As the title of this post implies, I'm new to blogging. It's not something I had ever pictured myself doing, but I suppose until a few months ago I had never pictured myself living in Africa, either. (Sierra Leone, to be exact.)
Why I'm blogging:
There are three types of people that will read this blog, and to whom a rambling account of my life's goings-on may be useful:
1) Those who are naturally curious about what I'll be doing and what life will be like in one of the least developed countries of the world,
2) My family and friends who may use my month-to-month updates as the only proof of my still being alive (kidding, Mommy),
3) Future Peace Corps aspirants/nominees/invitees for whom my application timeline, packing list, and posts about gutting chickens will prove invaluable for your service preparation.
I encourage any and all of you to comment and ask questions. Seriously. It's part of my job as a PCV to serve as a cultural envoy between Sierra Leone and the United States, and I look forward to it. Plus, I'd like to share this experience with you as much as I can.
What you should expect:
I've tried keeping a personal journal on many occasions but have always failed at making it a regular part of my life routine. I have a general feeling of anxiety towards organizing thoughts and delivering them coherently in either oral or written form. I know that during this experience I will be dealing with situations that will be difficult to put into words, and I know I will become increasingly frustrated at trying to document these experiences. I promise you though, I will try. What all this means is that there will be moments of both extreme
vagueness and intense detail as I recount my experiences over the next
27 months. Don't be offended by either.
Here's a favorite quote from a favorite book, A Separate Peace by John Knowles: ".... It was only long after that I recognized sarcasm as the protest of people who are weak.”
That being said, expect sarcasm.
Anyway, my main motivation behind writing this post was to be able to play around with blog settings. I have also managed to say a lot of what I wanted to say without confusing myself (and hopefully you), so I rate my first post a success! Thanks for reading and I look forward to having you share in my adventures!
