Has two months passed by already? Or am I dreaming that tomorrow morning at 9:30 in Dakar I'll swear in as one of the newest Peace Corps Senegal volunteers?
Nope, it must be real, because I just got a call from my naatango - my counterpart, that is - checking up and letting me know how excited they all are to see me next week. Which means that I do have to pack my stuff up to leave my homestay on Saturday, the morning after swearing-in and the party in Thiès for our homestay families on Friday night. I'll spend the weekend at the center, while I watch my friends depart in scattered groups to various distant parts of the country, while I wait for my turn to come on Tuesday.
I have butterflies in my stomach but I am so proud to have come this far. I don't think I could have done it without the support of so many people, my family and friends back home, and not least of all my fellow trainees, who are now so dear to my heart. Next week will be hard, starting out fresh again. But now I have some language to understand what's going on around me, I have the cultural knowledge to adapt, and I have the know-how to keep myself as safe as possible. All of that makes me feel better about moving on to the next step, because as scary as it is, I know I am ready for it.
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