restez en contact avec moi...

Bonjour mes amis!

As I say my goodbyes to all my family and friends, the one question that's on everyone's mind is "how can I keep in touch with you?" To answer this question, I have decided to dedicate a whole post to it as there are several ways to keep in touch with me and know what's going on in my life. Very recently the Togo Desk sent me and letter entitled "Letter to Family & Friends - Togo" that I am supposed to distribute to y'all; however I don't really like the format of the letter and I want to make some addendums so I have re-created my own personal version of this letter below. Enjoy...

Dear Prospective Volunteer: Please give this letter to your family/friends and ask them to hold on to it for as long as you are in Togo.

Dear Everyone,

Greetings from Atlanta. I am very excited to be a part of the Togo training program. Over the past few weeks I have recieved numerous questions regarding ways to keep in contact with me whether it be to send a letter, send a package, call me, visit me, etc. Below I have listed some easy ways to keep in touch (rester en contact) with me...

1. African Abscondinations - My blog will be the easiest way to keep in touch with me after 3rd of June. I will attempt to blog as much as I can once I get over to Togo but I can't make any promises since I don't know my exact internet situation yet. Anyways, instead of doing a group mass e-mail list, I thought it would be easier to keep a blog the way I have in college and the way Jess & I did for South America. I apologize now for any lag in posting but as I have mentioned before, my access to the internet may be sporadic. Not only are there is there a lack of infrastructure to access the internet but many of the cybercafes that I will be using contain old computers that run off generators (although I heard there is a GREAT cybercafe that has FAST internet in Kara). I will do my best to post at least once a month...

Btw, if you have any questions or if you want me to talk about some aspect of Togolese life on my blog, feel free to leave a comment. I will do my best to read the comments and respond appropriately so that you, my readers, can learn more about my country and its culture and people.

2. Cell Phone - The telephone system in Togo has fairly reliable service to the United States. In the interior of the country, where most volunteers are located though, the system is less reliable. Although I don't believe it is mandatory by Peace Corps - Togo for all volunteers to carry a cell phone, from what I understand most volunteers in country carry one anyways. I don't know when I will have the opportunity to buy one in Togo but once I know my cell number, I will post it on the blog. The cell phone will be the easiest way to get in touch with me immediately. Additionally, I have heard that cell phones are most used in country for texting purposes so if you recieve a text message from Togo, don't be alarmed.

(Edit: My new cell # is 938 52 86; to call me, dial 011 (international call)+228 (the country code)+my cell number; therefore, to call me from a phone without a calling card, dial 011 228 938 52 86. Incoming calls are free and I can recieve text messages so PLEASE text me your phone numbers so I can text you which is kinda cheap. My phone will not be having the GREATEST service for the next 3 months but this will be my number for NOW on for future reference...)

In terms of calling me, it is best for you to call me as opposed to me calling you as it is very expensive for me to make international calls. One piece of advice that I read suggested that if I want to talk to you, I should text you first with the phrase "Call Me" and then have you call me on my cell. Thanks to one of the PC Mom's on the PC yahoo group, I found a calling card called PennyTalk that apparently has one of the "cheapest" rates to call Togo. Currently through PennyTalk, it costs $0.31/min so that might be a card you want to invest in if you want to talk to me. So if you want to hear my voice, call me! Don't forget that when dialing direct to Togo from the US, you need to dial 011 (the international access code) + 228 (the country code) + my number.

3) Snail Mail - Yes, I have a mailing address. At this address I can recieve letters and packages. My address is as follows:

Nikhil Patil, PCT/PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 3194
Lomé, Togo
Afrique de l'Ouest

*An important note*: I will be a PCT from June 4 - August 20. If you plan to send me a letter or anything between that time period, you need to address me as Nikhil Patil, PCT. Only after I swear in as a volunteer on August 21 can you begin to address me as Nikhil Patil, PCV on my mail.

If you do plan to send me a letter or package here are some friendly tips:

- When sending postcards, place them in a regular envelope before sending as postcards can go missing and get stolen (for what reason I have no idea).

- Mail is less likely to be opened/stolen if you write my address in red ink; mail is also less likely to be opened if it appears to contain religious material. So throw a "father" in front of my name; draw a couple of crosses; and perhaps write your favorite bible verse and we should be good to go.

- I want to keep up with world events and what's going on outside Togo. Another cool idea I'm stealing from current PCVs is that when sending me letters, you should staple or write on the back of cool articles you think I might enjoy. Even if it's the latest gossip, you'd be surprised how much volunteers crave even the slightest news of anything from the outside world. One volunteer wrote in her blog how it made her day to hear news that Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt broke up. It's a great way to save space in an envelope addressed to me.

- Some notes from PC:

"The mail service in Togo is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important to be patient. It can take from three to four weeks for mail coming from Togo to arrive in the United States via the Togolese mail system. From a Volunteer’s post, mail might take up to one to two months to reach the United States depending upon how far the Volunteer is from the capital city, Lomé. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and mailed through the U.S. postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S. We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes for him or her to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he or she missed one. Peace Corps Togo has established “The Lomé Limo” which runs up and down the country monthly, delivers mail, medical supplies, and sometimes volunteers or staff to central sites along the national road.

It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Packages can be sent via surface mail (2-3 weeks arrival time) or by ship (4-6 months). The difference in cost can be a factor in deciding which method to utilize. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Lomé, but costs are very expensive. If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to the Country Director, s/c Corps de la Paix, 48 Rue de Rossignols, Quartier Kodjoviakopé, Lomé, Togo. The telephone number for the Peace Corps office in Togo is (228) 221-0614, should DHL need this information. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. Please be aware that there is a customs fee for all DHL packages sent to Volunteers. For each DHL package, the Volunteer will be taxed 10,000 CFA (roughly US$20)."

- PLEASE REMEMBER: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS! I will do my best to respond to each of your letters in a timely manner; however, stamps are expensive and my schedule can get hectic at times. I promise I will respond so don't worry...

4) E-mail - Yes, there is the internet in Togo so I can recieve e-mails. As I mentioned in my contact information, please send me e-mails either to npatil55@gmail.com or UniverseRunr5585@yahoo.com. I'm not sure which e-mail address will be easier to access so for now, send to both and once I have a better idea, I'll change the e-mail address choices to one. I don't know how often I will have internet access so that will obviously affect how often I can check and respond to e-mails. I will do my best to respond to all your e-mail but honestly, I think you will have better luck communicating with me via snail mail. If you don't enjoy "writing" letters, you can always type your letters and then print and stuff them in envelopes. It's more important for me to read your letters than to see your handwriting. And let's face it, some of you have bad handwriting. Additionally, internet cafes can often be slow and expensive and are not the easiest places to access. Depending on where I am in country, I might have an internet cafe 1 km away or I might be 30 km from the closest internet cafe. Therefore e-mailing can be a slow and expensive means of communication...As I mentioned above, I will do my best to access the internet at least once a month.

Anyways, I hope this information is useful. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me, especially if you have questions regarding mailing things to me. A lot of you asked me what to send me while I am over there in Togo and I promise to post of items you should send me once I start having cravings for certain items. Thanks for your concern and I look forward to communicating with you from Togo.

Sincerely,
- Nikhil

the packing list

Hey!

So being the huge procrastinator that I am, I finally started packing today. Great timing right? Only 3 days to go. Luckily I have everything I want, now it's just a question of fitting everything I NEED into my luggage. Since I had a hard time coming up with a good packing list based on my research online, I decided I should probably post my packing list here as a reference for future volunteers (particularly those volunteers who are male, going to Togo, and in the CHAP program). Btw, I'll post this list now but expect it to get edited from now until about a good year-or-so into my service when I say "damn, I should have brought XYZ to Togo" or "I'm such an idiot, why did I bring XYZ to Togo".

Oh and just something for you future applicants to think about, one of the unmentioned truths about joining the Peace Corps: it can be pretty expensive. They might give you reimbursements on your medical exams and some money to spend while in country (in all honesty they say, you don't need to spend a lot on things to take with you...which is true to an extent), but if you want to shop properly for the Peace Corps, be prepared to spend a lot of money. I'm probably on the "spent way too much" side of the spectrum but then again, I'm also on the side of the spectrum that believes that it's better to overpack than to underpack.

The Packing List

Luggage:
- Eagle Creek Load Warrior LT 30
- Eagle Creek Grand Voyage 90L
- Jansport Backpack
- Eagle Creek ES Cargo Duffel
- Luggage Locks (TSA Approved)
- Money Belt
- Passport Holder

- Travel Wallet

Electronics:
- Dell Inspiron 6000 Laptop
- Laptop case
- Canon SD600 Camera; 2 Batteries; 2 Memory Cards
- Automatic Camera (as a backup)
- Headlamp
- Flashlight
- Batteries (AA; AAA)
- Battery Charger
- Solio Solar Charger
- Eton American Red Cross Shortwave Radio
- Ipod & Charger & Headphones
- IMain Go (portable speakers)
- Travel Alarm Clock
- Wristwatch
- Voltage converter
- External Portable USB HardDrive
- 1 GB Flashdrive
- Calculator

Grooming
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Deoderant
- Razor blades
- Shaving Cream
- Comb
- 2 pairs of eyeglasses
- Contact lenses
- Contact solution & cases
- Eye drops
- Bug spray
- Sunscreen
- Cotton swabs
- Pack towel (quick-drying)
- Eye Mask
- Purell hand sanitizer
- Nail clippers & grooming scissors
- Hand mirror
- Chapstick
- Stingeze/Bite Relief

Clothes:
- Polos

- Dress Shirts

- Ties

- Khakis

- Jeans

- Shorts

- Swim shorts

- Boxers

- Undershirts

- Socks (Casual & Business)

- T-shirts

- Running Shorts

- PJ bottoms

- Sunglasses (Sport & Casual)

- Belts

- $ to buy fabric so I can get western & Togolese clothes tailored for CHEAP!

Shoes:
- Chaco Canyonland Low Russet
- Chaco Z/2 UWP Black
- Chaco Hipthong Singletrack
- Mizuno running shoes
- Brown dress shoes

Kitchen Items:
- Ziplock bags (large & small)
- Can opener
- Vegetable cleaver
- Switchblade knife
- Swiss Army Knife
- Nalgene bottles
- Gatorade & Crystal Lite Drink packets
- Spices: Tabasco, Crushed Red Pepper, Garlic, Salt/Pepper
- Orbitz Chewing Gum
- Candy (for the kids)

Miscellaneous Items:
- Pillow case & Bedsheet
- US & World Map
- DVDs (including How I Met Your Mother Seasons 1 & 2...a must have! and some Hindi movies b/c apparently West Africans love Hindi films)
- Photo Album and photos of family & friends
- Frisbee
- Harmonica
- Guitar Chord Book
- Duct tape & Masking Tape
- Scissors
- Pens
- Pencils
- Notebooks
- Journal
- Passport Photos
- Uno & Playing Cards
- Highlighters/Markers/Sharpies
- Stickers
- Post it notes
- US Stamps
- Toys (for the kids)

One final note, I HAVE to give a shout out to some amazing companies that gave me a discount on my purchases because I was a Peace Corps volunteer. Most notably: Chaco USA, Eagle Creek & REI. Thanks guys!

ciao,
-Nikhil

stage 4

Hey!

"4) Terror - What have I gotten myself into!!! I am moving to Africa in one week. How am I going to survive by myself. I hate bugs, what about the bugs! I just know I'm going to get malaria. Why didn't I listen to my parents!? And how exactly does one poop in a hole? Did I pack enough? Did I pack too much? Am I going to get robbed? How am I going to cook for myself? clean for myself? You silly silly person. You just had to be a hero didn't you; you just HAD to go off and save the world and now look at the mess you got yourself into. You are going to come back in two years and no one will recognize you. Mommy, please come hold me. This is stage 4."

It's official. I'm in stage 4 (to see what I'm referring to check out my theory on a "PCVs Emotional Progression: Invitation to Departure"). I have started to freak out, and not in a good way...

This afternoon I FINALLY finished packing up my apartment. It's wierd to think I'm moved out since most of my things are staying in the apartment for my brother (I didn't have to pack up my kitchen or move any large furniture as it's ALL staying! so yay to that!) But just as I predicted, as I drove home to Alpharetta, living in no-man's land, I felt a huge pit drop in my stomach. It was like that feeling you get before you ride a rollercoaster, or actually the part that occurs when you just get into the line of the coaster and still have some time before you get to the actual coaster. That's where I am. Nervous anticipation. I almost had to pullover two or three times because my thoughts regarding my upcoming journey were making me a little nauseaous (luckily I didn't puke though).

I have recently become full of doubt about my ability to go through with this journey. Don't worry, I will be on that plane to Africa and I have every intention of completing my 27 months of service. But that doesn't make it any easier for me to get rid of those nagging thoughts in my head, the one's that ask "what if...". What if I get sick, like really sick? what if I can't stand the food? what if I miss the comforts of the US too much? what if I don't feel like I'm making any positive change? what if my French doesn't come to me as fast as I need it to? what if...and how am I going to deal with this situation?

But I'm a survivor. I have perseverance, I am dedicated, and I know this is the right path for me. Doubts are on the surface of my mind right now, but luckily doubts go away after a while; however, I know that if I don't do this, I'll have regrets for the rest of my life. And I can't live with regrets. I know the Peace Corps and Togo are going to throw a lot at me but I'll make it out alive. That's which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, or so they say. Here's hoping that's true...

Anyways, these next few days are going to be crazy. And it's going to be hard to concentrate and get my shit done with that stupid pit in my stomach. Oh well. Even though I'm all packed up, I have to make a trip down to the apartment to bring my boxes back to A'retta since my car didn't have enough space today. Oh yea, and I have to actually pack for Togo! Kinda important. I've bought (almost) everything that I need, just a few odds & ends left to buy. Plus I have a ton of errands to run such as closing my bank account, filling out my power of attorney and reading through all the documets PC has sent me regarding orientation and training. So much to do, so little time...

Speaking of orientation, when I FINALLY recieved my staging packet a few weeks ago I discovered that my orientation starts in Philadelphia on the 4th (as opposed to the 3rd which was the original date). But I'm still flying in on the 3rd from Atlanta on Delta, departing around 5PM and arriving around 8PM in Philly. I'll be staying in the Holiday Inn - Historic District so hopefully that will allow me to check out some of the sites since I've never been to Philadelphia before and I'm excited as it was the last of the 13 colonies that I needed to visit. And as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm supposed to see Pavi and Sujatha Aunty (and perhaps Uncle & Arpan too) for brunch on the 4th before my orientation starts at 2PM. We'll see how that works out...

Anyways, it's 3AM ("and I must be lonely...") and I should prob go to bed seeing as how a) I only got like 5 hours of sleep last night since Jess & I chilled on her balcony drinking wine till 4AM, and b) I have a LONG day tomorrow of shopping and running errands. bonne nuit!

a bientot,

-Nikhil

sisters

hey!

I have always wanted a sister. When I was little, I really, REALLY wanted a sister. My parents, particularly my dad, really wanted a daughter. Unfortunately, along came my brother (but we still love him...most of the time). I don't know how true the following story is but rumor has that on the day my brother was born, I was so upset that I didn't get a sister that I started to cry. Anyways, fast forward to today where I have been blessed with not one but seven "sisters". They may not be biologically-related to me but I still call them "sisters" nonetheless. Over the years, based on my friendships with the children of certain very close family friends, I have taken the liberty of "adopting" some of them into my extended family. I would just use the word "friend" but that word lacks certain sentiments and connotations that you can only capture with the word "sister". I treat them as my sisters, the same way I treat my actual brother as my brother, therefore they become my sisters. Or maybe it's just my unconscious (and conscious) desire for a sister that drives me to refer to them as such.

In addition to my sisters, I've also adopted their parents into my extended family here in the US. Their moms are like my second "mom". Perhaps it's just the Indian in me but I have a need to have a large "family". In India, your family is more than just your parents and your siblings; your family consists of parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, nieces/nephews, etc. Since most of my family, save for a few cousins, are in India, it's nice to have more "family" around. I guess it'll be interesting to see how Togolese people define "family" when I get over there...

So yea, today I have seven "sisters": Shilpa, Sneha, Jo, Sonia, Pavi, Minutha, & Saneeha (Arpan & Amar, I haven't forgotten you, my other "brothers") and I will refer to them from here on out as my sisters just as a point of clarification.

I brought this topic up because over the past week I have spent a lot of time with my sisters. Shilpa came down for my grad party a few weeks ago and I'm SO glad I got to see her. I'll be seeing Pavi (*crossing my fingers*) when I get to Philly since they live in New Jersey and said they would drive down to see me before I leave. Unfortunately I won't be able to see Sneha before I go as she's finishing her final exams to FINALLY become a doctor in the UK. But I did get to spend a lot of time with my other sisters. Sonia graduated from Northview High School this past weekend and b/c of that, Jo came into town. So Sonia, Jo, Minutha, Saneeha and I saw a lot of each other at my parent's house and at Sonia's graduation. Then today I spent the afternoon w/ Sonia (and Minutha) and got to say bye to her before she leaves for Harvard (!!!) in the fall. I also swung by Sonu's house to say bye to Poornima Aunty (one of my second moms) and Prithipal Uncle. Then I headed off to dinner with Minutha and Kavitha Aunty (another one of my second moms). Saying bye to my sisters really brought the reality of my impending departure to my attention. I am so proud of them and I'm going to miss them (and their families) terribly! But I guess that's the great thing about families, it doesn't matter how long it's been since you last saw them, they're your family and you can always start again where you left off...

Δ

Δ = delta = change

Over the past five years as a student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a single concept was stressed into my educational mindframe regarding research methods: quantitative data > qualitative data. If you are going to do research, you must collect data. If you collect data, you must collect quantitative data. The world might be subjective, but to engineers and scientists across the world, the only usable data is quantitative. Only quantitative data can verify hypotheses and support theories. Only quantitative data matters. So basically, qualitative data is useless, usable in certain situations, but overall useless. Even in the realm of psychology, where so much is abstract and relative, most of my research projects stressed quantitative data measured by behavioural responses: a test subject's answers to a survery on a 7-point likert scale, measuring the reaction time to give a response, counting the number of times an animal performed a specific action, etc.

What does this have to do with my Peace Corps experiece you ask? Well over the past few weeks, a number of people have come up to me and said, "I am so proud of what you are doing. It is going to be an incredibly life-changing experience and you are going to learn so much about the world. etc." Suddenly the inner engineer in me comes out and I start analyzing those statements. Life-changing. Hmm. A research question pops into my head: How much will my life change over the next 27 months? In all my readings over the past few years I haven't come across a formula or theorm to effectively answer this question. But research is all about taking things we already know and applying them to novel situations. So, what if I was to take a formula I already know and apply it to my situation.

I already know that change can be represented by the symbol Δ. To measure change you subtract the initial value from the final value. Assuming all things constant and the only change in my life between June 2008 and August 2010 is due to the Peace Corps, my life change can be measured by the following formula:

Δ (PC) = [Nikhil (f) - Nikhil (i)]; where:

Nikhil (i) = my life and how I see myself before the PC

Nikhil (f) = my life and how I see myself after the PC

So that formula resolves how I shall measure this change. Now the question arises, how do I measure who I am before the PC and who I am after the PC. Thanks to my amazing service advisor (and friend) Sarah, I came across this cool little reflection activity. Unfortunately the activity is not entirely quantitative, but I am okay with that since much of who I am is completely qualitative (so yea, I'm cheating). Therefore I will perform this activity now and perform it again when I get back and maybe after fiddling around with the formula, I can come up with a response to my original question so we can all know how much I have changed over this next 27 period of my life.

The activity:

Create a list of statements that describe who you are and how you see yourself in the world. Begin each statement with the phrase "I am/have...". This list can be as long or as short as you would like it to be and in no specific order.

I am Nikhil.

I am a citizen of the world.

I am a son, a brother, and a friend.

I am a graduate of Georgia Tech, a semi-proud YellowJacket and a hellava "non"-engineer.

I am bad with names.

I am a Delta Sig.

I am an idealist and wildly passionate about "saving the world", particularly health issues in the developing world.

I have a very loud sneeze.

I am 5'8, 165 lbs, black hair, brown eyes.

I am open-minded and will try most anything at least once.

I am socially liberal / economically conservative.

I am a realistic romantic.

I have low self-esteem.

I am a US Peace Corps Community Health & AIDS Prevention Volunteer in Togo, West Africa.

I am not very good at dealing with change; I crave stability (sometimes)...

I am an agnostic Hindu.

I have a hard time living in the moment; I'm always "looking forward to looking back" (or pre-nostalgia --> thanks Wilky).

I am a sponge; when I'm around other people, I tend to subconsciously pick up and mimic their personalities/quirks.

I am an XNFP.

pura vida

Hola mis amigos!

Costa Ricans have a saying they like to use called "Pura vida". Literally translated, it means "pure life"; however, it's really a phrase that is meant to encapture the "tico" lifestyle of relaxation and stress-free living. Think of it as the Costa Rican version of "hakuna matata" = "no worries...life is good". Even though my mind was consumed with the daunting list of things I had to do and take care of when I got back from Costa Rica, I really tried to live the pura vida life by putting it all out of my head and just focusing on being on vacation. And you know something, it really worked :) I don't think I've been that relaxed on vacation ever. Although Michelle had some great ideas of activities to do, it was great to just relax and take in the beauty of the country. There was no timetable. I had a car to take me wherever I wanted. The weather was great (sans Wednesday). Basically, it was an amazingly freeing experience to just live in the moment, something I haven't done in a long time...

So yea, my trip was great. Costa Rica was amazing. It's such a beautiful country filled with beautiful people. The beaches were gorgeous. The flora was lush and tropical (even though we were in cowboy country it was still really green everywhere). The food was delicious and even though Imperial is a decent beer, I basically drank my weight in these great fruit drinks called "naturalezas", the mango ones being my favorites. I got a chance to relax on three different beaches (Bahia de Pirates, Playa Tamarindo & Playa Grande). I went ziplining, rapelling, rock climbing, whitewater tubing and got a spa treatment (sauna, mud bath & volcanic hot springs) in Guachipelin. I even went snorkeling on a booze cruise where I saw one of the prettiest sunsets while sipping on the greatest pina coladas ever (fresh pineapples makes a world of a difference). I got to visit a monkey rescue & rehabilitation center and had one of the best meals of my life at Mar Y Sol, a 5-star restaurant overlooking Playa Flamingo. The only thing that I didn't get to do was go surfing because it rained all day wednesday, the day I had planned to schedule a lesson. That bummed me out. But regardless, it was a GREAT vacation and I have Michelle to thank for that. Thanks Michelle! :)

I can't wait to go back to Costa Rica. For such a small country it really packs quite a punch. I still have yet to check out Monteverde or Arenal. I didn't even get to check out the Caribbean side of the country. It's okay though 'cause this just means I have a reason to go back. I'll post pictures when I get a chance. Now that I'm back in the US :( I have a LOT to do and not a whole lot of time. Oh well, just gotta take it one day at a time right?

hasta luego por ahora,

-Nikhil

more goodbyes...

Hey!

So today was a very stressful day; stressful because I had SO much to do and so little time. Not only was today my last day at work, but it was also the last day that I agreed to see my friends and say bye to them (the only exceptions being Patrick, Jess & Kasey who had valid reasons for not seeing me before I leave for Costa Rica). So before and after work I spent most of my time running around Atlanta to see everyone. After waking up at 6:30AM to drive down from Alpharetta, I had breakfast in the morning with Sarah (for a final "french toast special" at Junior's which I am going to miss A LOT! so delicious...), then after work me and my co-workers went and had dinner and drinks at Front Page News to celebrate my last day. Pete, who was leaving for Fiji with the PC in a few days even made an appearance :) Then I hung around some more at Front Page News since Katie was having her birthday dinner there. After saying bye to her and Patrick it was off to Marianna's apt where I got to see Marianna and Carl before I leave. Finally I made an appearance at Delta Sig to say bye to Benji and Michael. I didn't get back to my apartment to start packing until a little after midnight! Phew what a day...This week has been exhausting meeting up with people to say bye to them while also juggling the chaos of work. oh well, at least I got to see most everyone I wanted to (for everyone I don't get to see before I leave...I'm sorry!).

Since today was my last official day at Childspring (I say official since I'll have to come back into the office next week to do my exit interview, wrap up a few loose ends and return a book to my supervisor) I guess I should give the organization and my awesome co-workers a shout-out here *cough* grad school recommendations *cough*. I just have to say that it was a pleasure to work with everyone at Childspring. I learnt a lot, personally and professionally, and I know that wherever my life takes me, I am going to utilize my experiences at Childspring everywhere. Childspring is truly an incredible organization and it was such a blessing to be surrounded by people who care about the world and its people as much as I do. It wasn't easy work, filled with obstacles, dead ends and many other challenges. But in the end, rewards were great and it fills me with great pride to know that I made a difference in the lives of my children. I am sad that I never had the opportunity to meet any of my children whom I worked so hard to bring to the US but regardless I am happy that I helped a few children get the medical treatment they needed. If anyone, particularly anyone who speaks Spanish, is looking for a job, you should definitely check them out.

hmm, well for the sake of getting some sleep before my flight to Costa Rica tomorrow, I should probably get back to packing and then hit the sack...

bonne nuit,

-Nikhil

overwhelmed

Bonjour mes amis!

Comment vas-tu? Je suis bien mais je me sens tres inondé avec tout! <-- my French is FINALLY coming along, just not as fast as I would have hoped. I think I'm going to have to walk around Togo with a French dictionary in my hand lol. Unfortunately I'm just not going to have the time to complete the 40 hours of French the Rosetta Stone people requested which sucks 'cause its a great program (not incredibly easy to use though). I'm certainly going to try and get as many hours as I can though...

Anyways, these past few weeks have been CRAZY! So many amazing things have happened, yet work has been uber hectic. Just in the past week, I've had around 10 new cases come in to my region alone! In addition to that, I spent the early half of last week juggling meetings and phone calls associated with three of my kids in the pipeline who are SOO close to being on a plane to the US. Oh and did I mention, this past Friday we spent the whole day rearranging three of our offices (including mine!) so with that move came not just moving furniture but disruptions in our e-mail and phone system! I am really glad this morning to be at my new desk with a functioning phone line and e-mail system that still recieves mail. I can't believe this Thursday is my last day. I am really sad to be leaving and am truly going to miss everyone in the office. I have learnt SOO much these past 5 months and grown a lot professionally too. But at the same time I am happy to be done with work because now I can focus on getting prepared for Togo full-time (well at least after I get back from Costa Rica...)

So yea, what have I been up to these past few weeks? Here are some highlights:

- Beer Olympics 2008 - Props to the Pi Rho Gamma house to sponser again the 2nd annual Beer Olympics. My friends Patrick & Katie (Team Ireland) graciously invited several countries from around the world to compete in 5 grueling competitions of flip cup, beer pong, quarters, cornhole and triathalon. My friend Stoner (*clarification* her first name is Deborah but we all call her by her last name) and I decided to go as Team Colombia since Team India, my obvious first choice, was stolen by another group. Since we were supposed to dress up in traditional costumes from our country, naturally I decided to go as a Colombian Druglord and Stoner was my beautiful trophy wife. The costume turned out more ridiculously awesome than I could have ever hoped for. I even had condoms filled with "cocaine" and spent most of the night with "blow" around my nose. Even though Team Colombia didn't win any medals, apparently I won the best costume of the evening :)

- Greek Sing - I don't know how we did it but somehow we managed to place 1st place (well okay, it was a tie with Delta Chi) in Greek Sing this year! Oh yea, AND get disqualified...for a 2nd year in a row! But it's okay, we did everything we could to get disqualified and as long as the audience enjoyed it, we are happy. The show was amazing and I have to give kudos to AJ and the rest of the brothers who helped write the script. Joe dressing up as Buck was the highlight of the whole show, even the real Buck gave Joe a standing ovation! I'm impressed with how many "non-kosher" things we did on stage...playing Moose...the Girls 'R Fun backdrop...oh and the hazing of a pledge...lol over all a great show. And what makes out win that much sweeter is the fact that we won Mock Rock in the Fall so we basically dominated and pulled a sweep with 1st place finishes in both Mock Rock AND Greek Sing in the same school year (and we got disqualified for both!).

- Bon Voyage Party - Thank you to EVERYONE who came out for my rockin' party. Dinner was wonderful and it was SOO great to see all my underage friends lol. What was SUPER amazing was that my sister Shilpa surprised me by coming down for my party! I hadn't seen her since January, before I knew where I was heading and I didn't think she would be able to make it down to see me before I leave since she's in her first year of residency up in West Virginia. But she came down and I am SOOO happy I got to see her. Anyways, dinner @ Amore was good but then we all headed to CosmoLava for more fun where I had pre-reserved my very own VIP room. I mean when else would I have a reason to rent out a VIP room right? But yea, CosmoLava was uber fun and thankfully everyone had a great time. I even had some surprise guests in the forms of Johnny & Marilyn and Nathan. My bartender, Angel, was incredibly gorgeous and at some point in the evening I ended up with her number and e-mail address, though I can't remember why (whatever, just roll with it right?). Apparently I didn't go to bed until around 4AM but after 1AM, things got hazy for me...All in all, a GREAT night!

- Graduation - So the graduation weekend was insane. Technically, in the span of 36 hours I was invited to 4 graduation parties, one surprise birthday party and one end-of-school party! I'm so popular :) Since I was just starting to get sick and I didn't want to wear myself out before my birthday, I ended up attending the graduation party for my good friend Lori on Friday at Fado's, the graduation party for my good friend Lily on Saturday at her house near Emory, the graduation party for my good friend Patrick at Gordon Biersch, and finally the surprise birthday party for the girlfriend of my fraternity brother Benji. All in all it was a pretty insane weekend. Fado's was fun. The bar moved to a new location a block away and although the building is nicer and bigger with a LOT more space, I actually am not a huge fan since the bar lost a lot of its irish quaintness. Too bad. My friend Lily's party was quite ridiculous. Due to family connections with Tech, not only did Buzz and the Ramblin' Wreck make an appearance at the party, but so did the Georgia Tech Marching Pep Band!!! How ridiculous is that!?! It was a great party and nice to chill with a different group of friends. Gordon Biersch was awesome as well and it was nice to just chill with everyone over some really good beer. Finally Mike and I headed over to Marlow's to meet up with Benji, Kaylee and her Phi Mu sisters. After singing happy birthay and pre-gaming for a bit, Benji, Kaylee, Mike and I headed to Moondogs. I'm really glad we ended up there because I hadn't been to Moondogs in forever and I wanted to go one last time before leaving for Africa, particularly since this would be my last time to be there and not be sketchy (Moondogs is definitely a college bar with lots of drunk underage girls. If you are over the age of 27 and at Moondogs, you're pretty much sketchy). So yea, Moondogs was fun...but not as fun as last year when I actually recognized at least half the people there. I guess that's what happens as you get older. A fun night nonetheless...

- Cinco de Mayo - so after two crazy nights of partying, I had to go one final night on Monday as not only was it Cinco de Mayo, but it was also my 23rd birthday! It was wierd because usually I countdown to my birthday, but for the first time in a long time, I wasn't super pumped about it. It just kinda happened and then it went. I guess after the excitement of turning 18 and the not-remembering turning 21 and even the "let's celebrate the 21st, second time around" for 22, nothing really exciting happens when you are 23. The next exciting birthday will be 25 (which will be wierd as it'll happen in Africa) and then after that its my 30th birthday (okay let's not think about that...). Anyways, the night was fun. Even though we had to wait 2 1/2 hours for a table at El Azteca (we had a group of 15 people) the wait was filled with margaritas, tequila shots and lots of fun. A friend of mine, Laura, shares a birthday with me and it happened to be her 21st birthday so my friends and her sorority sisters all hung out together and had a great time.

Okay so that pretty much sums up the highlights of the past few weeks. A few more fun things have happened but I won't bore you with the details. It's been crazy fun and many good times were had. Time is slipping away faster than sand in an hourglass and I can't believe that in a few short weeks, I'll finally be on African soil. There is so much to do but it's gotten to a point where I just have to take it one day at a time. I leave for Costa Rica in a few days and I can't wait. Till the next time I have time to post...

à bientôt,
-Nikhil

nobody likes you when you're 23...

I turn 23 today. wow...

friendly request

Hey!

So just to throw this out there, a friendly request from moi: No one is allowed to get married or have babies until I get back! So basically everyone has to be boring over the next two years so I don't miss any special memories.

In all seriousness, I really want to be there for all your good news (graduations, engagements, 21st birthdays, etc). Unfortunately, that will not be possible with me being across the ocean from a lot of you. However, definitely keep me informed because I would love to hear of everyone's sucesses. So write me! E-mail me! Txt me! I promise I'll write back (I'll post instructions soon on how to send me snail mail/packages)

I promise to update everyone on what's been going on these past few weeks. Lots of exciting stuff (though nothing Peace Corps related) has happened from my Beer Olympics to my amazing Bon Voyage Party. Glad you are still reading this thing...

adieu,

-Nikhil