but feel free to write me emails. Au revoir!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
First Day of Training...
Bonjour! I had my fun day of flying around and then getting to Philly for staging! The first step to getting to Togo. Its currently 12:40ish and I'm laying in my bed watching "That 70s show" with my hotel roommate Andrew. So far, its been absolutely amazing. Everyone in the Togo group is awesome, and I feel like that we are going to have an amazing time both learning and working together. I really feel like that we will make a difference as a whole.
I may enjoy all of the company here, but I still miss all of you back home. This site will be where I can post updates and also pictures so that anyone who wants to see can have fun and keep track of my outlandish adventures. Tomorrow brings an entire day of classroom work and also karaoke in the evening with my amazing volunteer friends. Much love to all of you!
~Marcus
I may enjoy all of the company here, but I still miss all of you back home. This site will be where I can post updates and also pictures so that anyone who wants to see can have fun and keep track of my outlandish adventures. Tomorrow brings an entire day of classroom work and also karaoke in the evening with my amazing volunteer friends. Much love to all of you!
~Marcus
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