Round and Round and Round I Go...

So the count-down has really begun (T-minus 18 days, yikes) and my neurotic tendencies are definitely starting to emerge. Trying to figure out the visa process has been a bit of a nightmare, but my fingers are crossed that everything works out in time. I'm a bit freaked out that the Senegalese consulate has my passport and didn't return my phone calls today, but I'm hoping that it's because they started the weekend early. That's what I'm going to keep telling myself at least!

I'm scrambling now to get all the fru-fru together, figuring out what clothes are culturally acceptable, what shots I need, how I'm going to keep my water clean, and what things I need to bring for my job. I don't actually know what exactly I'm going to be doing or where in Senegal I'm going to be working (things have been pretty hectic lately for the organization so they're running a bit behind), which is both absolutely terrifying and exhilaratingly exciting at the same time. I know I'm going to love whatever I'm doing - I still can't believe that I'm leaving for Senegal in just over two weeks for an entire year!

I'm flying over early so I can go visit Cruger, and see all the work he's been doing in Linguére with the Peace Corps during the last five months. It will be amazing to finally put faces to names, and it's nice to know that at least I've got the "PC-Peeps" watching my back! I'm also quite excited to get a Senegalese name - apparently "Adama" is an option, which makes my inner nerd very happy indeed. I'm a bit nervous about learning Wolof - word on the street is that we will only be getting 4 "survival Wolof classes", which I know is going to be pretty overwhelming. I'm hoping that the almost total immersion will help to lessen the learning curve, and at least I've got my French to fall back on if sh*t hits the proverbial fan. The official start date for the internship is Septebmer 15th, so I will have a good chuck of time to get over any culture shock and start to adapt to the swing of West African time. I know that being type A is definitely going to be working against me in the begining, but it's a great way for me to learn to relax and go with the flow. Finger's crossed it works!