Almost There!!!!

Hello Everyone!!

      I have been in Miami, Florida the past 3 days for "staging." It is the preparation before we head to St. Lucia for Pre-service training. The past 2 days have been filled with group sessions where we have learned about Peace Corps Policies and procedures but not too much about our specific islands. Tonight we are all re-packing our luggage in hopes that it follows us to St. Lucia. We have to check out of the hotel at 6 A.M.!!  But the lack of sleep will be worth it when we arrive to St. Lucia. Upon arrival we are going to a hotel for 3 days of training and then on Saturday we all get to move in with our host families!! I will be staying on St. Lucia but other volunteers will be flying to their countries in the Caribbean. Most likely I won't have the internet for a few weeks so even though I don't have much to say, I am writing a quick update. I will also be losing cell phone coverage tomorrow morning :(

    There are a few interesting things I learned through-out the staging. #1 I will be learning Creole, (I think I said that in my last blog but I found out that only the St. Lucia volunteers learn Creole so I feel very lucky) #2 I am planning on getting a dog on the island!! Although the locals view animals as wild I have always wanted a dog and my biggest fear is being lonely, so this way I can have the best of both worlds. A dog and a companion!!! I am very excited. Alright, I have some serious packing to do so I am going to conclude with a quote from our staging workbook... "People cannot be developed: they can only develop themselves." -Jules Nyerere

Love,

Kelli

P.S. Usually I check all of my posts for grammar and the sort but I am too busy for that so please excuse my punctuation and grammar errors!!

Pre-departure message

To My Loved Ones,

    Just wanted to introduce everyone to the blog I will be keeping during my time in the Peace Corps. I was going to try a mass e-mail but this website seems to be easier to use and I am hoping to update it about once a month, but that all depends on my accommodations. Here is my current update.

    I leave Sunday morning, August 24th and I am heading to Miami, FL for a 3 day pre-service training known as staging. After the 3 days in Florida I will be flying to St. Lucia and living in a hotel for 1 night, and then with a family for the next few weeks while I continue my training. Once I am sworn in for Peace Corps service I serve 2 years. Oh, by the way, I will be spending my time in St. Lucia, thus the title of my blog. ; ) It is an island in the Eastern Carribean so I can finally be the beach girl I always knew I was!  

    Really, this entry is to introduce you (and me) to this blog and hopefully it is a way for us to keep in touch while I am away. The support from my family and friends is really important and will certainly help me through the process. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me since I began the application process last fall. 

    Currently I am scared to death, but also super excited to start my service. I am sure I will be going through many challenges such as: learning a new language, kweyol (creole), learning to live by myself, and representing the country while also staying true to myself. It will be a difficult journey but I am excited and glad that I have found an outlet to share it with you all!!

                                                                                            Hugs and Love,

                                                                                             Kelli