Saturday, August 30, 2014

3 Day Countdown

So here I am, one year after I submitted my application to the Peace Corps, finally counting down my last three days at home. I remember when the countdown started and I had four months on the clock before the big move; I can't believe that in three short days I will begin one of the biggest adventures of my life.  I will be updating this blog during my experience as a way to keep in touch with my friends and family back home and answer any questions you might be having!  Just so you know, I am fairly new to this whole blogging thing so bear with me while I figure it out.

So here's how this works for now:
  • This weekend I will be heading to Los Angeles for what they call 'Staging'.  It's basically a quick one day orientation to introduce us to the Peace Corps.  This is where I will meet everyone in my training class, I think there's about 30 of us who are all headed to Fiji.  Late the following night we all fly to Fiji together.
  • The first two months in country I will be doing a home-stay with a Fijian host family.  I will be doing a lot of language and cultural training during this time while trying to get used to my new home.  This period is called Pre-Service Training (PST).  
  • At the end of PST I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer and I will receive my my permanent location!


I've been telling people for months now that I would be moving to Fiji in September and even though I've said it out loud countless times it didn't feel like it was actually happening until I started packing.  Let me tell you, trying to pack for two years with very little information about where you will be living or what kind of job you will be doing is a difficult task but after packing and re-packing at least three times I am finally done!  

This is what I'm bringing with me to Fiji, doesn't feel like that much for two years but I'm sure I still overpacked 

All that's left to do now is eat some good food and enjoy my last weekend at home with my family, friends, and my puppy!  

This is Bruno, I am adding a picture of him for reference because I'm sure I'll be mentioning him a lot 
I am beyond excited to begin this exciting new chapter and build a life in Fiji and I hope that you all enjoy this adventure with me through this blog!