One (and a half?) more sleeps!

I feel like I should be singing Final Countdown.

I'm a combination of:

With a tinge of

I dont have time to write a full on entry BUT, I cant believe I forgot to tell you.

If you don't end up sending me letters, AT LEAST send me an email!!!

My email address is:

shilaleblanc@gmail.com

Do it! Penpals are so in right now!

Also, here is a photo of two things I will miss. I'm no longer wearing my X ring and my finger feels so NAKED!

I also ROYALLY hate how goodbyes are happening. 

I sleep tonight, have training tomorrow, drive to Hali at 5, and go to the airport at 330am on Saturday morning. Sleeping on Friday night is pretty unlikely but that works for me. I plan on catching up on a week of sleep on my ZILLION hours of traveling. 

I will write more as things happen! 

Peace and love!

FIVE MORE DAYS!

Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow
TIME IS FLYINNNNN!

I cant even believe that I'm going to AFRICA in a mere matter of days.
I wish I had more time to write a lot of things but anyway this is a quick and dirty recap of week TWO of training. ONE WEEK TO GO! 
I have a countdown on my phone. Here it is.

Ummmmmm WOW I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK OVER HERE!
Seriously though. My excitement level is WAY up there. 
So some pictures from this week: 

Here is a bunch of us after an Advocacy and Citizen Engagement class (photo cred to the Coady). It was an epic, epic learning moment. I got to hear some pretty unreal first-hand accounts of things.

The whole class was focused on the importance of non-violence in conflict resolution. It was SO heartening to learn about the value of peace and peace building as a means to address inequalities. 

Some quotes that are awesome.

This is from last weekend. A bunch of us piled into my ULTRA-LUXURIOUS 2001 Echo (a vehicle definitely designed for that many people) and did a drive around the cape. 

I have a ridiculous love for oceans and I'll be without one for a while. The drive was a total must.

For Kaytlyn, it was her very first time seeing the Atlantic oceannnnnn!!!! She hails all the way from Saskatchewan and was VERY impressed, obviously. 

This is us. My ten second timer is my NEW FAVORITE THING!

I died and went to heaven.

No timer on this one, thanks Steph!

Again. Can anyone believe that beauty?

This is a picture of us this week doing an activity to demonstrate the impact of a social network that  exists prior to us entering our communities. It was fun. I was a bartender, so I had LOTS of social connections.

On Monday we went over safety stuff and it was actually very helpful. 

One of my biggest fears is getting my things stolen, and a lovely YIPer named Logan made a GREAT argument. He said (and I'm paraphrasing, because he was far more eloquent) that it didnt matter at all if something was stolen, because it's only a thing, and there are a million others just like it, and the person who steals is probably in worse shape than I am in terms of needing things, and at the end of the day as long as I'm fine, all is well and everything is replaceable. THANKS LOGAN!

This week we also had a SUPER FANTASTIC session on asset-based community development (ABCD). 

Guys.

ABDC is the most unreal approach to development.

Seriously.

Read about it.

http://coady.stfx.ca/themes/abcd/

For the record, the Coady International Institute is awe-inspiring and remarkable. It's the coolest thing being here.

We also had a class on the financial lives of the poor, on monitoring and evaluations, on communications and social media, and on power and privilege (to name a few).

Here is a diagram from our session on gender, health and development. I for realz had an aha moment during that session. 

My brain has been exploding left right and center.

By Friday I was SO exhausted from the week, but I trekked back to Haliwood to do a few last minute things and get ready for my ensemble's fifth birthday party, which was today.
If you live in Haliwood, get into Xara Young Women's Choir. Being part of this group has been one of the best things I ever did in my whole entire 22 years of being a human. It was a blast today. I am going to miss singing with this group SO MUCH! Here is us during our first set. 

I seriously hope I can sing in Botswana. I'm not religious but maybe a church choir will be an option. I need songzzzzzz to sing!
Anyway it was great to be home for the weekend, I just wish I would have had more time to see everyone I wanted to see. 
If you missed me this weekend and feel super sad about not seeing me, this is your formal invitation to come catch up with me in Botswana.
Okay? Okay.

On Saturday I had my last family dinner, so of course I got STEAK! OMGYUM
I love you family.

SO YEAH OMG I'M LEAVING SOON WOW OMG HOLY JESUS WOW! 

I have no time at all before I leave and a LOT of things that need to happen.

I should sleep. 

Here is us:

http://coady.stfx.ca/themes/youth/2013_interns/

They should attach our bios soon. 

OH and if you feel like you're just EVER so bored, you know what rocks?

Sending me letters.

All the way to Africa. 

DO IT! 

Why?

Because if you do, I promise I will write you back. And how often do you get mail all the way from Africa? It's a deal you simply cant refuse! 

My African address is:

Stepping Stones International 

c/o Shila LeBlanc

Private Bag 00421

Gaborone, Botswana

Africa

LOOKING FORWARD TO READING YOUR MAILLLLLLLLLL!!!

Peace and love!

Week One- SUCCESS

Well folks, week one of training was a total success! 
I knew this was going to be great, but with each day I spend here I'm increasingly excited to go and I'm SO pumped to be a part of this! 
I'm laying in bed at the moment (listening to Mr. Roboto, actually) and I'm feeling tired but good. We went to see Slow Coaster at the pub last night (basically the only pub in the small, small town that is Antigonish) and it was a blast! I'm having constant déjà vu being back at X. Going to meal hall three times a day, living in my old residence, walking around campus and main street, it's so strange to be back. 
So a few things:

a) The 19 other YIPers are PHENOMENAL! Seriously. They all rock. I already feel so close to everyone and it's a lovely, lovely thing. Our days are spent almost entirely together and the group love and unity is the BEST! Kate, my partner in Africa crime, is a total star and I'm the most grateful human on the planet that she's my travel partner! We're going to kick butt. The Coady did a great job choosing people if I do say so myself :) 

b) Training has been very fun, informative, and BUSY! Our days go from 8:30 to 5:15 ish and I'm learning a zillion news things. We ended the week with a three day course from the Center of Intercultural Learning and I feel a lot more prepared for my placement. We've had sessions on all kinds of interesting things: aid versus development effectiveness, a history lesson about Moses Coady and the Antigonish movement, how to adjust and contribute abroad, etc etc. The structure is very interactive and activity-based. My days are spent drawing things, cutting things out, writing on flip charts, and having group activities/discussions. It's neat. We're learning completely important and relevant information but in a way that keeps us engaged and entertained.
Here are some pictures.

Maura and I nervously heading in for our first day

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWERED TREES I'VE EVER LAID EYES ON! Seriously. These trees almost stop my heart.

The beautiful Coady buildings

Some more Coady

Again more Coady

Some of our activities 

The Indigenous Women in Leadership program singing/being activists over our lunch hour

An example of the fun things we get to do. We had to demonstrate cultural differences and its effects on collaboration. Maura, your ability to act like a panda was bar none the best acting I'd ever seen.

MY LAST SHOT. Rabies. I'm not going to lie, the fluorescent purple was a liiiiittle stressful. Wild animals, get at me, y'all aint got nothin on meeeeee!

Being ever so studious at the Coady Library. SO MUCH BOOK LEARNIN!

Knowledge swapping 

US! Photo cred to the Coady. Definitely the most attractive cohort to date, amirite?! 

I love you all!

US! Photo cred to the Coady. 

Other cool things: 
One of the MAAAAJOR highlights of my week was meeting a wonderful man named Sydney. This is him:

Part of our training includes meeting someone from our host country, and talking to Sydney (who is from Northern Botswana and now lives in Hali) was THE MOST interesting and helpful conversation ever. Kate and I were both super pumped afterwards. A few highlights (out of many): 
- Sydney has known more than a few Westerners who loved Botswana so much that they ended up moving there permanently
- We were mispronouncing a few of the city names, so we sorted that out (thank god, thaaaat would have been embarrassing)
- Our area (Mochudi) was described as far more rural than the capital, so apparently F-bombs are dropped on the daily and middle fingers are common
- People HATE theft there, and may potentially be violent to someone if they're caught stealing
- Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta are MUST SEES
- Botswana is pretty Western, we'll be able to get mostly everything there
- People drive like maniacs (200 clicks an hour on highways... IMAGINE) and everyone has this signal system to warn each other if there are police around, so its really rare to get a ticket
- Pretty much all the food there is organic
-It's hot hot hot in the summer
- There are really cool initiation rituals that young men and women do (I super hope to see one)
- All in all Botswana sounds like the COOLEST

Sydney also told us about a time that he was visiting a reserve and an ELEPHANT came over to their camp and STUCK HIS TRUNK IN THE SHOWER STALL TO DRINK THE DRIPPING WATER. Ummmmm AMAZING! I'm pretty sure I'd die of happiness.
Oh, speaking of which, I found out EXCELLENT news about Kate: SHE SHARES MY LOVE FOR ELEPHANTS!!!!! We are so on the same page in terms of adventure priorities: MUST. MEET. ELEPHANTS.
Anyway, Sydney was super helpful and even got us going with some basic tools to learn the traditional language (Setswana).
THANKS SYDNEY, you rock a lot!

I've also recently became a completely uncertified and informal yoga teacher to some of the women here, and it has been SWEET! I dont know what I'm doing, but so far everyone seems really down with getting their zen on, so that has been awesome. Thanks ladies for joining me, I am loving it.

I'll write more as things happen.

Peace and love! 

Shila VS Luggage

WELL two days ago, packing happened.
It was basically like a life-sized (and far more intense/less fun) game of Tetris. Definitely a bit of a gong show.
First things first, I had to choose a bag.
Initially I was gung ho on the hiking pack, but it was so small! I'm not really gallivanting once I get to Botswana, so I figured a suitcase would work just fine. I had two choices: a MASSIVE suitcase, or a medium one. 
The massive one was SO TEMPTING, but I decided to really try and honour the "modest living" concept, so I went with the medium one.
I reeeeally didn't want to pack, and I am a BIG TIME procrastinator, so of course I spent the first while organizing the supplies to get a tidy looking picture. My rationale was that it was necessary to document this process, for blogging purposes of course.... right guys?!?! Anyway. Here was the first detour:

So obviously, a lot of stuff. You were correct in counting nine Costco sunscreens. My next thought was to organize my clothes for a picture, but then I realized how out of hand the procrastination already was, so I got to it. Putting in the first few items was kiiiiind of stressful... I had SO MUCH that needed to fit. 
Detour number two: my headlamp OBVIOUSLY needed a test run. I mean, I couldn't just pack it without even trying it on. What if it didn't work or something? Good news guys: I didnt buy a lemon! WOO 

My mantra became "focus Shila focus." The packing saga continued for a while until detour number three: experimenting with my bandana. I have never in my life worn one, but it seems to be a trend with travellers in hot places. This particular bandana thingy was advertised as having tons of different wearing options, so it was definitely essential to try some styles out. There were so many possibilities! I could go classic Survivor style:

I could wear it as a cool hat thingy (aka stylinnnn):

And of course, there was the robber option. Maybe I'll pass on that one haha

 Annnnyway, packing continued. Here is some progress. Gum, anyone?

I then spent a significant amount of time deciding what tiny items to bring as Canada tokens (this was detour number four). I like the idea of having a few small items with me at all times to remind me of important people/things. Kind of like talismans? So here are the final items, all to be kept in a tiny pouch in my purse.

All of the items carry significant meaning, so gathering those things made me feel happier. 
Then, detour number five: having a Facetime chat with David in Justice, who are in EUROPE by the way. Isn't technology just the craziest thing? They were casually showing me the pub they were in. We may as well have been in the same room. So amazing! HI!

It was a lovely break, but I needed to get back to work. Here is more progress:

Then, the moment of truth. Would my yoga mat fit? I was REALLY REALLY REALLY happy to find that it did. 

Slowly, the jungle that was my room cleared up.
I still had some clothes that needed to fit, but it was time for the most hilarious layer yet. I was literally laughing my head off as this happened. 
SO MANY TAMPONS!!! 

But hey. You can never be too prepared! And six months is kiiiiind of a long time! 
I covered that layer with another layer of clothes, and FINALLY the bag was ready to be zipped. My goal is to not touch it at all during training. 
My training suitcase, in contrast, took about two seconds, since I literally just threw everything in. I didn't even bother folding at that point. I was just so tired of packing! 
I said goodbye to my room, and all the luxury items I had to leave behind. Some of it was kind of sad (like leaving my harp behind), but some of it was awesome (like saying goodbye to my straightener).
And just like that, it was time for training.

I picked Maura up this morning (Maura you are such a great human), we made a detour to a HUGE family reunion, and finally got to Antigonish. And here I am! Its 12:03, and training starts tomorrow morning at 8:30! I'm living in the same residence I lived in for my undergrad, so it was MAJOR déja vu coming back to this floor. Reeeeeal swanky, as you can see.

 Some Coady swag

I've already had the chance to meet some interns, and everyone has been UNREAL! We had dinner at meal hall and spent some time hanging out, and I'm ULTRA excited to get to know everyone. So many smart and talented people! And so warm too! These next three weeks are going to rock, I can feel it! SO PUMPED! 
I should sleep. 
Details to follow, caaaaaant even wait for our first day of training! 
AFRICA IN NINETEEN SLEEPS!!!
Peace and love!

It's all happening!

Everything is happening! All the things! All at once!
I haven't been writing a lot just yet because it isn't full-blown Africa-mode, but friends, I promise I will bring my A game once I get to where I'm going.
I was lucky enough to have one of my closest people come visit me ALL THE WAY FROM SASKATCHEWAN this past week. What a fun, hilarious, enjoyable trip! SARAH I LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! I also got to see another dear friend of mine, Mo, who was down all the way from BC for a night. THAT was cool too! Much love to you both!
This is Neek, Sarah and I having fun at The Works, where Neek (my baby bro) works. If you want a tasty burger in Haliwood, this is the place to go friends.

Here is Mo, Sarah and I at Rockbottom watching Neek and Roberta play.

During Sarah's visit I was very much on vacation mode. But now that she's gone, it's VERY MUCH GO TIME!

This Monday I start training which means that by the end of THIS WEEK, I need to have most of my act together. 
There has been a surprisingly immense amount of shopping happening- I will post pictures at some point of my pile of stuff. Everything from biodegradable toilet paper, to deet, to travel towels, to headlamps, to a mosquito net, to a UV water light is now in my possession. This is good news since I definitely feel more prepared for what's ahead. Mountain Equipment Coop is a magical store full of wonderful things. PLUS it's hella nice here in Haliwood, so all my summer clothes are getting a test run this week. THE SUN FEELS AMAZING!
In other news, my vaccinations costed a MIND BLOWING $1235.00! When its all said and done I'll have had 8 needles. I got five in one go last week, that was a little queasy... And my arms were quiiiite sore.  Rabies alone costs $750. But let's be real, I really don't want to die from rabies, so it's a good investment I'd say. I'm now protected from rabies, malaria, polio, tetanus, typhoid fever, yellow fever, hep A and B, and measles, mumps and rubella. I've also had a complete physical and I've filled out a mountain of paperwork.
Anywayzzzzzz
Some new and interesting information:
I HAVE A BUDDY IN BOTSWANA!!!!! I thought I was going all by my lonesome when in fact I'll be joined by a lovely lady named Kate! I have yet to meet her in person, but we have multiple friends in common and all of these people have been singing her praises. We're now Facebooking each other, and its only 4 more days til we're all in Antigonish training together! FUN FUN FUN! A FELLOW CANADIAN TO BE WITH! 
The Coady Internship accepts people from all over Canada, so a few of us have a major advantage considering that we graduated from St. Francis Xavier. Our info packages include extremely detailed campus maps, which makes me laugh a little. I'm returning to old stomping grounds and even staying in the same residence I lived in for my first year of my undergrad. COOL!
So aside from these things, I'm squeezing in all kinds of coffee dates with people, and trying to enjoy all the things I will be without for six months. I'm trying to take advantage of the simple things, like being able to send snail mail to my love Ewa with one single stamp. I can drive through Timmy Hohos and get a peppermint tea with a milk and a sugar if I want (try this by the way, its DELISH). I will really miss the simple things I think.
Plus... it's starting to be the dreaded goodbye moments. I am NOT a fan of those. Its part of it I guess. 

A couple shoutouts I'd like to make: Justice and David, I love you both SO INSANELY MUCH, you are the best lads who ever lived and I hope you have SO MUCH FUN IN EUROPE!!!
Also, if you're interested in other people who got the Coady (who are awesome smart and have been super helpful to me), check out:
mauraincameroon.blogspot.ca 
and 
stephsadventuresinaddis.blogspot.ca

I'll write soon! 
Peace and love errbody!