A Peace Corps Timeline: From Applicant to Volunteer

I’ve been meaning to post this for a really long time (since training last year) and am finally getting to it. This is really intended for those interested in Peace Corps service and want to know how long the process is, things you need to complete, etc. I want to note that the time frame is different for every applicant – everything here is based on my personal experience. Cheers!

• April 25, 2008: Submitted online application and references to the Peace Corps
• May 10, 2008: Graduated from LMU
• May 15, 2008 (morning): Interview with Shane, Peace Corps recruiter at the Los Angeles Regional Office
• May 15, 2008 (afternoon): Received a call that I was nominated to a French-speaking post in sub-Saharan Africa, expected departure date is June 2009 and the field is Youth Empowerment/Community Development
• Note: nominations can be done this quickly or can take months. It really depends on the recruiter, the skills of the applicant and the needs of Peace Corps posts around the world.
• May 16, 2008: Receive Medical Kit in the mail
• June-August 2008: Traveled with family in the Caribbean and the Philippines for several weeks**
• September 5, 2008: Mailed completed Medical Kit to the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
• Note: very long and detailed process. It required me to go to the doctor’s office about a dozen times!
• November 7, 2008: Medically and legally cleared for Peace Corps service
• December 15, 2008: Sent in a Skills Set Addendum and official college transcript to the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
• January 5, 2009: Checked my status online – am officially invited to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer!
• January 10, 2009: Received the huge invitation packet and assignment description in the mail from the Peace Corps – sent to Burkina Faso as a Girls’ Education and Empowerment (GEE) volunteer, slated to leave on June 8, 2009!
• January 15, 2009: Called the Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to officially confirm and accept my invitation
• February 10, 2009: E-mailed my Aspiration Statement and Résumé to the Peace Corps Burkina Faso staff
• May 2009: Dentally cleared for Peace Corps service
• June 8, 2009: Fly from San Francisco to Philadelphia for Staging
• June 9-10, 2009: Staging with the 31 other Peace Corps Burkina Faso trainees in Philadelphia
• June 11, 2009: Fly from Philadelphia to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (stopovers in Paris, France and Niamey, Niger [had to stay an extra night in Niamey due to plane problems during refueling])
• June 12, 2009-August 24, 2009: Pre-Service Training (PST) in Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso
• August 25, 2009: Swear-In Ceremony as official Peace Corps Volunteers at the US Ambassador to Burkina Faso’s residence, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• August 26, 2009-August 2011: Two years of Peace Corps service as a Girls’ Education and Empowerment (GEE) volunteer in Burkina Faso

Alphabet project, baby weighings and such...

To quickly recap the past couple of weeks:

The beginning of January was pretty difficult. In some respects, it felt like September all over again – feelings of loneliness, sadness with tinge of depression and homesickness. I guess the transition from vacation back to the “real world” at site was harder than I thought. A lack of structure and loneliness are two things that I’ve been struggling with most in the Peace Corps and boy, did I feel it!

But two weeks ago, things changed for the better (I’m not trying to scare anyone but I swear, sometimes, Peace Corps service can be such an emotional rollercoaster. I mean, I expected this when I applied but man, when you’re living the day-to-day life, it’s completely different!). I observed CM2 (the U.S. equivalent is 5^th Grade) and they are the oldest students at the Ecole Primaire (Primary School). There are only 27 students but it’s interesting to note that the girls outnumber the boys. In any case, Madame Bambara, the Director of the school, is also the CM2 teacher and I could tell she was little pressured to teach as much information as possible to prepare her students for the CEP Exam (what you take after completing primary school to continue to middle school). I presented her my Action Plan in French and she seemed really excited that I’d be doing all of these projects as way to make sure the kids succeed in school – a really motivating factor for me!! Fortunately, I live next to the Office of the Inspecteur (person in charge of all of the primary schools within a district) and a couple of days later, I presented it to him as well and he seemed excited as well!

One thing to note about Burkina Faso is that being in authority positions is considered very important to Burkinabè. For Peace Corps Volunteers, when starting projects, protocol dictates that you need to notify authority figures in your community of any project you start, most especially as a sign of respect.

Some of the younger kids on my porch. Through the Worldwise Schools Program (WWS), I'm doing a letter exchange with Ms. Mahoney, my French teacher from high school, and one of her French classes. They recently sent me letters and included a comic project they did in French. The kids love the drawings!

The past week, though, has been full of good stuff – especially with me finally starting some work!

Last Sunday, Kyle and I went with Jalila, our Belgian Ph.D friend who’s doing research with women’s groups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, to a theatre sensibilisation (awareness session) on malaria and female genital mutilation (FGM or excision). It was put on by the women’s association here in Gaoua in a village about 15km away. While everything was in Lobiri (a language I barely understand with the exception of the most basic greetings), it made me realize again how useful theatre/plays are to raise awareness about important social issues. Hopefully I can replicate some of these things within my two years here!

Kyle dancing away au village. This lady had a special thing for him, haha!

Jalila and I with some of the women in her women's association. Note the calabash in my hand filled with dolo (millet beer...the Burkinabè's drink of choice). Mmmmm.

The part on female genital mutilation (FGM)...a very touchy subject but important to raise awareness on because it happens all too often here.

And on malaria prevention and the importance of using a mosquito net when going to bed. The women were excellent actresses!

I also got to start my alphabet and numbers project with the students of CP1 and CP2. I thought it would be too easy for CP2 but it turns out it’s right at their grade level. Surprisingly, this project is very difficult for CP1 students so I had to simplify my activity significantly. It starts with me coming into the classroom and introducing a couple of letters each session. I have them copy it as seen from my drawing onto their little chalkboard slates, then I have a basket full of items the either begin with the letter or have the letter within the word’s spelling. They identify the objects, I write them on the board, and ask students to individually come up and show me where the said letter is in the word. And, thanks to friends and family that have sent me little prizes, I’ve given out little stickers as rewards, which they love!

Seems simple enough, right? Well, not so much. Like we learned in PST, things don’t go as planned so you just have to roll with the punches and see where it takes you. I’m glad I’m starting small and I have something consistent to do for a couple of days every week!

Starting this past Thursday morning, from 8:00 to 12:00, I go to the CSPS (village medical center) and help with baby weighings! Women come in monthly to weigh their babies and get the appropriate vaccinations, all for free. The day before, I met the Majeur (head nurse/doctor at the CSPS) thanks to Jon’s counterpart, Papa, and seemed on board to me helping every Thursday. A great secondary project for me and something’s that’s consistent every week. While it was pretty chaotic, I helped weigh more than 90 babies! Malnutrition is a big problem down here and they do many sensibilisations to combat this in the neighboring satellite villages…so I’m hoping I’ll get involved in those too, perhaps introducing Moringa? Ahhh, we’ll see! I love that the ideas are constantly flowing and are slowly manifesting into actual work. Excellent!

Jon with a little kid named Seuss, one of my favorite kids at Jon's site!

Everyone: meet Demetrius.

Hello friends!

I'll be posting a more thought-filled blog entry soon but right now, I shall spoil you all with pictures!

Long story short, there's this kid named Demetrius that lives in my village/town. I don't quite know how old he is but I'm guessing around 4 or 5. He came by my house one day back in September/October and seriously, he's become one of my favorite kids! He doesn't speak much French except for: bonjour (good morning/hello), ca va? (how are you?) and donne-moi un Bic/un bonbon/un cadeau/etc. (give me a pen/candy/a gift/etc.). So he'd come fairly regularly to just chill on my porch. I figured, why not teach him a little French so I informally taught him how to say words such as une porte (door), une fenetre (window) and other simple things to keep him up to speed so that when he finally starts going to school, he'll have a little more knowledge.

In any case, after a week or two of coming by almost everyday, he stopped coming and I hadn't seem him since...until this past week! As you know, the one New Year's Resolution I have is to take more pictures of my community and man, do the kids sure love taking pictures. Demetrius kept asking if I could take pictures and since Armel was there, I was like, thi

Meet Demetrius! Enjoy!

Our normal picture.

Haha!

I love this kid!

Notice how Demetrius' face always changes in the pictures while mine remains constant.

This photo best describes my reaction to Demetrius everytime he comes by.

Gotcha!

Armel and Demetrius!

Back at site with an Action Plan!

Ahhh yes...back at site. After being around Americans for so long (IST, Ghana and New Year's in Ouaga) plus enjoying hot showers, toilets and the like, it's a definite change being back at site. Don't get me wrong -- it feels good to be back!

I was welcomed home with this chalk drawing on my door. I'm going to take a wild guess (sarcasm) and say it's a drawing of me...doing karate. Oh, the joy of living right across from the Primary School! I still love the kids though. Haha!

I guess getting back into the flow of things is probably the hardest part. And now that I've finished my first three months at site, I keep asking myself, like anyone else in my GEE training group, what next?

During our IST, we were asked to make an Action Plan which details what we'll be doing in the next few months at our sites. While most activities you list won't go as planned, it's a great guide to have at site since we have no structure in our daily routines. Plus, translating it into French gives you an actual document to present to the Director of the school or the Inspecteur (in charge of all the primary schools in a certain district; like the boss of all the school directors within a school district). I showed it to Jean, my homologue (assigned counterpart in the community) and it was just good to discuss my future plans and see if we can implement them elsewhere if it works.

I've thought of about 6 activities I'd like to implement from now until May, two of which I want to at least start this month (January): 1) completing Clay's World Map and 2) doing alphabet and number drawings for CP1 and CP2 classes. I figure starting small is the best idea, plus it'll give me more motivation to take on the bigger projects/ideas that I have in my Action Plan.

Clay, the volunteer I replaced, painted this incredibly detailed World Map on one of the big walls at the Primary School across my house. It's so well done! When I first arrived at site, many people, especially teachers, asked me "When are you finishing the World Map?" I looked at it and asked what was unfinished, and they said that not all the countries were listed. So I figured, why not name all of them to help students with their geography, plus add a few other things (a compass, the Peace Corps logo, a "Carte du Monde" [Map of the World] title, a list of the 5 major oceans and the major continents...by the way, the education system here teaches students that there are only 5 continents while in the US, we were taught there are 7. Interesting, eh?). It'll be a good initial project to get me out of my house and doing something productive. Just need to buy the paint and translate all the countries in French. Let's go!

An idea I got from an older GEE Volunteer was doing alphabet and number drawings for CP1 and CP2 students (the equivalent of Kindergarten and 1st Grade). It not only helps students with literacy but can make the classroom a little more decorative and conducive to creative learning. The idea is to write/color the letters individually on regular sheets of paper. I'd come in to the class a couple of times a week and present a few letters, have kids repeat them, write them on their little chalkboards, write words on the big chalkboard and ask them to identify the letter, and possibly do drawings of objects that have the discussed letter in them. In the end, I would tape these letter and number drawings/letters around the classroom and teach them the alphabet song to ensure proper pronunciation and memorization. Hope the kids are receptive to this! I've noticed that there isn't much (rather, any) creativity in the lesson plan and I'm hopng this will spice it up a bit and motivate kids at an early age. We all know this -- literacy/education is key to having a successful and productive life, and in a country that has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world (if not the lowest), this small activity is one small step to changing that!

On another note, I'm not one to make many New Year's Resolutions, partially because I never really follow them. But if there's one that I definitely want to stick with, it's this: take more pictures of your community, the people you live with and where you live!! I regret not taking more pictures of kids during my first three months at site. I was afraid they'd view me differently if I just whipped out my camera but I realized that they love pictures, plus before I know it, my two years will have passed and I would have no pictures to show for it!

A little girl named Aneq. I thought she was at least in the eauivalent of Kindergarten but she's not old enough to go to school.

Aneq, Armel, Karem and another young kid (it's hard to remember everyone's names) on my porch. You can see the Ouattaras' house in the background. Armel is one of the first kids I met and has helped me out a lot. Also, this picture is a perfect example of the age hierarchy here...look at how Karem is about to hit the little kid to get out of the picture! Oyy vey.

Wish me luck and please, please, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

The Yonso Project and Kumasi...then head back home

The last leg of our trip: Kumasi! Kumasi is the cultural epicenter of Ghana and something I've been looking forward to for a while. But most of all, I've been wanting to visit my friend Sonja's non-profit called the Yonso Project which is about 45 minutes away from Kumasi. And check out the Kejetia Market!

The great thing about traveling in Ghana is that a bus company called STC InterCity goes to the main cities in Ghana with comfortable, air-conditioned buses on a set running schedule -- which is a God-send here in West Africa! We take that from Busua to Kumasi, and fortunately, the Guestline Lodge (the hotel we wanted to stay at in Kumasi) was only a block away from the STC bus station. Another backpacker's hostel paradise -- clean rooms with no thrills. And cheap!

The next day (Sunday), Danso, the Country Director of the Yonso Project, came to get me and Colette decided to come along, too! We took a tro-tro (like minibuses that travel everywhere and anywhere in Ghana and are ridiculously cheap, although some of the drivers drive ridiculously crazy) out to Jamasi (the next 'big' town to Yonso), then take a taxi to the village of Yonso.

WOW, Yonso is such a cool village, particularly because the topography of Ghana beats that of Burkina Faso. There are mountains and hills and greenery -- everything that Burkina Faso doesn't have except in the Southwest.

I encourage you all to check the Yonso Project's website (http://www.yonsoproject.org) and read up on what they're up to and how you can donate.

I'll let the pictures below let you know what I've seen...

In front of the Yonso Project library. Sonja, I'm so proud of you!

A picture of the Yonso Project library. We couldn't get inside because the teachers have the key but were able to open a window to see the inside.

Danso (the Country Director for the Yonso Project) and the guy in charge of the bamboo bike production. This is where the bamboos are dried.

Close-up of the bamboo bike. Apparently it's really, really durable.

Danso and I. He's so damn hilarious!

So this was really interesting. A lot of schools in Ghana have these "Speak English" signs painted around their schools.

A procession of the village elders, the queen mother and the chief heading to village centre. Apparently every 40 days, they meet in the village centre and hear the town's citizens voice their concerns.

The next day, the three of us were on a mission to do two things: visit the Ghana National Cultural Centre and shop at the Kejetia Market. We decided to visit the Ghana National Cultural Centre first and it was a haven for souvenir shopping while supporting your local Ghanaian artisan. They have fabric, jewelry, paintings, clothing, books -- you name it, they have it!

Me in front of the Ghana National Cultural Centre. Basically, we got all our Ghana souvenir shopping done here in a matter of a couple of hours!

As I've mentioned before, the Kejetia Market is the biggest market I've ever been to in my life and is quite possibly the largest market in West Africa, if not in all of Africa. You walk in and it just swallows you up...it sounds horrible but really, it's one of the more interesting experiences I've had here! They sell everything but one thing I wanted to get was fabric to make shirts, since I think I really need to update my African wardrobe, haha.

Me next to the Kejetia Market in Kumasi. This has to be the biggest market I've ever been to! I'm positive it's the biggest market in West Africa if not in all of Africa.

Getting to Kumasi bus station to get back home, Colette, Devin and I made a point of spending all our Ghanaian cedi (currency) so that we wouldn't have to exchange it back to West African CFA (since we heard exchanging Ghanaian cedi back to West African CFA gives you a really bad rate). We didn't really need to buy anything else before getting on the bus so between all of us, we had about 2 cedi. BUT I completely forgot that we needed to pay for our bags because we were putting them at the compartments at the bottom of the bus. 6 cedi. Shit! So we asked if we could use West African CFA and they said no...I'm telling you that God was really watching over us and things just fell into place when they could've been absolutely chaotic. And Devin would repeat this all throughout the trip! Fortunately, a man behind us in line offered 6 cedi without hesitation. Actually, he asked if we needed 60 cedi and we were like, "Ohhh no, no, no, we need 6 cedi." He was willing to give us 60 cedi which was absolutely insane! We felt so bad asking him for money but eventually gave him more than enough back in West African CFA...even if he refused to take it, we pretty much forced him to take it, haha. And get this...his name was Emmanuel. Which means "God is with us." Crazyyyy!!

Long story short, we head back on the nice and comfortable air-conditioned bus back to Burkina Faso later that evening...and thus ends our adventure in Ghana!

Really, I encourage everyone and anyone (granted, one has enough money) to visit West Africa and see for yourself what it's all about. Burkina Faso and Ghana have been absolutely amazing, and with a little French and an open mind, you'll discover this is one special place. Cheers!

Christmas on the beach in Ghana!

Finally!! We leave Cape Coast and take the relatively long trek to Busua, a small beach town along the Ghana coast. When we arrive, we thought all the resorts were in one location but it turns out the Green Turtle Lodge is farther away. Every volunteer that's been to Ghana has recommended the Green Turtle Lodge and I'm glad we made the journey over there...

Its location is so remote but regardless, there are still other people there. It seems to be a haven for other volunteers when they vacation in Ghana and just want to take a break from it all and chill on the beach. So we set up our tents (cheapest accommodations yet! Only 4 cedi/1200cfa/about $3 per person/night to set-up your tent!) and pretty much hit the beach. So we get there on Christmas Eve and immediately jump into the water...it felt so refreshing especially since I hadn't seen the ocean in over 6 months. =)

Colette setting up her tent. I'll say that it wasn't as comfortable as it looks.

The next day (Christmas Day) we woke up to breakfast on the beach and we each decided to do something special. When we were at the Koala Supermarket in Accra, Devin had this amazing idea of each of us buying something to share on Christmas Day at the beach with one another. The idea was food -- one salty and one sweet -- but it could really be anything. But we had to surprise each other Christmas Day with all of our stuff!

So Colette got these Christmas popper things that have stickers and a little joke inside each of them. It's a tradition in her family and she brought it all the way to Africa to share with us!

Devin, Colette and I after opening our Christmas poppers. There were little paper crowns inside along with stickers and the corniest jokes everrrrrr.

We chill on the beach some more and it was just nice to take in the warm beach breeze and watch the waves crash onto the shore. Next to the Green Turtle Lodge, there's this place called Paco's Tacos which seems completely out of nowhere. I've been craving Mexican food for a while and this was the perfect thing to satisfy my craving! The older couple that owns this is actually from California and they built their house along the beachfront....and Paco's Tacos as their business.

At Paco's Tacos for lunch. Chicken tacos and avocado tacos!

Again, more chilling at the beach. I forgot to mention that the Green Turtle Lodge is remote enough that there isn't cell phone reception. Except for this one distinct spot that we discovered. So I sent some text messages to family and a couple close friends. Before I left site, I promised Madame Ouattara that I'd call the family and say hi...but since reception was kind of choppy, I decided to text them. She texted me back almost immediately and wished me a very Merry Christmas and said that the family missed me. Really made me miss site! I also got a call from my Mom that afternoon and it was the morning of Christmas Day back home. They were all at my Tito Vic's house since the whole family does a little sleepover. I got to talk to a couple of uncles and aunts, my brother and my grandpa but it really made me miss home! I don't think I've missed home more than I did at that moment...

All three of us get ready in our Global Mama's outfits and head to Happy Hour at the bar. And walked around the beach until sunset. For dinner we had garlic roasted chicken and potato salad! Delicious! And to top it off, we had a huge bonfire on the beach with the other guests.

I just couldn't resist taking a picture in front of this. Oh man...

Enjoy our first drinks of the night -- Deep Blue Sea and Tequila Sunset. Yum!

The three of us in our Global Mama's outfits and drinks in hand.

The sunset setting on the beach. Amazing.

Look how huge that bonfire is!

The day after Christmas, we had breakfast again on the beach and got ready to leave for our next destination: Kumasi!

Relaxing one last time on the beach before heading out to Kumasi.

Ghana: the adventure continues in the Cape Coast

Cape Coast. After a couple of days in the hectic capital (Accra -- seriously, the traffic is neck-in-neck with Los Angeles traffic), we head to Cape Coast to do two things: 1) walk along the rope canopies at Kakum National Park; and 2) visit the Cape Coast Castle where they once held and sent slaves to the Americas and Europe.

By recommendation, we stayed at the Sammo Guest House which is your typical backpacker's hostel. The good thing was that we had a balcony that brought in a consistent breeze from the ocean, plus it was central to everything! Walked around and headed to the Mighty Victory Hotel for lobster with garlic butter sauce and potato salad! We met a Canadian business development volunteer from Kumasi there, so it was nice meeting another new person.

The view from our balcony. Look at that sunset!

The next day, we wake up really early in the morning and take a taxi to Kakum National Park to experience the rope canopies. There are 7 walking bridges in a semi-circle, attached by rope, nails and rope to huge trees about 30 meters (about 100 feet) above the forest floor. Insane! If you're scared of heights, it's definitely an experience that'll make you piss in your pants.

It was created by 2 Canadians and 2 Ghanaians but I was confused if they made it in 6 months or change/repair the rope bridges every 6 months...in any case, check out the video in another entry! It was so humid at Kakum; our original plan was to camp out there on one of the tree platforms -- thank God we didn't! I also tried palm wine for the first time (de-licious) and met a girl from Oakland who was vacationing here with her boyfriend. What a small world!

Us three on one of the tree platforms 30 meters (about 100 feet) above the forest floor!

Crazy! It's not bungee jumping but it's damn close. Haha!

Devin, Colette and I being our own crazy selves. <3

We later head to the Cape Coast Castle which is something I've been really looking forward to for a while. You know, it's one thing to learn about slavery in middle and high school but it's another thing to actually visit the holding quarters for slaves in Africa before they were shipped off to the Americas and Europe! The Cape Coast Castle was handed down by different European countries for different purposes, eventually landing in the hands of the English for slavery.

A replica of Cape Coast Castle at the museum.

Two things stood out most for me: the holding quarters for male slaves and the Door of No Return/Return. The holding quarters for the male slaves was essentially this huge underground dungeon that they were held in for months at a time. To explain the gravity of their situation, they sat in waist-high feces for weeks at a time, and you can even see shackle marks on the ground for when they would try to revolt and attempt to escape from their captors. There was even a church right above the holding quarters for the male slaves and the guide referred to it as "Heaven and Hell." So interesting!

One of the dungeon areas where the slaves were kept for months. The wreaths of flowers below are left by descendants of slaves every year to commemorate the lives (and deaths) of all those kept captive there.

These are marks on the floor left by slaves that were shackled and attempted to revolt/escape. Absolutely surreal.

As a slave, if you were seen as strong enough and survived months of torture, you were sent through the "Door of No Return" which led directly to the slave ship and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. The government/historical society that decided to preserve the castle in the 70's (I think) put a "Door of Return" sign on the other side of the "Door of No Return" sign as a way of welcoming back the descendants of slaves and anyone willing to learn more about the history of the Cape Coast Castle/slavery.

Our tour guide, Issac/Kofi, showing us the "Door of No Return." On the other side, it says the "Door of Return."

The steps leading down to the Atlantic Ocean after exiting the Door of No Return. Now it's where a lot of the fishers prepare their nets and get ready to head out to the ocean.

During the tour, I also met a couple from LA and they were vacationing here in Ghana! Man, Californians are everywhere!

Me with the Atlantic Ocean in the background. Note the cannons in the back, too.

This plaque was presented by Barack and Michelle when they came to Ghana in July of this year. So cool!

At the museum, there was this really interesting map of the slave trade.

Also, a replica of a slave auction stand. Crazy!

Colette, Devin and I with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.

Not going to lie -- it was pretty emotionally draining but interesting nonetheless. We walked around the main roads of this very bustling fishing town and found an NGO that sold cool-designed fabric to make shirts, etc. We also took pictures with these really random kids who were absolutely hilarious! We also had dinner at the Oasis Resort which is right next to the Cape Coast Castle and right along the beach...coincidentally saw Jen and Farma (a fellow BF PCV and her boyfriend). Good times!

Colette and I with some neighborhood kids at the Cape Coast. They were absolutely hilarious!!