A G-17 volunteer posted an amazingly-detailed blog entry on letter/package sending, as well as some good suggestions regarding items to send (Arm & Hammer instead of Secret, please).
More info from the Friends of Guinea page.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Hartman's Send-Off--A Peace Corps Roast
"So you're joining the Peace Corps...
- Couldn't handle it at your real job?
- Prefer Che and Fidel to Dubya and Reagan?
- Too short for the armed forces?
- Or just looking to score some free Phish tickets, hmm? ( I think Hartman's glory days were the '90s).
Go ahead, show your commitment to ObamaNation!
- Live on a small stipend to experience the 3rd world lifestyle.
- Accrue 2 days/month vacation toward your next revolution trip.
- Our arid climate provides plenty of time to improve your frisbee skills between military purges
- And of course, chicks dig the Peace Corps.
Thank you, Brian. I'll miss our department's walking lexicon.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Grabbing for Hours
Conflicting advice rains down from both sides of the Atlantic. At home, my own conscious pleads for another Rosetta Stone lesson; for another informative post from a current volunteer; for the boxes to pack themselves. Meanwhile, those looking back at what they could've done better--the Guinea volunteers already living the fantasy--stress the importance of not stressing. "Build lasting friendships," they say. "It will all work out when you get here."
"Oh, and eat as much cheese as you can."
I feel I've cheated myself by not capturing the anxiety and exhilaration of the last few months. For the moment they feel commensurate, at least collectively, with that first step off of the plane July 9th. The pace of goodbyes has already advanced from a trickle. More and more food items will outlast my time left at home. Poultry Days, Dances with Dirt, international dinner night at the Thompson's, pre-adventure adventures on the West Coast--enough has happened in the last month to keep me satisfied for a year. Unconvincingly, I fool myself every day: there'll be time for reflection later. Right now there's cheese to eat.
"Oh, and eat as much cheese as you can."
I feel I've cheated myself by not capturing the anxiety and exhilaration of the last few months. For the moment they feel commensurate, at least collectively, with that first step off of the plane July 9th. The pace of goodbyes has already advanced from a trickle. More and more food items will outlast my time left at home. Poultry Days, Dances with Dirt, international dinner night at the Thompson's, pre-adventure adventures on the West Coast--enough has happened in the last month to keep me satisfied for a year. Unconvincingly, I fool myself every day: there'll be time for reflection later. Right now there's cheese to eat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)