I received my post assignment last Friday! I will be living in a small village north of Parakou in the North of Benin. My village has no electricity and no running water, so this should be an interesting experience. Kerosene will be my new best friend. I was supposed to leave today to visit my village and stay until Sunday, however, I've been a little sick so I can't go :( I'm upset I will not be able to see my house and village before I move in. However, I've talked to a few current PCVs about it and they've all said it's not a huge deal to miss Post Visit. Most people use Post Visit to see what furniture their house has so they know what to buy, however, since I am the first PCV to be in my village, my house will be completely empty and I will have to buy everything for it...YAY interior decorating!

Training is going well but it's not exactly my favorite cup of tea. My host family is very nice, but I still feel very much like a guest in their home. I also don't like having to rely on other people for meals and having to report my daily activities. I'm excited to move to post in September and feel like an adult again. Training classes are good. I love my french teacher, she is super nice! The technical classes for TEFL volunteers are very informative but long. I enjoy the bicycle maintenance and cooking session a lot though! From what current volunteers have told me, life as a volunteers is nothing at all like life as a trainee. So only 5 weeks more of training and then it's swear-in...YAY! Swear-in ceremony also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps in Benin so we're getting special 40th anniversary fabric so we will all have matching outfits...yesssss.

Other than that, not much else to report, or rather there is a ton more to report but writing it here doesn't seem to do it justice.

Until next time...

(don't forget to write and email!!!)

Hello from Benin!
I'm here safe and sound! People are all nice and so far i'm very impressed with Peace Corps organization, safety and program, etc. etc.

I move in with my homestay family on Wednesday and will be in training until the beginning of September. I'll find out my permanent post in a few weeks too!

There's no much to say but I don't really have much time to post because I'm in the PC bureau office in Cotonou and there are people waiting to use this computer.

I miss you!

off to Benin!

Just got back from the clinic...luckily no shots were needed since I've had them all already! YAY! The buses are coming in a few hours to take us to the airport and our flight is later this evening.

So far everyone I've met has been very nice. There are 64 people in my group which is much larger than I anticipated but I like it because there are more people to meet. The women outnumber the men by far and there is only one married couple. For the most part, everyone else is in their 20s.

I'm excited to finally arrive in Benin, although I'm getting nervous again (It's been coming in waves since I got to Philadelphia on Tuesday). I think it's the time that scares me most and missing out on things back home, but I think I'd always wonder what I was missing out on in Benin if I was staying home so the knife cutes both ways I suppose. We don't arrive in Benin until Friday at which point we have a few more days of orientation and training before getting to our host family where we will be living until we are sworn in as official volunteers on September 5th. It will be so nice to unpack a few things! This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Peace Corps Benin. PC Benin has been continuous since 1968, which is impressive! Apparently the swearing in ceremony of my Peace Corps class is Incorporated into the big 40th celebration so I expect it to be an incredible time and something to look forward to.

I'm told that my work sector (TEFL) will get our post assignments early and that we will be going on a visit to it somewhere in our 4th week in country which I am SO EXCITED for. At that time I'll get to meet some future co-workers and see my future home!

As far as when you might here from me again: I know that I will not be able to get to the Internet or a telephone for the first few days, but hopefully by the end of next week I will have sent our a few emails or posted here. In the meantime, leave me messages here or shoot an email and WRITE ME LETTERS...hand written things are my favorite. :)