Start the Countdown at 5
I remember when moving to The Gambia was going to happen "next year", "a few months from now", and "in May," but since I got back from Mexico City on May 6th, "next week" has been the prevailing term. It's not that I feel any sort of dread about the experience, though I am a little scared, it's more like a mixed drink where the two elements aren't well combined - but instead of spirits, it tends to be strong emotions that hit me when I don't expect them. The principal two ingredients in the cocktail are anxiety and excitement, with a flourish of insecurity and a splash of reckless abandon. The Peace Corps (PC) pre-service process has been frustrating at times, due to things like the 17 required immunizations making my stomach turn for all of November and December, the unexpected 5 month delay when I was 2 weeks from shipping out in January, or trying to get any information about what to expect from PC workers. I've come to u...