A parting limerick

There once was a girl who joined Peace Corps,

Relocated to Guinea's sweet sea shore

While she frolicked with manatees,

Pachyderms and chimpanzees,

She still every day missed her dear friend-core

After hours of packing, re-packing, donating clothes, donating books, packing again, donating more clothes (for someone as Plain Jane jeans-and-t shirts as me, I sure had a lot of excess apparel), and saying goodbye to all of my loved ones, all that's left is semi-lucid poetry and this:

One.tired.ginge.

To my family back home:  Thank you for the gorgeous send-off.  I have had enough pork and delicious micro-brews to tide me over for at least two years :)


To my friends in Boston:  Thank you for the amazing last couple of days.  (Even though you made me cry.  A lot.  I will consider forgiving you so long as you keep in touch.)



Now, here's my...

2-DAY ITINERARY

SUNDAY

CRACK OF DAWN A.M.: Fly to Philadelphia for registration/staging.  

NOON-ish: Meet other Guinea volunteers. Try to convince them I'm cool.

AFTER DINNER TIME: Probably re-pack my suitcase again.  Sleep?

MONDAY

MORNING: Learn many interesting things about Peace Corps. Get a million vaccinations.

NOON: Eat something?

NIGHT: Fly to GUINEA

After that, I will be entering my 3 months as a Peace Corps trainee!  As far as I know, we'll be in a town called Dubreka, about 50 km away from the capitol.  I'll be living with a host family, learning a lot of French, exploring the city, embarrassing myself in front of the locals, and doing all I can to adjust to this new world.

Don't fret for me, just keep me in your thoughts.  You will all most definitely be in mine.  

Sending all my love your way, until next time!!

-Kelsey

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Hello friends and family!

The time has come for this ginger to hightail it to a land far, far away. The adventure of the hour(and subsequent 18,143 hours) is to teach Secondary English with the Peace Corps!

Destination: Guinea

Joining the Peace Corps has been a dream of mine for years, and I'd like to share my experience with you!  I hope this will be a way to keep you up-to-date in my goings-on while overseas, as well as to hear about what's happening in your life.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Guinea Ginge will be filled with moments like this...

and hopefully awesome ones like this

but probably most like this...

I mean, come on, you know how I roll.

I hope to post an update at least once a month, twice if possible.  Once I begin work at my placement, I'll have a better sense of what the internet situation will be.

In the meantime, please subscribe to the blog using that nifty little e-mail box thingy at the bottom right corner of the page!  Look at me being all tech-savvy.  You'll get updates on my posts, new pictures, etc.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, you'll know when I post my address for snail mail.

Guys, I have a confession to make.

Please send me some.  It's free to be my pen-pal (minus some pesky postage fees) and guarantees you three things:

1.  Special, personalized GG bonus features not included in the blog.  I'll address it to YOU.  Maybe write you an ode.  Iunno, shower you with whatever other forms of affection I can think up.

2.  Awesome PICTURES that I can't upload.  

Just think, you could witness, first-hand, my transformation from this

to this...

3.  You will also, automatically, earn my undying adoration for all of time.

So the question really is, why wouldn't you do it?