The last American Christmas for two years...

As the U.S. is in full swing with the holidays, I can't help but wonder how life will be so much different a year from now. The holiday season is such an institution for Americans and something a majority of us look forward to each and every year. It's a time for family, food and faith. I can't imagine a December without hot chocolate, mistletoe or Bing Crosby.

How do Rwandans celebrate Christmas? Only time will tell, but in the mean time the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has taken on a whole different meaning and this season I've come to realize how truly grateful I am for family and friends.

Sustainable Development and Macy's

I was searching around the website of my favorite store, Macy's, for holiday gift ideas and came across something really interesting. This semester I am taking a development class and of course we are discussing sustainable development and Micro-Finance. While searching around macys.com, I discoverd that Macy's is now selling products (baskets, silks and ornaments) directly from women's groups in Rwanda, Cambodia and Indonesia. I've always loved Macy's and this just adds to my opinion. I think it says a lot about sustainable development and micro-finance loans when a huge store, such a Macy's, becomes part of great projects like these. I'm attaching the website if you would like to take a lot at what Macy's is doing and the products that they are selling.

http://www1.macys.com/campaign/rwanda/index.jsp?cm_sp=SEARCH_MERCH-_-HOME-_-RWANDA

Expectations of Service in Rwanda

Once a volunteer accepts their Peace Corps invitation, they are then asked to write an aspiration statement describing their expectations, strategies and professional and personal goals while in country. Below is an excerpt from my aspiration statement regarding my expectations of Rwanda.

Expectations

I expect my service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda to be far more challenging and far more rewarding than any expectations I can conceive of now. I expect my limits to be tested, my patience tried and my emotions spent. I expect to see a beautiful country, marred by tragedy but embodied with the perseverance to survive and press on. I expect to be surprised, shocked and fearful at times. Yet I also expect to be humbled, elated and energized. I expect I will be confused more times than not, but I know I will be constantly learning; language, culture and about HIV/AIDS. I expect I will face challenges emotionally, physically and mentally and to never be as prepared as I had hoped. I expect I will miss home, miss my family, miss my dog and most of all miss American culture. But I expect to come back with a different and hopefully better perspective on people and life. And above all else, I expect for this experience to not only change my life, but that I will love my time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda.

3rd Time's a Charm: Bienvenue à Rwanda

I have just recently received my official Peace Corps invitation to serve in Rwanda. And though as exciting as that may sound, I must say I was a little taken back when I found out where I was to be sent to. A couple months ago, in August, I was told that the Peace Corps was considering sending me to Francophone Africa. Since then I had done all my research on Western Africa, particularly reading up on countries such as Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso. When the invitation package finally arrived, I scrambled to open the envelope eagerly anticipating Mali or Senegal. When I saw the words Rwanda I had to sit down. Rwanda was not Western Africa and I didn't even know that Peace Corps sent volunteers to Rwanda. In fact the Peace Corps has not been to Rwanda for 15 years; since the beginning of the tragic genocide.

Since the reading of this news 4 days ago, the reality of spending the next 2 years of my life in a beautiful country marred by ethnic conflict has finally settled in. And now I'm really excited about leaving on January 26, 2009. But it has also stopped me and made me think that this is actually my 3rd time applying to the Peace Corps and my 3rd placement. And a lot has happened in my life since the first time I applied to Peace Corps 4 years ago as a lowly undergrad from Sacramento State. In the past 4 years I have definitely had my fair share of ups and downs yet I feel I have really matured as a person. I have began graduate school and am studying international development. 4 years ago would I have been ready for Rwanda - No Way. But today I'm ready and let's hope Rwanda is too.