Photos from Site Announcements

Scared, excited, and blindfolded, we were taken by the hand and led to our futures... on a giant painted map of Senegal.

(Photos by Kolda volunteer Amanda Wybolt.)

Andrew, Mikael, and Eric win the blind fold contest.

It's a funny thing to smile at a camera with a blindfold on...

Mamadou, head of PC Senegal's EE and Health programs, taking me on my way.

My feet, before my eyes and mind knew what was happening.

My personal photographer, Amanda. (thanks!!)

Some Kolda region volunteers, patiently (?) waiting...

"Who are you? Who am I touching? "

Fanning myself with my site envelope, I believe.

The moment of truth. Justin is my closest neighbor, and he's looking slightly displeased... I'm hoping it's not related to me.

Me, Justin, Ann Marie, Kim: The Linguere Crew (In this case, "L" is not for loser. I hope.)

Podor zone volunteers: Jonno, Evan, Maddie, and Paul - my neighbors to the North!

Steve and Sarah are excited to be placed on the coast! (Little to they know how frequently I will be visiting them...)

Me and Mikael B. (UPS '08)
LOGGER LOGGER LOGGER LOGGER LOGGER!

With Country Director Chris Hedrick

Tomorrow, we're all heading out to visit a volunteer in or near our site! Since I'm replacing another volunteer, I will be visiting my actual site - yes!! PC Senegal's official nomenclature for this process is "demyst-ing" - or "demystifying" - which is tells you something about the purport of what we are doing tomorrow.

The reality has slowly set in that I will truly be moving to the desert for the next two years. I believe that there's a lot to love about the desert: dunes and camels and baobabs, all totally beautiful in their own way. Other elements of my future home are harder to love, like the rumor of 130 degree heat in the hot season and the news that I have to dress even more conservatively than I had anticipated. Maybe I'll come to love those parts, too, though. Either way, I'm not getting my panties (or my ankle-length skirts, for that matter) in a bunch until after I "de-myst." What an exciting time!