Thursday, April 18, 2013

30 Days and 30 Sites


When Peace Corps gives you the a-okay for being invited to a program, applicants begin to anxiously search the world wide web for anything about their new home.  Now lucky for me I got to do this twice… Once for Guatemala and again for Uganda.  At times you feel like a stalker, coming across blogs, pictures, and articles about Volunteer’s you haven’t even met yet. 

And then sometimes you stumble across an awesome project idea.

Example.  When I was researching about Guatemala I came across a Volunteer’s blog who had mentioned about visiting her fellow Volunteers’ sites to gain a greater understanding of the work they do and the communities they live in.  I was hooked and thought to myself, I want to do this.

Coming to Uganda I found no such project existing.  That is until my dear friend Jen proposed this to the Peace Corps staff. 

Her goal?  Visit thirty PCV’s at their respective sites in thirty days.

Jen traveled the country high and low and eventually she made her way back to the Southwest to visit me.

Jen came to my site last Sunday and since it was a weekend we just hung out, talked about her service, showed her town, and cooked. 

Jen is a COS’ing Volunteer and leaves the country on Wednesday.  I have begged for her to stay and be my roommate, as she has become a dear friend and support over the past couple of months.  I think her 70-day Europe trip is more enticing than another 17-months filled with cold showers and malaria hungry mosquitoes. 

Jen is now finished with her project and is spending is last day down in Kabale on Lake Bunyonyi.  What a perfect ending to an amazing journey.

I was telling Jen that I had heard of this project in other countries and she recommended that if I am interested, to propose this to Peace Corps when I am ready.  She said they looked at a Volunteer who had an active blog and was in good Peace Corps standing.

I think I somehow fit both of those requirements.

You can read more about her awesome adventures here: http://therewontbesnowinafrica.blogspot.com/

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