1. Peace Corps is evacuating from Madagascar due to political upheaval. Madagascar is one of the countries I could have been invited to and actually REALLY was hoping for. Of course now I'm really glad I wasn't invited there because it looks like I wouldn't be going. It's just crazy that this happened in December of 2007 with Kenya, a place I've been, and now it's happening again with Madagascar. Both places where the Peace Corps has been forever and were considered very stable. Makes me even more glad that Tanzania is considered one of the most peaceful countries in all of Africa.
2. A volunteer in Benin, West Africa, Kate Puzey, was murdered. I'd be lying if I said that didn't scare me a little bit, but I'm going with the logic in my brain that knows that it's a horrible but RARE event, and that I am actually statistically safer as a PCV in Africa than as, say, a normal person living in Manhattan or something. It's just so incredibly sad. She will be missed.
As for me, I am continuing to work on my Swahili using Rosetta Stone, and also starting to think about the daunting process of packing. Two years of my life need to fit in 2 bags weighing less than 80 pounds and measuring less than 107 inches all around. Eeesh. So far I've made a trip to Dick's for a few things I know I'll need, and have decided to steal my brother's hiking backpack as my main luggage piece, since I already used it in Kenya and can lift it most of the time.
I'll close with a lovely picture of me being a huge dork after excitedly buying a new rain jacket, headlamp, and Leatherman multi-tool. Never dreamed that this would be me after all those family camping trips I spent endlessly complaining.
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