Invitation!

I have officially accepted an invitation to MADAGASCAR departing February 11, 2014! After 401 days of thinking, talking, and dreaming, and a whole lot of waiting with little indication of where, when, or what I would be doing, I finally know! I finally have something concrete to plan on and research. I could not be happier!

I received my invitation on Friday while I was tailgating at the Dave Matthews Band concert. I cried, hugged, and cheered with my friends and random neighbors. Since then, I've read through the Madagascar welcome book, volunteer handbook, core expectations, safety and security handbook, and the volunteer assignment description to name a few. I also researched the country extensively. The more I read, the more I thought that this was an absolute perfect placement for me! The country has many aspects that I hoped for (but didn't admit because I was geographically flexible) and the assignment seems like it will utilize my skills well. The volunteer assignment description did make me nervous as I was reading it, but I believe it was purposefully written in a way that made me think twice about accepting. However, I have now made a commitment to the assignment, country, the Peace Corps, and myself.

After I accepted my invitation, I received four different emails with tons of information about my next steps. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and I keep reminding myself that I have several months to complete many of the tasks. This reminds me of the episode of How I Met Your Mother where Marshall and Lily think they're pregnant. They make a list of everything they need to do to prepare for the baby, and then do it all in one night while rushing and panicking. If you haven't seen the episode, you should just watch the entire series, great show.

Anyway, a big thank you to my family and friends who have supported me thus far (and put up with me talking about Peace Corps non stop)! This is only the beginning of an exhilarating adventure ahead, and I can't wait to move forward. Here's to Madagascar!