Working at the gym has been a treat and I will miss all the faces I get to see, but I am a night owl by trade and this year has been the most sleep deprived experience of my life. I'm simply not designed to wake up at 445am three days a week. To the gym folks, it has been a real pleasure! To the women/men who faithfully workout at 6am, you are my hero and I hope that some day the whole "earlybird" thing rubs off on me. Cant wait to catch up with you all when I'm back :)
The preparations are in full force and I'm feeling like a hilarious travel newbie. By Saturday I'll be done work, TAing, and choir, so from here on in my headspace is dedicated to Africa. I've gone on a few trips, but nothing like a 6 month gig in Africa, so I'm formally sending love to Maura (mauraincameroon.blogspot.ca) and Steph (make a blog please), other successful internshippers. They have been SO helpful. We've been writing each other for a week or so and already the length of our messages could probably span the planet. Or maybe the province. It's REALLY great to talk to two other women in the same boat. Plus, these two are basically a walking encyclopedia for travel info. <3s to you both! Who knew there were so many things to make travel easy?? I'm learning a lot and getting injected with tons of stuff. FUN! Apparently I was raised by wolves, so here are some insights I've discovered (that may be common knowledge to everyone except me): - There are these things called water lights that are essentially magic lightsabers that detox water for you- HOW HANDY IS THAT?! - Shirts can be sunproof. I was unaware that shirts WEREN'T sunproof. They are called (wait for it) SPF shirts. - There are special towels made for traveling - Headlamps are apparently the best thing since sliced bread - Value Village is a wonderful place. Denique (my fantastic sibling) has sold me on the wonderful world of thrift shopping. $4.99 shorts? Yes please! - I have a feeling I will be a grrrrrreat Mountain Equipment Coop customer
Other news: I now know A LOT more than I did about my placement. I've been formally introduced to the marvelous people at the NGO I'll be working with (Stepping Stones International) and they have been really informative. I also know my flight info and got my official contract and a zillion documents to fill out. Here is my formal itinerary.
- May 13thOrientation commences (at the Coady Institute in Antigonish)
- Jun 1st-2nd Travel to Botswana
- Jun 3rd In-country placement commences
- Nov 29thPlacement ends
- Nov 30th-Dec 1st Depart Botswana, return to Antigonish
- Dec 13thRe-entry/debrief concludes (in Antigonish)
I'm getting more and more excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another cool thing? Since I'll be away for so long, I'm really trying to live the Canadian life to the fullest. This includes seeing all my favorite people, giving my baby puppies extra tummy rubs, eating all the delicious things, and going to my favorite spots (the beach, Clay Cafe, the best coffee shops). SO basically I'm livin the life! I'll write as I know more. Much love people! Oh and here is a video that essentially makes my heart explode. Who doesn't love a cute video?! And lets be real. Baby elephants couldn't be any cuter. Major finger crossing for elephant adventures in Botswana!
My life is about to become a lot less Canadian and a lot more Lion King! Today, I'm adopting a new title: blogger! I haven't blogged before, but anyone who knows me knows that I journal like a madwoman, so I dont think I'll have too much of a problem spewing my thoughts to the world. Once I announced the travel news, quite a few people suggested I write about it. So, here it is. My very first blog post. The news? June 1st, I'll be heading to Mochudi, Botswana. CRAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! In case you haven't been in my loop, here are the deets: - I was accepted into the Youth in Partnership Program with the Coady International Institute. The Coady is located in Antigonish, NS, right on the St. FX campus where I did my undergrad. Want to know more? http://coady.stfx.ca/. I've had my eye on this internship for years now, so getting it is pretty phenomenal. - I'll be working with an NGO called Stepping Stones International. This organization works with orphaned or vulnerable youth, focusing on life skills, psychosocial support, leadership skills, and community mobilization. SO COOL! Want to know more? http://steppingstonesintl.org/ - My official title is "Life Skills and Leadership Support Officer." Fancy I know- by far the most legit title I've had yet! - I leave June 1st and fly back December 2nd, just in time for Christmas. Its a full 6 months of working. So for now this is about the extent of what I know. I'll get a package soon with all kinds of other info. Til then, I need to get the ball rolling with travel vaccinations, stocking up on sunscreen, etc etc etc. AH! Generally, I'm feeling just about every emotion in the world all at once. It's all a very intense thing, and I really don't have a ton of time before I fly out. I'd say I'm about 80% excited to the max, 10% terrified, and 10% everything else.
Things I'm excited for: To step foot on African soil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To work with the Coady To work with Stepping Stones, which sounds SO UNREAL To meet all the people I'll be working with for half a year To settle into Mochudi and get to know the lifestyle/culture/people TO SEE AN ELEPHANT (and other really cool wildlife) TO GO ON THIS AWESOME ADVENTURE! Things I'm scared for: Being so far away from all my people Getting eaten by a lion (seriously.... a random link said they chomp on 46 people a year!!!!!) And, one a more serious note, I'm worried about my heart. I feel things pretty deeply and I'll be working a lot with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This will be a real challenge for me. The good news: this will be crazy, intense, and also 100% incredible. I'm very very very sure of this! Annnnnyway, once I know more I will pass it on. Until then, I did a quick Google image search and here's what I'm in for folks. Who's coming to visit?!?!?!
Some random images of Mochudi, the village I'll be working in.
How cool is that?!?!?!?!?!?!
Let me know if you have any questions! I'll post again once things get a bit clearer.
