Nilyenia!
Nilyenia = hello in Ewe, one of the local languages of Togo
So my blogging mood has been wierd lately. I go through periods where I want to post everyday because something new and exciting has happened; other times I go through periods where I don't really want to post because it almost takes too much effort. My mood this past week has been the latter and I apologize. I will make it a point though to post at least once a month (pending reliable access to the internet) when I get to Togo so you have that to look forward too.
Updates...
GRE: My GRE went well last weekend. I'm not too excited with my score but I am okay with it enough to not retake it. It was just surprisingly lopsided towards math which is wierd because I studied for verbal for at least 2 weeks and that score went down; I studied for math for like 2 hours and my score went up. Maybe there is an inverse relationship with your score and how much time you spend studying? that would certainly create a ruckus with Princeton Review lol...Anyways, I feel like my score is still competitive for a good public health program so I should be okay and atleast the exam is over and it's one less thing I have to worry about while I'm in Africa.
Peace Corps Expo: So the Sunday after my GRE exam, I attended the Atlanta RPCV Expo at the LAA (Latin American Association). I wasn't quite sure what the event was going to be about. I assumed it was an orientation/informational type meeting, but it ended up being a pretty cool resource for any Atlanta area returned Peace Corps volunteers. I attended the event with a friend from cross-country in high school, Jessie, who applied to the Peace Corps a little after I did. Her nomination was also for health extension in June 2008, though her's was for Central/South America. It was great to catch up and hang out with her at the Expo. Coincidentally, we walked into a breakout session on connecting RPCVs to healthcare organizations in Atlanta where I ran into another friend from high school (from orchestra this time), Elizabeth! I hadn't spoken to Elizabeth since graduation so it was certainly a shock running into her. Apparently she was in the process of turning in her application. What a small world! Three Chattahoochee HS grads joining the Peace Corps! Anyways after the Expo, which ended up being pretty uneventful, Jessie, Elizabeth and I went to grab coffee and caught up. Apparently I was the PC "expert" in our small group so they had lots of questions. It was so great to see them both.
Shopping/Packing update: I bought Chacos!!! Unfortunately they will not be arriving on my doorstep until pretty much the week before I leave and this makes me super nervous. But that's what I get for buying directly from Chacos as opposed to a retailer. However the 50% discount for PCVs definitely makes the wait worth every penny. I bought a pair of shoes (Canyonland Low) which I'll be using for casual use, a pair of sandels with a back strap (Z/2) and a pair of sandels that are slip-on (Hipthong). I'm also bringing my nice running shoes specifically for when I go running. I'm still debating on whether or not to buy a pair of dress shoes for more formal occasions (like dinner with the Ambassador or my swearing-in ceremony); I mean I would feel kinda silly wearing my Z/2 chacos with a button-shirt, tie, and khakis. I was also planning on taking my uber comfortable GT flip-flops but I heard that flip-flips are pretty easy to find in country so if I need to remove something from my packing list, that might be the first to go.
I am also in search of good luggage. After following a long list of posts on the facebook and yahoo groups, I decided I'm going to go with a backpacking backpack to use for "long" trips, a rolling dufflebag to haul the rest of my stuff and my regular Jansport backpack for casual use. I also might buy like a mini gym bag for short 1 or 2 day trips to the city that i'll just fold and keep in my duffle. I wanted to invest in a good backpacking backpack because if my post-PC trip down eastern Africa actually comes together, I'll need a good backpack to survive. I went to Dicks and found a decent but heavy Kelty backpack. I also checked out REI and they had a HUGE assortment of stuff. I really liked the EagleCreek and Osprey backpacks. The Osprey was definitely more comfortable due to its streamlined design, but I think I preferred the EagleCreek bag because not only did it have more features, but I think it was a little bit cheaper. I'm still looking around but any advice would be much appreciated :)
Post PC: Like I mentioned above, I'm thinking about doing some backpacking down eastern Africa after I finish my PC service. My basic plan is to fly to Tanzania and climb Kilamanjaro. I also definitely wanted to check out the amazing beaches of Zanzibar and maybe throw in a safari or something. Then I was planning on backpacking my way down to South Africa before flying home. The trip down to South Africa will cover one of two routes: a) via Zambia and Victoria Falls or b) via Mozambique. In South Africa I was also hoping to try and sneak into Lesotho and Swaziland perhaps. I know this seems like a pretty random, yet awesome, trip so let me try to explain myself. If you notice on this blog, one of the links I have listed directs you to these amazing people. They basically inspired me to go on a similar trip but in eastern Africa where I was going to attempt to focus on my three interests: neglected tropical diseases, disease prevention in developing countries, and access to essential medicines. I thought I might try and hop around to different clinics and organizations and get a feel for health issues on the other side of the Africa continent. What's cool is that my friend Megan who will be serving in Lesotho wants to join me on this trip (with a background in clinical psychology she thought it would be interesting to study the psychological impact of HIV/AIDS on children orphaned by the disease) so I won't have to do it alone (and there was no way I was going to feel comfortable doing this alone). Actually, if you want to join us, let me know because we are totally serious about taking this trip if everything works out. Now just a point of information, this trip isn't set in stone (so we'll have to figure out details but this just means we are open to anything) but I really hope everything works out 'cause this would be the adventure of a lifetime! Again, if you have any advice, my ears are open...
So my blogging mood has been wierd lately. I go through periods where I want to post everyday because something new and exciting has happened; other times I go through periods where I don't really want to post because it almost takes too much effort. My mood this past week has been the latter and I apologize. I will make it a point though to post at least once a month (pending reliable access to the internet) when I get to Togo so you have that to look forward too.
Updates...
GRE: My GRE went well last weekend. I'm not too excited with my score but I am okay with it enough to not retake it. It was just surprisingly lopsided towards math which is wierd because I studied for verbal for at least 2 weeks and that score went down; I studied for math for like 2 hours and my score went up. Maybe there is an inverse relationship with your score and how much time you spend studying? that would certainly create a ruckus with Princeton Review lol...Anyways, I feel like my score is still competitive for a good public health program so I should be okay and atleast the exam is over and it's one less thing I have to worry about while I'm in Africa.
Peace Corps Expo: So the Sunday after my GRE exam, I attended the Atlanta RPCV Expo at the LAA (Latin American Association). I wasn't quite sure what the event was going to be about. I assumed it was an orientation/informational type meeting, but it ended up being a pretty cool resource for any Atlanta area returned Peace Corps volunteers. I attended the event with a friend from cross-country in high school, Jessie, who applied to the Peace Corps a little after I did. Her nomination was also for health extension in June 2008, though her's was for Central/South America. It was great to catch up and hang out with her at the Expo. Coincidentally, we walked into a breakout session on connecting RPCVs to healthcare organizations in Atlanta where I ran into another friend from high school (from orchestra this time), Elizabeth! I hadn't spoken to Elizabeth since graduation so it was certainly a shock running into her. Apparently she was in the process of turning in her application. What a small world! Three Chattahoochee HS grads joining the Peace Corps! Anyways after the Expo, which ended up being pretty uneventful, Jessie, Elizabeth and I went to grab coffee and caught up. Apparently I was the PC "expert" in our small group so they had lots of questions. It was so great to see them both.
Shopping/Packing update: I bought Chacos!!! Unfortunately they will not be arriving on my doorstep until pretty much the week before I leave and this makes me super nervous. But that's what I get for buying directly from Chacos as opposed to a retailer. However the 50% discount for PCVs definitely makes the wait worth every penny. I bought a pair of shoes (Canyonland Low) which I'll be using for casual use, a pair of sandels with a back strap (Z/2) and a pair of sandels that are slip-on (Hipthong). I'm also bringing my nice running shoes specifically for when I go running. I'm still debating on whether or not to buy a pair of dress shoes for more formal occasions (like dinner with the Ambassador or my swearing-in ceremony); I mean I would feel kinda silly wearing my Z/2 chacos with a button-shirt, tie, and khakis. I was also planning on taking my uber comfortable GT flip-flops but I heard that flip-flips are pretty easy to find in country so if I need to remove something from my packing list, that might be the first to go.
I am also in search of good luggage. After following a long list of posts on the facebook and yahoo groups, I decided I'm going to go with a backpacking backpack to use for "long" trips, a rolling dufflebag to haul the rest of my stuff and my regular Jansport backpack for casual use. I also might buy like a mini gym bag for short 1 or 2 day trips to the city that i'll just fold and keep in my duffle. I wanted to invest in a good backpacking backpack because if my post-PC trip down eastern Africa actually comes together, I'll need a good backpack to survive. I went to Dicks and found a decent but heavy Kelty backpack. I also checked out REI and they had a HUGE assortment of stuff. I really liked the EagleCreek and Osprey backpacks. The Osprey was definitely more comfortable due to its streamlined design, but I think I preferred the EagleCreek bag because not only did it have more features, but I think it was a little bit cheaper. I'm still looking around but any advice would be much appreciated :)
Post PC: Like I mentioned above, I'm thinking about doing some backpacking down eastern Africa after I finish my PC service. My basic plan is to fly to Tanzania and climb Kilamanjaro. I also definitely wanted to check out the amazing beaches of Zanzibar and maybe throw in a safari or something. Then I was planning on backpacking my way down to South Africa before flying home. The trip down to South Africa will cover one of two routes: a) via Zambia and Victoria Falls or b) via Mozambique. In South Africa I was also hoping to try and sneak into Lesotho and Swaziland perhaps. I know this seems like a pretty random, yet awesome, trip so let me try to explain myself. If you notice on this blog, one of the links I have listed directs you to these amazing people. They basically inspired me to go on a similar trip but in eastern Africa where I was going to attempt to focus on my three interests: neglected tropical diseases, disease prevention in developing countries, and access to essential medicines. I thought I might try and hop around to different clinics and organizations and get a feel for health issues on the other side of the Africa continent. What's cool is that my friend Megan who will be serving in Lesotho wants to join me on this trip (with a background in clinical psychology she thought it would be interesting to study the psychological impact of HIV/AIDS on children orphaned by the disease) so I won't have to do it alone (and there was no way I was going to feel comfortable doing this alone). Actually, if you want to join us, let me know because we are totally serious about taking this trip if everything works out. Now just a point of information, this trip isn't set in stone (so we'll have to figure out details but this just means we are open to anything) but I really hope everything works out 'cause this would be the adventure of a lifetime! Again, if you have any advice, my ears are open...
Shipwreck: The party of the century, Shipwreck 2008, was this past weekend and it rocked! Pictures will be up on facebook soon. The rain was pretty frustrating but luckily it didn't damper the party atmosphere and it was great to see so many people I didn't know. Although it did make me feel REALLY old LOL!
Hmm, that's about it for now. until the next update...
Mia doga (mia doga = goodbye in Ewe),
-Nikhil
1 comment:
http://www.thegearrevival.com
the store isn't far from tech, and you can get a used backpack (or a sample set) for 1/2 the price. - If your actually thinking of doing Kili, look at the pack list for the mountain (think porters)- check this site out [ http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150202/kilimanjaro.html ] as it will give you trip reports, and links to trekking companies other climbers have used.
and.. hi from Kenya :)
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