Peace Corps Round 2

As many of you may know, after much thought, I decided to re-enroll in Peace Corps. This was a big decision. Did I want to go through PST (pre-service training) all over again? Did I want to commit to 2 years... a year after I originally wanted to? Was I ready to go back to Africa? And I decided, hell yes! I'm ready and I'm excited!

In October, when I got evacauted, I felt lost, depressed, and stressed out. I wasn't sure if I should continue with Peace Corps then, or come home and figure something out. I decided not to continue with Peace Corps in October because of all those reasons. I was unprepared to jump into another country, and wasn't ready to put in the work that's involved in that type of change. So, I think I made the best decision for me at that point.

Now, I'm much more prepared mentally and ready to get out of here and back to Africa! I'm only 3 weeks away from starting Peace Corps Round 2 in Burkina Faso, West Africa! I'm excited because this country is still in West Africa and a french speaking country. I'm also really excited... and lucky, because not only will 2 of my fellow Guinea evacs will be in my training group with me, but 2 transferred there after evacuation, so I'm heading in with a nice little support network. This time around, I will be teaching science though, instead of math. This is a very vague description, which (I'm assuming) could either be physics, chem, or bio (or all three), which makes it difficult to prepare for what's to come.

It's a weird feeling going back into Peace Corps this year because I've already done it. I've been through the entire thing last year. I feel like I'm simply moving to Burkina Faso, rather than heading into this great unknown. With that being said, I've never been to Burkina Faso, so I'm basing most of my opinions on Guinea, so it will still be an adventure. I already bought almost everything I needed last year, so this year was much easier on the wallet. I also know what types of things to bring, and what things I'll never use.

Although, I don't have much to buy this year (thank god!), I still have alot to do. I'm busy filling out paperwork, digging out my suitcases from Guinea (yes, I just unpacked them), and trying to pack up all of my stuff. This is a huge task, but I've made some good headway so far!

I've got a little bit of information about Burkina Faso and staging. Staging, which will be held in Philadelphia, is basically a fast 2 day orientation of Peace Corps and a time to get shots. I'm hoping I already got the necessary ones last year, and won't have to get them again. After that, we're heading off to JFK airport where we'll fly to Charles de Gaulle, France, then to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso! I don't have much info about what to expect once I arrive in Burkina, but I'll post updates when i get more info.

That's it for now:) Thanks for following me on Peace Corps Round 2