To go to TOGO

Im going to Togo. I leave for stage on September 16th. Looks like I will be here for my Birthday!

No More RIM for me

Peace Corps in DC called me today and I was informed that the program in the country is suspended. I believe the current volunteers are allowed to stay, however the Peace Corps believes that it is unlikely that my stage class will not be able to get our visas anywhere in the near future. They didn't mention anything about the American aid worker who was shot and killed in a kidnapping attempt in the capital of Mauritania. As of right now I am in the process of being reassigned to another country. This is the second time this has happened to me because as many of you know I was originally supposed to go to Madagascar but the program was suspended there as well because a coup. I don't want to speculate when or where I will be going, so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. As well as the music scene in Chicago.

Summer in Chicago

Instead of boarding a plane for Philly on Monday I am going to be in Chicago. That's right the Peace Corps office in D.C called me on Monday while I was at my parents lake house and told me that the current Mauritanian government would not be giving me, or anyone else that I was suppose to go with, a visa on time. We are going to get visas, we just are not exactly sure when. "All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go" was my attitude on Monday morning. I had moved a majority of stuff out of my apartment, and I was mentally prepared, or as close as I was going to get, for the challenges that Peace Corps RIM had in store for me. But right now I might be able to leave in mid-August. Why you ask?

Because General Aziz, who took power last August, decided he does not want any more foreigners in the country. The director of Peace Corps as well as the U.S Ambassador to Mauritania have tried to convince him to give us visas in a timely fashion, but no dice. General Aziz promised that there would be a free election on June 6th, however the international community convinced him to push the elections to July 18th in order to make the elections more fair. There is also a run-off election in early August, and after all this is settled Peace Corps hopes that my stage class and I will be able to enter the country. Until then I'm going to be in Chicago. I had no plans past Sunday night but right now I'm getting excited to spend another summer in this wonderful city. So far my plans include going to the many street festivals that Chicago has to offer, as well as a few more hockey tournaments with the rest of the student center staff. Even though I quit my job at the end of last month, I'm sure I will be able to play.

I guess I had to start this sometime

You should check out my blog. Those are six words that I hoped that I would never have to say or write. But here we are. I'm not against people who have blogs, but I feel that the only people who have them are either depressed emo kids from the suburbs,who bitch about confromity, or anarchists from Eastern Europe, who haven't gotten the revolution off the ground yet. Trust me I have tried to think of other ways to keep in contact, but smoke signals and telepathy are just not realistic.....yet. So here I am shouting from the mountain tops letting you all know: you should check out my blog.


Why did I start this blog you ask? For those of you who don't know,there aren't many at this point, on June 17, 2009 I will be heading to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, also known as the RIM, to serve in the Peace Corps. I will be an English teacher at either a middle school or high school. Before I head to Mauritania however I have a two day orientation in Philly. This is also referred to as stage. At stage I will get a brief overview of Peace Corps RIM. I'm also really excited to meet some of the other volunteers, because we are going to be in Mauritania together for the next 27 months. On a side note I have found some other future volunteers on facebook and we already have plans for to get Cheese Steaks while in Philly. Then on the 17th, after we get our shots of course, we will head to J.F.K and hope on a plane to Dakar, Senegal, and then from there we will take a long ass bus ride to Rosso, Mauritania where will have several weeks of training. On August 20, we will be sworn in as volunteers, and after that it is two years of service.

Giddy up.