getting ready to go

I've never really been into the whole blogging thing, but after reading many blogs from peace corps volunteers I have realized that they are incredibly helpful and practical. While I am serving in the peace corps, I can write about my experience when I get the chance and be better able to stay in contact with my friends and family. So this is my first post....and I'm going to try to keep it short and sweet. :)

This past October I was invited to serve in the Peace Corps as part of the Community Action for Health Project in rural Zambia. And when I say rural, I mean RURAL. I will be living in a mud-brick hut with no electricity, the nearest running water will be a half-hour's walk, and my thighs will only continue to grow in size as I will use my all-terrain bike (courtesy of the Peace Corps) to travel at least 20 km a day. I will be working through the Ministry of Health in Zambia to help establish and maintain Rural Health Committees that will contribute to the decentralization movement in Zambia. Basically, I will try to help rural Zambian villages be sustainable when it comes to health care. So of course right now I'm feeling incredibly under-qualified, but I will go through intense training for 3 months prior to my service in Lusaka. I report to my staging in the U.S. on February 20 and depart for Africa with 30-40 other wide-eyed volunteers February 24.

My hope is that this blog will serve as a place where my family and friends and anyone else interested can check up on my adventures in Africa. Right now I'm just trying to get ready to go and prepare for what hopefully will be the experience of a lifetime. :)