Hey!

I'm headed to Benin, a nation in West Africa, in less than five days! I'm nervous, sad, and excited! The first 9 weeks there will be spent learning about the culture, safety, and perhaps most importantly learning French- the most widely used language there. By Sept. 5th I must be at a high intermediate - working fluency - level of French in order to be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Benin was formerly a French colony. It gained its independence in the 1960s. The nation is considered one of the most stable democratic countries in Africa- so I should be quite safe there! :)

My job title is Community Natural Resource Advisor. I will be working to increase environmental action in the nation at the community level especially. I'll be working with, or helping to build environmental clubs probably, doing environmental education lessons in secondary and primary classrooms, and helping local people to develop natural resource management plans. I will be working with and for the people of Benin, and thus plan on spending much time getting to know those I will be serving. I look forward to hearing about what they believe their needs are, and living with them their stories.

I leave on the 30th of June for staging (a brief orientation of sorts) in Philadelphia. From there I will then be headed to Benin on July 3rd! As I get closer to the date my stress level has increased, but so has my excitement!

Please pray all will be ready in mind, body, and spirit! Thank you for your loving support!
I hope to post on here or send out e-mails at least once a month, and hopefully once every two weeks or so! So check back from time to time and get a peak at what it's like to practice being in a new place, the nation of Benin. :)

Peace, love and care in Christ, joc

Preparation

I haven't even shared this with anyone yet... but I feel like writing!

Preparing for Benin is crazy with so little time! I feel like I'm trying to cut out anything extra at this point, because my time is so limited to prepare in general.

It's a little frustrating, but I really think all things will work out ok in the end. I've been fairly unfaithful about doing rosetta stone, for I had limited internet access while I traveled. So here I go - I am attempting to do 37 hrs or so of lang training in 3 weeks!

Pray please. It's crazy, but I already feel part of the loneliness of going on this grand adventure. There is so much to do on our own, so I just have to remember where I have come from, what I have done thus far. There is always hope through remembering who we are, who God has helped and enabled me to become. Hmm...

Okay, back to language training!