The Countdown

The entire population of Peace Corps Senegal congregated in Thies this past weekend for the West African All Volunteer conference. In addition to the almost 200 PC Senegal volunteers in attendance, several volunteers from Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, The Gambia, and Cape Verde joined us for the weekend. While one of our main goals appeared to be to fit as many drunk, sweaty, volunteers into one tiny bar as soon as the sun went down, the main purpose of the conference was to present projects and share best practices. Friday and Saturday were filled with various presentations and sessions all day, and I actually ended up learning quite a lot. Did you know that cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women in developing countries? I attended a session run by a volunteer from Mali who is in the process of introducing cervical screenings in rural villages. The only things necessary to screen women for pre-cancerous cells is vinegar and iodine. Crazy, huh?

After several long days and too many long nights, I headed back to Pout yesterday. My Senegalese family cannot stop talking about my imminent trip home which is in THREE DAYS. It's a very surreal feeling to imagine myself touching down State side after being gone so long. Will it be as exciting and magical as I am picturing it in my head? Will I be completely overwhelmed and start crying in Chipotle? (impossible) How will my body react to the copious amount of cheese I plan to stuff it with? These are all important questions.

I'm hoping that my month in the States will give me enough time to reconnect with the loved ones I haven't seen in while, but will also give me a renewed sense of determination for when I am back in Senegal. Many many months ago I was sure that I wouldn't even make it as a volunteer to December, so the thought of a Christmas vacation in the Motherland was never in the cards. Now that I have the toughest times behind me, I know I am capable of sticking it out to the very end. I want to be able to come back here with faith in myself and my service even though right now, the thought of getting back on a plane to return to Senegal is daunting. (I might throw a small temper tantrum in the airport) With a month of crazy American happiness under my belt, I'm hoping it won't be hard at all to board that plane.

America here I come!