To Rwanda and Beyond!!

Image from http://newsofrwanda.com/irembo/2952/rwanda-rwanda-hosts-regional-anti-corruption-summit/

Oh boy am I excited!!! My long awaited invitation arrived about a week ago and today it all became official--I accepted my invitation to serve in Rwanda for two whole years!!  More than anything else, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed as I have just two short months left to pack, sell and donate just about everything I own, spend time with friends and family, eat all of the McDonald's I can stand, cook up my favorite meals, get these dreadful immunizations and shots, the list goes on.... It seems like there is so much to do in so little time, but I am taking things day by day, and I'm feeling pretty good about all of this.  I have prayed my little heart out, cried myself a river, smiled a smile brighter than the sun, and laughed until my back hurt and I was stiff from the pain.  I am beyond ready to embark on this journey and change my little chunk of the earth.

Now for the details:

Country of Service: Rwanda
Program: Health
Job Title: Community Health Agent
Dates of Service: May 10, 2012 - July 9, 2014

Image from http://rrdental.org/where-we-work-in-africa.shtml

I have read a million books and papers and it seems as if I have a million more to go, but here is everything I know in a nutshell.  I will be leaving Arizona on May 8th, 2012 (so whichever of my fantastically amazing friends is planning my surprise going away party, you'd better get to planning and contacting my family ASAP).  Now off of that short tangent, my job duties while serving will be to work with Rwandan health administrative authorities and Rwandan organizations to carry out developmental plans on HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care.  I will also be helping youth and young women to develop increased self esteem and offering support services to orphans and vulnerable and children. 

I will most likely be living in a small village or very rural area and will stay near the site of the clinic that I am to work closely with.  I may or may not have electricity and running water (this will be a toss up until my 10 week training is over), I will be learning a language called Kinyarwanda and will have just 10 short weeks to do so, and there will be a dress code in full effect so as to not offend the people within the community in which I will be living (this means no short skirts, tight jeans, and sleeveless shirts; looks like someone will be doing some pre-service shopping).  My diet will mostly be vegetarian, with meats on special occasions; transportation will be my feet and a bike that the Peace Corps gives to each volunteer.

That's pretty much the bulk of what I know so far.  For those of you who are worried about my safety, worry no more!  Rwanda is one of the more peaceful countries within Africa as things have been more or less calm since the 1994 genocide events that most of us learned about in the movie Hotel Rwanda. You can click here Rwanda on Wikipedia to find more information on this amazing place that I will be spending the greatest and most productive two years of my life.

For anyone who has specific questions about anything I did (or did  not) mention, feel free to leave them in the comment section and I will answer them the best I can.  Thanks for reading!!

Love and Peace Corps,
Dametreea