Hold Your Breath. Now Dive.

It’s been about two years. I got rejected from 3 major job opportunities. I worked in manual labor. I moved…. multiple times.  My road to being a Peace Corps volunteer has been a long and bumpy one. Tomorrow, I will finally get the chance to take the literal long and bumpy road to my site to start my official service as a Peace Corps volunteer. 



Swearing-In Ceremony!

It’s an odd thing to explain to friends and family back home but I haven’t even begun my Peace Corps service. The past 11 weeks have been what we call “training”. Language classes, tech classes, and classes about teaching classes. I’ve learned a lot of great lessons within sessions and organized lessons but I’d wager that what I learned outside of these is worth way more. My host family and some new friends, that will last a lifetime, have taught me how to live in this whole new world (Disney reference intended).

Learning by doing has always been the best way for me to learn things and I’ve been using that to get me through my time in Guinea thus far. The key ingredient that made this all work was the people around me. When you have so many people around you who want you to succeed, it’s pretty tough to fail. It's how I got through college, how I got to Chicago and how I got to Guinea. So now I go, with the same support system but at an even greater distance, to Wonkifong.

Enjoying fun times.

Wonkifong. No matter how many times I say it, write it, or read it I can’t believe: 1. It’s a real name 2. It’s now where I live. I know that I’ve been there before but the whole place is a mystery to me. I’ve been staying in the capital for the past week and enjoying western comforts before going back to the Guinean way of life (without power and with lots of rice). We really have had way better of a time than I ever thought was possible in Guinea. I played pool at a bar, well the table was slanted and The Matrix: Revolutions was on the one TV. I got to swim in pool, well it was secluded in the compound of the Country Director and had a sketchy lack of chemicals. Finally, I got to eat pizza, well it was pizza-esque with an onion sauce, no tomatoes. So overall it really was an amazing week of comforts but still relative to Guinea.

For the first time, I’m going to say that I’m doing better than Guinea-Good, I’m feeling Guinea-Great. So I'm taking a refreshed attitude and a full-belly (finally) to Wonkifong.


So I did cut my hair like this for a bit. Loved it, but my boss not so much. Already buzzed the rest.

I know there wasn’t much action or stories in this post but I wanted to let everyone know that this is when the stories get real. Also wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my one and only big sister! Hope you had a great day.

Dante