We seem to have passed a threshold in the training, and suddenly things are exploding. On Monday we had language interviews, and I placed into intermediate-low, which means I only have two more levels to go (I have to reach intermediate-high). I started at Novice-low, so I’ve gone up three levels since starting, and I’m feeling pretty good about being able to reach the place I need to be. Of course, I wish I was farther, so that I could start learning a local language. We learned of our sites during the next session. It was done in a really fun way, with the APCD describing what the volunteer had asked for and us trying to guess who it was, and then them announcing the location. They had drawn a giant map on the floor and we stood where our sites were. I was the very first person to find out their site, and I was super excited. We aren’t supposed to advertise to the world where our site is so I’ll just say that it is in Haute-Guinea (eastern region), and next to the Niger river. Apparently I may have electricity sometimes and I will most likely have good cell phone service. In all it seems like the APCDs did an excellent job of placing people in sites that they would like, though I suspect most of us would have liked whatever we ended up with.

Anyway, we spent the rest of Monday working on presentations we are going to make to our organization. The presentations are tomorrow, and it seemed like it was going to be a disaster but I think we’ve saved it. The other group was lucky because their organization asked them to specifically teach them some accounting stuff, so they have stuff to work with, but our organization did a needs assessment with us and we were left with no clear goals, and insufficient understanding to come back with suggestions on how to address their needs. None of us wanted to walk into a situation we didn’t really comprehend and make suggestions. So instead we’re going to try and turn it into a discussion revolving around their needs, what they’ve tried to do in order to address them, and, if possible, bring up some ideas for discussion. Its not a great solution, but it will work, and hopefully it will be useful.

So anyway, we have that, and tomorrow we have a session on survival language for our local language (mine is Malinke), and then our presentations, and then preparation for our counterpart workshop, where we will meet and work with our counterparts. That lasts for two days, and after that we’ll head to our sites with our counterparts for four or five days. We are all psyched, and nervous, for that.

I think we get paid tomorrow also. I have a shirt at the tailor’s that I want to pick up, and I may buy a pair of white pointed dress shoes (more like clogs really). Then I’ll have my clothes for meeting with officials completely set.