I made the painful decision to early terminate and come back to the States in mid-July. It was one of the most difficult decisions in my life seeing how I went through so much to even get to SA in the first place. I was disappointed that I could just never get things to work out. I know that [...]

Hello all, I know it’s been forever since I’ve written anything in my blog. The closest Internet cafe is 46k from me, so I only go there a few times a month (if even). Anyhow, things have been fine, the weather started cooling off, but now it’s warm again, and I’m sure it’ll cool off again. [...]

This will be the last time I post for awhile. I leave for staging in Philly in the morning, and I’m super excited! During training I’ll have no Internet access whatsoever, so I won’t be able to blog. I’ll blog as soon as I’m able. Wish me luck!

I’m starting to get serious about packing my things. I have some space saver bags and bought tons of stuff over the weekend. I now have a cool Leatherman multi-tool and a quick draw Gerber knife. It’s pretty nifty. I’m excited about watching the inauguration tomorrow. Then there’s “Lost” on Wednesday. It’s going to be a good [...]

Last Monday I made my reservation for staging. I was emailed my itinerary the same day, but don’t think I’ll get an e-ticket until later this week (or maybe next week). It’s hard to think of all of the things I need to do. I make a mental list then either forget to write it [...]

I received my staging email on Friday, but by the time I checked my email I couldn’t do anything about it (D.C. office was closed by then). I was informed by someone in our group that they aren’t going to be able to book our flights yet because the person in charge of that won’t [...]

I meant to write more posts before 2008 ended, but I guess it didn’t work out that way. I’m currently awaiting the arrival of my staging kit. It’s supposed to arrive three to four weeks before orientation. Since staging is going to be Feb. 2nd, I shouldn’t have to wait more than a week or [...]

So, I have less than two months to go. Our staging was supposed to take place on Jan. 28th, but I’ve been hearing rumors it’s changed to Feb. 4th. I guess that’s not too much of an issue, but I’ll know for sure about the departure date once I get my staging kit. I’m still trying [...]

Hello all, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. For awhile I was reading other people’s websites to get a general idea of what to expect once I get to SA. At this point, I’ve pretty much stopped reading them, because I want to be able to have my own experience that isn’t clouded [...]

My latest dilemma is trying to find good luggage for my trip. We’re allowed one carry on item less than 45″ all dimensions, and two carry-ons with a total of 107″ dimensions (no more than 40 pounds for one bag). Anything I take I have to be able to carry myself, so the lighter the better. I [...]

Since I’ve received my invite there are certain things that have popped into my mind. 1. I hope I didn’t screw up my passport or visa application. I’m usually pretty good at this sort of thing, but when I get nervous my focus on detail gets a little fuzzy. Since I overnighted it to the office [...]

I received my official invitation in the mail yesterday. For non-PC folks, once you receive an invite you have 10 days to accept it or decline it. I will be calling this morning to accept it. I’m so excited! I’ve been invited to within a community HIV/AIDS outreach program that is located in…………… *drumroll please* The Republic of [...]