“…auf wiedersehn, good-bye…”

Know that cheesy song?  “All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…”  Well, that’s too long of a blog title or I’d have used it.  I’m headed out tomorrow morning, so I wanted to reiterate some last things with the blog. 

*  As much as it is anticipated, don’t look for any updates for the first few months.  The first 9 weeks in-country is training.   This is language, environmental, cross-cultural, HIV-AIDS and a million other things.  This means I will be uber-busy and occupied.  When one is saving the world, there’s  no time to blog!  Just kidding, this is really a due to resource availability, and moreso; to facilitate becoming integrated into our host-families’ lives and the beginning of our lives in Zambia.  The best I can offer is excerpts from letters I write to the ‘rents. 

Speaking of letters!  This is the way you can communicate with me!  This is absolutely the best way during my training to tell me news about your life.  This will probably be best during my whole time in-country.  ^^^ The bar at the top has a tab “contact Beth”.  My address is there, and will be updated when necessary.

Well, in summary, I am ready to go, excited, and nervous at the same time.  I’ve waited for a long time, really want this, but it’s all going to be different.  Beth-the-meteorologist is especially excited for the new climate and weather!  (::cough:: that’s for you all on the 5th floor of Hixson-Lied!)  For those of you reading from the CCSJ – check out the pictures down in the corner – I definitely made sure to pack my journal!

One last thing you should be jealous of – when we are sworn in as official Volunteers, we say the same oath the President does.  “…against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

–bmjd

Solidarity

Well, the Farewell Tour has ended, the Farewell Party guests have gone, so all that’s left is the farewell.  And the nagging feeling that something is missing from my blog.  My pre-departure thoughts are missing.  I’ve only really written about tangible cameras, backpacks, and solar chargers (albeit a really fantastic one) and this relative superficiality bugs me.  I haven’t thought about the intangible too much with all the last minute to-do lists.  What things to pack and what forms still need filling-out is all I know (know being almost synonymous with can control) right now and all I can write about.  This is the side-effect of the ‘Peace Corps Adventure’;  there are alot of unknowns.  Don’t get me wrong, I love and am really excited for the Adventure.  But I want this blog to be more.  I want to also dig into what’s deeper.  That’s where this title comes from, my recent thoughts on my aspirations of achieving some measure of solidarity with Zambians during my service.  To know and be equally involved in their joys and struggles as individuals and as a country.   I was fortunate enough to be able to reaffirm this to myself while visiting and talking with great friends and inspirational people at my beloved Creighton. 

The 2nd and 3rd goals of the Peace Corps should facilitate this.  2: To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of peoples served.  3: To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans.  (The first is: To help the people of interested countries to meet their development goals by meeting their needs for trained women and men). 

So I hope to be able to convey both my experiences and my reflections with this blog.  If you don’t like this plan, blame those dang Jesuits!  Those Jesuit values will really ruin you for life!  Men And Women For And With Others, anyone?

bmjd