Departing February 13th

Welcome. My departure for the Peace Corps is rapidly approaching. Here is as much as I know-

 I officially leave Sunday, February 13th. After a 3 day stay in philidelphia for pre-service training, I will be flying to Paris and then on to Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Once there, I will begin a three month training program in sustainable forestry, rural healthcare, French and Malagasy. During this period I will most likely be staying with a host family in or around Antananarivo (Tana for short). Upon completion of training I will take an oath to the Constitution and be sworn in as an official peace corp volonteer. At this point my training group will be split up as we each head off to our assigned areas. As a sustainable forestry volonteer, chances are good that I will be assigned to a forested area, most likely near a national forest (4 out of 5 of which are tropical rain forests).

My site is likely to be very remote and almost certainly will be without electricity or safe drinking water. From here I will begin the work of sustainable forestry. The official job description looks something like this:

As a Peace Corps Forestry Volunteer, you work with local communities to plan, implement, and evaluate reforestation, forest management, or soil conservation projects. You work with host country foresters and community members to help them define their strengths and address their critical problems. You are placed with a host country agency such as the forest service, agricultural extension service, or a community development agency. You live in a rural village; your work territory may cover one village of 300 people or an area of 10 villages with thousands of people. Your job varies from regional nursery management to forestry extension work with schools, community groups, and individuals. Depending upon the needs of your community, you may also participate in other activities, such as environmental education or small-scale marketing of forest products.