Philadelphia, Pensylvania July 23-26
The city of brotherly love and all that. Came in on Monday, the 23rd, around 10 --- My plane was late cause, get this, they had a leaky coffee pot. No kidding.
The last couple days have been very busy between our orientation activities and last minute runs to get sun block and passport photos (CVS has a great deal of 16 pictures for $7.99 if your looking). Sorry Mehran no pictures of that wall. Our orientation was mostly about team building -- for those of you who know Preston Howard, we actually built a machine. Can you believe that?!?! Someone else out there does that kind of stuff!
Didn't actually learn anything about Niger or what I would be doing, but I do know that I should be aware of my surroundings and what the Peace Corps three goals are:
* Provide trained men and women to those countries needing and requesting them
* Promote a better understanding of Americans in foreign countries
* Promote a better understaing of those in foreign cultures in Americans
I must say that those goals match pretty well with the goals that brought me to the Peace Corps in the first place.
And if you're wondering, I am doing this so that I can help people out (of course), so that I can do something to repair what I feel is a tarnished image that much of the world now holds for Americans after our recent "endevours" around the world, and so that I may do something that I feel will help me grow into the person I am meant to become.
We all need a little adversity in our lives, and this is a way I can add that while at the same time doing some good. I think it is important to understand how the other half of the world experiences life so that I can have a much broader world view.
Funny anecdote from training:
An optimist views the glass as half full, a pessimist views it as half empty, and a Peace Corps volunteer sees that he can take a bath in that water.
This will be the last post for a couple weeks. I am told there is no internet access at our training site so until I get some time in Niamey I will not have a chance to write or read any electronic mail.
BUT! I now have a physical mail address (see sidebar). Feel free to write!!!
Caught Up! (for now) — Pakse, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
13 years ago
6 comments:
Glad you are learning lots....I also didn't know that anyone but Preston did that kind of thing! Anyway, so sad that I won't be able to talk to you for 3 weeks now, but I promise I will write! Snail mail...guh!
I love you!
kels
Have great flight to Africa tomorrow (hope you are flying on a Boeing built airplane)I am sitting here with your Aunt Lynn, she says hello and she will write soon.
HAHA! Oh Preston... I thought he was crazy, that machine thing. I'm proud of you honey. I'll maybe send you a letter or two. ;) Take care, and learn a lot!
<3
Nate
Jeremy, I have a friend who is in China teaching English for two years. She calls it her "Most Excellent Adventure." And so are you in the process. Let us know what we can do and what we can send in "care" packages. Best wishes and we love you. Sappy stuff. Guess aunts can say this. :) Mary, Carl, Colin
just letting you know im thinking about you and I hope your inevitable hardships are bearable! do you feel like a goof and incompetant? (or am i the only one who usually feels incompetant when travelling...)
a friend of mine is in tanzania, and he said he joined in a spirit-healing dance and (poor akward white boy he is) got quite laughed at by the people! hope you enjoy feeling a bit out of place!!!
LOVE
katie
Hi Jeremy:
I'm sure glad I was able to act on my spur-of-the-moment idea to come up to WA for your going-away party. It was very good to see you before you left on your big adventure. I hope things are going well for you as you make new friends, learn about your new culture, complete your training, and anticipate your eventual placement.
You inspired an idea I had the other day. I thought it would be cool to find out how much it would cost to build a Habitat home in Niger and arrange for our local Habitat affiliate to fund the building of that home! Unfortunately, when I looked into it further, I was very disappointed to learn that Habitat doesn't build in Niger. I haven't given up on the idea entirely, i.e., I'll at least call our international office to see why they don't build in Niger and if they have any plans to expand into that country. I do know that HFHI can build an entire home in certain other African countries for as little as $1100, so perhaps I can at least persuade our board to do that. You can bet that I'll keep you posted on the evolution of my "Jeremy-inspired idea" though...
Love you,
Aunt Lynn
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