Today was mostly a giant disappointment. I forgot how frustrating the bureaucratic nature of meetings can be. Must we go over each form? But the worst thing was that we did not receive a list of posts, and moreover, it now appears that we won’t have quite as much leeway in chosing sites as we thought. It sounds more like they will place us according to preferences, but also according to where they think we fit best.
So far there are not a lot of SED sites available, and there is a noticable increase in people’s stress levels relative to yesterday. There are some posts in Benin, Senegal, Mali, and possibly Swaziland. Rumors abound about potential sites in Madagascar, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
I also gave blood, got my chest x-ray, and gave two stool samples and a urine sample. I have three or four more required sessions, especially a physical tomorrow, but also meetings with placement people and a counselor.
A lot of this is touch and go. I woke up this morning sick of Africa, and the day spent in sessions and stressed about sites has done little to change how I feel.
