Salaamaalekuum! It’s the day before my departure for Burkina Faso and I’m surprisingly unambivalent in my delight. Yesterday was full of anticipation and worries, which were not helped by watching “Free Zone” starring Natalie Portman. It’s a wonderful film, but looking at the desolate Jordanian landscape and listening to the animated conversations in languages I don’t speak reminded me of what the first few days on my new adventure may feel like. Thankfully, we ended the evening with a screening of “2 Days in Paris” written by Julie Deply. A light-hearted story about a bilingual française and her bumbling American boyfriend, this film reminded me of the joys of living abroad: the new experiences, the unexpected cultural interpretations. I’ll spend a few days in Philadelphia for staging before flying off to the other side of the world. I wonder what my fellow trainees are like: their motivations for applying, their interests in science and Africa, how our varied personalities will coalesce to form a unit or clash to cause divisions. As for me, I’m just excited to discover the unknown.
PS PCV refers to my future identity as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Until August, when I'm officially inducted, I'm known as a trainee. SVT refers to Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre (combined biology/earth science) which I'll hopefully be teaching.
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