What is Joel doing again? and other random info.

Bon soir and hello! "Is Joel FINALLY in Africa?" you all may be asking. Unfortunately, the answer is no. I will be magically whisked away on a United Airlines flight in roughly 4 days and 12 hours. So I have a handful of days to soak up the beauty of Western Colorado. Four days to catch a sunset, to chew on some ice, to stick my head in front of the swamp cooler....ahhhh.

So before I leave, and before my impressions of what I will be doing get grossly distorted (bear with the sarcasm :), I will give you all a run down of the what where when and why's...and if I have time, the how.

What: Peace Corps (en francais, Corps de la paix), Girls Education And Empowerment (GEE) program. Essentially, I am a "community education outreach agent" where my job is to promote the continuing education of females, w/ a focus on elementary aged girls. Burkina Faso has one of the lowest female literacy rates in the world and their inability to see any form of development is largely blamed on the overwhelming discrepancy in education between males and females. So it is my job (being the fearless tall white dude) to help create sustainable programs that aim specifically at giving the girls a boost.

Where: Burkina Faso, West Africa. Like most of you, before January, I don't think I had even heard of this country. But rest assured, it is a sovereign nation, and the cultures within are as diverse as any other country in the world. The country is a little bit larger than Colorado. It is basically hot year round, but the hottest months are March and April. I will be arriving in Burkina right around the beginning of the rainy season.

When: I leave Washington/Dulles Int'l Airport on Tuesday June 7th 2006, where I begin an 11 week training program in the town of Gourcy (subject to change, as is the case w/ most things in the PC). I begin my two year service August 23rd and end my service to head home Aug. 23rd 2008.

Why: Because I'm crazy? That's what I've been told, on a couple occasions. Because I love to travel. Because I am so passionate about international affairs, about development, about learning, about people. Because I love the world and I'll take up any opportunity that allows me to see a different corner of the planet. These reasons, and so many more.

...HOW: A lot of Patience and a lot of support from my family and my close friends.

So I was reading another volunteer's blog, which is probably very similar to mine, and he did something rather clever, which was list off his packing list. It helped me greatly, b/c it gave me an idea of what I should take...but it is also something that for some unexplainable reason, is intriguing. So, for all of you who wonder what PC volunteers take for two years to Africa, here is my list:

-Jeans x 1 (like I said, it's hot)
-Khakis/Chinos x3 (still awaiting the delivery of one of these..grgrrr)
-Boxers x 13 (150% cotton, baby)
-Shorts x 3
-Hooded Sweatshirt (for those chilly 79 degree nights)
-Capris x 2 (yeah, I'm a guy AND i have capris. They rock too)
-Dress shirts x 4 (for work)
-Dressy Outfit (may come in handy when I need a grant)
-t-shirts x 4
-ties x 2
-CHACOS (one pair of leather flips, 1 pair of regular flips, and my ZX/2's)
-Tennis shoes (of which I will probably never use)
-Dress Shoes (I am banking on wearing these three times in two years)
-Rain Jacket
-Socks x3 (See above comments about shoes)
-Belt x 2
-my schnazzy Patagucci R1 pullover (for when it dips below 80)
-30 packets of Kool-aid (i'll find sugar there)
-Teflon Frying Pan (every other volunteer has sworn by these...)
-Glad Containers (i dunno...i'll probably find some use for them...drums!)
-Ziplock bags x 100 (as another volunteer puts it: African Tupperware)
-plastic spatula
-can opener (something you don't think about but would die w/o it in a pinch)
-90 day supply of basic toiletries
-a roll of TP, for good luck
-Spyderco knife (for street cred, you know?)
-Leatherman tool
-Sunglasses (two pair)
-iPod (this is made possible in part to an item that will be listed later)
-rechargable batteries/battery recharger (see below)
-solio solar charger (these things rock. Check out their website www.solio.com)
-Two headlamps (you know, in case one of them walks away)
-Shortwave radio (to ensure that even in Africa, I can listen to car talk)
-stockpile of good pens (only the best will do)
-USB flash drive
-two books of US postage stamps
-Duct Tape (why not?)
-Digital camera
-screened mosquito tent (because nobody likes malaria in their bloodstream)
-two nalgene bottles
-sewing kit (hey...it could happen)
-two journals, four composition notebooks
-French/Eng dictionary
-camelback
-day pack
-timbuk2 messenger bag (big enough for me to pack myself into)
-Gigantor North Face duffel bag (big enough to pack a nuclear family into)
-a few books that I started but never finished

Believe it or not, all of those things combined weigh about 50 pounds, which is 30 light of my limit! Yes, I know, I rule.

Enjoy the beautiful weather! Good night!

Ten days and counting

I hope the majority of you are able to get to this particular posting hassle-free, assuming that the listserv I established works. So let us consider this a "practice" post. What can I say, I'm learning as I go along.

True to the title of this post, I have ten days remaining before I leave! I haven't really felt the urgency I was expecting, however. Perhaps that is because I have everything I need packed and ready to go. All I need to do now is wait. In all reality, I should be spending this time exposing myself to as much of the French language as possible. The PC director of Burkina Faso sent us a list of useful links that are aimed to refamiliarize us trainees with the French Language. Most areas in which Peace Corps serves have no language prerequisite; however, Latin America and Western Africa both require that the volunteer have some prior language training in Spanish and French, respectively. I took a intensive French course all of last summer, which was amazingly helpful, but nevertheless a year ago. Needless to say, a little tutelage can't hurt in these remaining days before I'll be more or less on my own.


Thank you to all that were able to make it to my going away party on Saturday! I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see all the faces I saw. I even had the opportunity to meet some new and very interesting people. Ultimately, it was the perfect send-off party! Throughout this entry are photos taken from the party. Enjoy!


That's all I have for now. Assuming this gets sent out to you all without a hitch, this will be my last posting before I leave for Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It's my goal to make the notifications that are sent to you as clutter free/hassle free as possible. I am not trying to inundate you with more e-clutter, so if there is any way to minimize my presence in your inbox, I will do just that. If for any reason you really really don't want to be notified of my postings, please click on the unsubscribe link supplied in I believe the invitation email which was recently sent to you.

Until then....

Party This weekend!

Hello friends, family.

My departure to Burkina Faso is quickly approaching. Each day I find myself checking off another task on my to-do list which ensures that I cover all my bases before I fly out of Montrose Regional Airport on the 3rd of June. I think I'm all but ready. I created a relatively modest (for two years) but nevertheless complicated packing list. I have acquired almost everything on my list. The next step is to make sure I can pack it all and remain under my 80 pound weight limit. 80 pounds you muse w/ exclamation? Yes. I am to take w/ me a max of 80 pounds for two years. But it's not like I'm going to be living on the moon or anything like that. There will be stores where I go. There will be places to go where I can buy clothing, soap, and yes, toilet paper. The majority of what I am packing is in fact perishable items that I will consume/use up in the first three months, as I acclimate to the country. Many of the items I have been urged to take w/ me surprised me initially.

Some of the more interesting items I am taking include: A frying pan, 3 times as many sandals as shoes (3 pairs of sandals to one pair of shoes), a low bandwidth radio (whereupon I can pick up radio stations from around the world), my iPod (yes, I won't have electricity where I'm going, but that's why I am also packing the next item on my list), Solio Solar Charger (specifically designed to charge iPods), Business Suit (I have to remind myself that even though I'm going to W. Africa, this will be a "real" job), my favorite brands of seasoning (the food there is rather bland, I have heard).

Surprisingly, for two years, I am only taking 3 t-shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, three dress shirts.

However, before this trip is to begin, I must have a going away party, right? This Saturday, May 20th, is just that. I'll be sure to post as many pictures on this blog site showing how much fun we all had!

ciao
joel