first week in country

so everything is great here. i wish i had time to describe, but i only have a few minutes online. i am just fascinated by the people that we see, and the trash which is everywhere. and i am already speaking French okay so that's a good sign. i still feel like we haven't had much time to really interact with the community. but we head out to training this afternoon and then homestay begins on monday. so i may be living with a family that doesn't even speak any French (just Arabic). it's only two weeks, but that should be kind of intimidating, but i'm ready for it. the food has been great so far but i've been told that won't last so we'll see. i do eat eggs now which is weird, but i haven't even tried to do milk or cheese (there hasn't really been the opportunity.)

and that's it. love you all.

staging

Well, I'm about to leave Philly and it's been a whirlwind last two days. Everyone is a lot of fun to be around, and I'm really excited about spending the next two years with these people. I'm a little scared because they are making me swallow pills, but I'm going to try my hardest. Anyway we fly to France tonight and then are stuck in the Paris airport all day before we get to Chad tomorrow night. It's definitely going to be an adventure, but one I'm really excited about, and luckily I'm going to be able to see E a little bit more before I leave. I miss you all and will write from N'Djamena if I can!

the last minute

well this is it, i'm leaving in the morning. i can't really believe that still and i don't know how to write about it. basically, i'm constantly on the verge of tears and i cannot believe that any of this is really happening. i don't know, i just am horrible with goodbyes.

i'll post again from philly where i'll hopefully be in better spirits.

mailing tips

since the tchadien post is less than stellar, here are some tips to make it easier for me to get all the lovely presents you are going to send me (daily of course, ha.)
-don't send: perishable foods (or chocolate...it melts), weapons, "pamphlets derogatory towards the countries of Equitorial Africa", money or anything valuable
-the normal postal rate for letters is $0.80, for packages it can get expensive, check at the post office
-if you are sending a package, padded envelopes are about a billion times less likely to be opened than boxes. (plus, you will save money)
-no matter what send it air mail (or else it probably won't arrive before i leave)
-ideas to make letters seem more official/less tamperable: write in red ink, address it to dr. becca silverstein, phd (or some other official sounding title...but nothing to do with the government), label the outside with something uninteresting ("educational materials")
(but don't use them all at once, that is even more suspicious)
-things i would like to receive:
LETTERS,
vegan snacks/food (even though i will be eating some non-vegan foods in africa, it doesn't make sense for me to be eating things that aren't vegan from the us) like tofurky jerky, clif bars (my favorite flavors involve chocolate), fruit leather, dehydrated TVP, gross sugary fruity candy like jelly beans as long as they are free of gelatin and beeswax, chreese packets, dried fruits/veggies, i'm sure i'll think of more when i'm there and have time to miss things,
vegetable/herb seed packets (i bought some before i left but the fall selection was lacking)
good books, magazines (esp. vogue, the new yorker),
things that smell good,
crossword/sudoku puzzles,
paper, school supplies,
LETTERS

but really i have no idea what i will want, these are just my anticipated desires. i will be more detailed when i'm in country (in less than a week, ahhh! there's so much to do before then)

going away party

after weeks of planning, last night was the infamous going away party. cooking for two days straight was most definitely worth it, i don't think i have ever seen that much delicious vegan food in one place at one time. i was so glad so many people could come in from out of town to celebrate with me and i wish i had gotten to spend more time with everyone. and catching up with family friends and neighbors was also wonderful, but of course now i feel like i've already had to give a public speaking tour on the subject of chad, a place where i've never even been yet.

this week, i'm going to try and do a bunch more reading, take the GREs, take care of all the financial/legal obligations, buy a ton more stuff and try and fit it my bags without going over the weight limit, and spend as much time as possible with friends and family. once i get packed, i think i'll post the list of everything i'm bringing which i'm sure will be riveting reading.

here are some pictures from last night of the people i will miss like whoa (ie YOU!)