!!!!

I am so incredibly excited and happy and ecstatic and relieved and motivated right now that I can’t even describe it. We found out our site locations today and I am going to be in Sal!!!! I had a feeling that I was going to be placed there, so it wasn’t a complete surprise, but being officially told that I would be living there for the next 2 years was awesome (see above description of emotions). My job is going to be working with the new National Park being created on the island. Cape Verde is opening 3 new parks: Boa Vista, Santo Antao and Sal; each of us EEs got placed with a new park. Sal and Boa Vista are going to be part marine/coastal park – how perfect!? The project is still in its very early stages – they are still assembling the team, and I don’t have housing yet. It is going to be quite the experience starting up a national park! I’m sure things will be chaotic and uncoordinated, but how many people can say they helped establish a national park? What a crazy and unreal assignment! I can honestly say that I never imagined that my post for the Peace Corps would be on a white-sand beach and creating a national park. N sta txeu txeu kontenti!!

My CV mom was really sad when I told her I was going to Sal – she cried. She always talks about me staying in CV after PC so I expected her to be sad, but I was not expecting the crying. Then she said, “Oh my God, do you know how to cook? You are going to starve!” and proceeded to explain to me how to cook fish, rice and chicken. It would be awesome if my CV family could come visit me at site, but I think it’s a pretty expensive trip.

Also, got my first care package – vball, floss, toothpicks, power cord for my external hard drive, a BIC lighter (which I gave to my mom, but she seemed uninterested) mints, mac & cheese and RANCH DRESSING!!!! Way to go mom!!