After months of anticipation and a whole year of filling out applications, writing essays and going through medical physicals I finally received my assignment for Peace Corps:
Country: Burkina Faso
Program: Small Enterprise Development (SED)
Job Title: Small Business Advisor
Training in Ouahigouya: October 15 - December 19, 2008
Dates of Service: December 19, 2008 - December 19, 2010
Burkina Faso is located in West Africa please check out these sites for more information about my country of residence for the next two years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uv.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/burkina-faso/
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2834.htm
What I will be working on:
SED volunteers are involved in a wide range of SED activities, primarily working with entrepreneurs and cooperatives to provide business training, help create market linkages, as well as assist in the enhancement of business skills. The goal of the project is sustainable income generation through various sub-sectors which may include artisanal crafts, appropriate technology, agribusiness and microfinance.
When I leave:
I leave ONE MONTH from TODAY (October 12th). I am slightly nervous, excited, and stressed all at the same time. This shall be an amazing experience and I will be desperate for correspondence while in Burkina. Please send me your post address (via email or facebook) if you would like letters from me while I am in Africa.
This Next Month:
I will be in Washington D.C. till September 23rd. I then head to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to visit Mr. Batlogg (over in Germany for a year as a Bosch Fellow for the German government). I return from my vacation with Mike on October 6th and will be in Harrisburg from then on. I leave for Peace Corps staging in Philadelphia on October 12th, then off to Africa. . .
My future is here and I am trying not to be scared. I am ready, as Peace Corps says, "Life is calling. How far will you (I) go?"
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2 comments:
If anyone is ready for this adventure, it's you Gwen. You've got your goals focused and I know things will go awesome for you!
I am pretty sure that these two years will be amazing!. Every thing will teach you something, every day will be an adventure. However, you should be sure than in each step that you will give, you will meet amazing people accompaning though your way ;)
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