Staging in Philadelphia

Today was Day 1 of Staging.

At noon, we registered with the lady and gentleman that provided our orientation for the day. A second gentleman was also there as a member of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), a non-governmental organization that provides services for current and returned volunteers. He introduced himself and the organization. He then revealed that he was going to "pull an Oprah" and give us all a Google Nexus 7 tablet. Ooo I was so excited! I thought maybe this was just a generous gift from the National Peace Corps Association. Nope. Based on a passionate Peace Corps volunteer's efforts, Google donated 1,000 tablets to the NPCA and the association chose us as one of the groups that they felt would best be able to use the services offered by the tablet during service. NPCA, I won't let you down!! I brought my laptop for skyping/blogging/emailing and my smartphone for music, but I'm excited to have a third device that will have a longer battery life than my laptop.

NPCA also releases a quarterly magazine as seen here

Staging mostly consists of welcome activities and an overview of most questions that future volunteers have. We did ice breakers, we did personal reflection, we performed scenarios (my team did a rap...ya we're so cool), etc. It wasn't super intense at all, which was great!

There are 31 volunteers in my staging group and we are all education volunteers. Most of us will be teaching junior high English, math or science. There are a few who will be teaching preschool. Everyone is SUPER nice and personable, which is fantastic considering we'll be the only Americans around each other for the next two years. We're all nervous, but totally excited! I'll be sure to post pictures of us as we start to get to know each other better during training.

Tomorrow is Day 2 of Staging.

Tomorrow we take a bus from Philadelphia to New York JFK. Then we wait in the airport for a large sum of hours until our flight around 6pm EST. I volunteered to be one of the group leaders, which means I will simply do a headcount and be aware of the people in my small group from the hotel through landing in Burkina Faso. That's a small task compared to chaperoning 25 high schoolers and their parents through London last New Year's.

Day 3 of Staging 

Friday, we land in Belgium for a four hour layover. Then, we land in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Wah-gah-doo-goo, the capital) that evening and immediately will receive medical interviews to start our malarial prophylaxis.

Peace Corps Packing for West Africa

What do you pack when you'll be living in Burkina Faso for 2+ years? For curious family, friends and future volunteers, here's my list!

2 large bags to check and a backpack and bookbag to carry on

• Clothing
• Under
• 15 underwear
• 2 bras
• 3 sports bras
• 6 moisture-wicking running socks
• Tops
• 2 t-shirts (Target v-neck short-sleeve)
• 2 synthetic dry-fit running tops
• 1 racerback tank
• 3 business casual tops
• Bottoms (nothing above the knee)
• 2 pairs of business casual pants  (Nike Golf Dri-fit)
• 1 pair capri pants
• 1 pair of leggings
• 1+ pairs long spandex
• 2 short spandex
• 2 maxi or knee-length skirts
• 2 pair of shorts - strictly for home
• Layers
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 light jacket
• 1 Nike Lightweight rain-resistant jacket
• Miscellaneous
• 2 swimsuits
• 2 belts
• Vacation and going-out clothes
• sunglasses
• Shoes
• 1 pair black flats
• 2 pairs of running shoes (Adidas Glide Boost, Saucony Ride 6)
• 1 pair of flip flops (Olukai)
• 1 pair of hiking sandals (Merrell Agave 2 Lavish)
• Luggage
• 1 rolling suitcase
• 1 mini backpack
• 1 hiking backpack (The North Face Casimir 36)
• 1 large duffle bag
• 1 messenger bag
• 1 crossbody small purse
• Electronics
• 1 Lenovo Ideapad S210 Touch - 11.6-in, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
• 1 Nook (loaded with books)
• 1 LG Optimus F3 (unlocked smartphone + mp3)
• 1 Nikon Coolpix 20.1 megapixels camera (point and shoot)
• 1 Thunderbolt Magnum Solar - solar power pack (recharges mobile devices)
• 1 Kinivo ZX100 mini portable speaker with rechargeable battery
• 1 MAXAH Surge protector all in one international wall charger
• 1 America surge-protecting power strip
• 4 AAA and 2 AA Eneloop (NiMH non-alkaline) rechargeable batteries and usb charger
• 1 windup flashlight
• 2-pack Costco brand headlamps
• Home Items
• 1 Pillow
• 1 twin sheet set
• 1 bug hut  http://www.rei.com/product/777772/rei-bug-hut-pro-2-tent

• 2 water bottles - thermos & bobble
• 1 travel mug
• 1 corkscrew/bottle opener
• 1 vegetable peeler
• 1 chef’s knife
• 1 can opener
• 1 spatula
• 2 mini rubber spatulas
• 1 set measuring cups
• 1 set eating utensils
• 1 French press
• 1 roll duck tape
• 1 pair scissors
• 1 box ear plugs
• 3 blank journals 
• 2 sets of stationery
• 1 set bungee cords
• 50 clothes pins
• Food/Drinks

• 1.5 Tubs (80 servings each) Vitalyte electrolyte replacement
• 1 set of instant coffee (Starbucks Via)
• 1 pack Yogi tea
• 1 Tub cinnamon (Costco size)
• 8 varied condiment/sauce packets
• non-perishable snacks
• Toiletries
• Hair
• 20 Hair ties
• 8 Headbands
• 20 Bobby pins
• 1 Comb
• 1  2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner - Costco size
• 1 Hairspray (non-aerosol)
• 1 Hair serum (anti-frizz)
• Face
• 2 bottles exfoliating face scrub
• 2 Aveeno face mosturizers with 15 spf
• 1 small mirror
• 1 make-up remover wipes
• 1 compact make-up
• 13 Chapsticks - Costco pack
• Teeth
• 8 Oral-B toothbrushes (soft) - Costco pack
• 2-4 Colgate Total toothpaste tubes
• 1 Floss (Peace Corps provides floss)
• Meds
• Zyrtec
• Mucinex D
• Benadryl
• AZO
• Tums - Costco pack
• Ibuprofin
• Vitamin B Complex - Costco bottle
• Cough Syrup
• Miscellaneous
• 6 Schick Hydrosilk razors
• 4 Secret pH-balanced deodorant
• 1 Tweezers
• 1 Nail care kit
• 1 Sewing kit

• 2-3 Nail polish - painting nails will quickly gain you friends
• 1 Tampax Pearl Tampons - Costco pack
• 1 Aloe vera gel bottle
• 1 Hand sanitizer
• 1 Baby wipes

9 weeks to go!!

On June 4, I leave to live in Burkina Faso for 2+ years.

Picture included in the Welcome Book I received.

So what does this mean? I muscled my way through Rosetta Stone exercises in UCSD's Language Lab. I watched all three seasons of Game of Thrones with French subtitles, which was totally awesome. But more recently, I have been watching Disney's Frozen, in French, on repeat.

Disney did such a great job with the French adaptation!

What do I still have left to do? A lot of hanging out with friends in San Diego for 6 more weeks before I head back to NorCal. Let's hang out!! I'm going to organize a SoCal get-together, so stay tuned.

I also have packing left to do. Yikes. I have consolidated the list of items Peace Corps recommends and I've added items recommended by current Burkina Faso volunteers.  My packing list is a whopping 3.5 pages on Google Docs. I get to bring 2 checked bags that are less than 50 lbs each. I also get to bring a carry-on and backpack. Sounds like a lot of space, but when you're packing for two years, it gets slightly overwhelming for an indecisive person. And I'm a light packer. So... I'll let you know how that goes. I'll post my packing list closer to departure.

Please check out the rest of my blog (About Me, FAQs, etc) and let me know what you think. This is my first time exploring the blog world, so I have much to learn and appreciate your feedback!

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