The title of this post means "peace be with you" in Mandinkan, a native Gambian tongue. As many of you know, I have been selected as a Peace Corps volunteer for The Gambia, in West Africa. In three weeks, I will fly into Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, for my 27-month service as a "Health and Community Development Extensionist". I will be working in and out of the capital, in a smaller and more rural village not far from Banjul. I will post more on what I will be doing in Africa in a later post.
As for now, I am trying to soak up my friends and family in South Carolina, filling my mind and body with happy memories and feelings of love. When I am alone with my thoughts, I am consumed with visions of Africa and the beautiful souls I will meet within the next few weeks. Everything is happening so fast, but I am trying live in the moment as best as I possibly can. I already miss those I left at Snow Mountain Ranch, Colorado! The Rockies were the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen, and I met amazing people that were just as beautiful as those peaks. I'm a mess without you, Geoff! Now I have to fill my thoughts with paperwork for my staging (orientation) in Chicago, what I am going to pack for Africa, what I am leaving behind, and what will be thrown my way soon.
I will try and keep up with this blog for the next two years, but try and realize that I will have limited access to a computer or electricity at all! I am extremely excited/anxious for this adventure to begin. Everything I know about life will be tossed around and rearranged into who I will become while in Africa. I will have to blend who I am now with who I want to become, and somehow have enough energy to leave an everlasting impression on those I will be helping in The Gambia. Yayyyy adventure!
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharlal Nehru
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