Time to Start Packing

I am leaving on August 18 for Panama to join the Peace Corps! As many of you know, this has been a long time coming. I applied and was interviewed and nominated in October 2009, was medically cleared in February 2010 and waited until July to find out my country placement. Waiting was the hardest part!

My official title is Environmental Health Extensionist. (When I first saw this I looked up the word “extensionist,” and the best definition I could find was “One who favors or advocates extension”. Oh well.) Past and current projects include water committee formation and training, water system design and construction, latrine construction, composting, and grey water disposal. There is also an educational component which can include formation of health committees, nutrition, first aid, or disaster readiness.

My general timeline:

August 17: Arrive in Washington, DC for Staging. I will meet the others in my training class and do paperwork.

August 18: Fly to Panama City

August 19-21: Retreat/General Training in City of Knowledge, a former US military base outside of Panama City

August 22- October 27: Pre-Service Training in smaller city, TBD. Live with a host family. 45 hours of class/workshops per week.

October 28: Swearing-in ceremony

October 29: Move to Community

There are a lot of things I won’t know until I get there. I don’t know the details of my flight from DC to Panama. I don’t know anyone else in my training group. I could be in one of three cities for Environmental Health training, and I could be placed anywhere in the country for my permanent placement in October.

From all of the literature I have read, it is almost safe to assume that I will not have internet access in my rural village. However, I will have a cell phone and there should be an internet café wherever the nearest city is. During training, I am guessing I will have better access to internet cafes but not a lot of free time.

Posted below is my mailing address until October 28. I am afraid I will not get too many letters because the address is so incredibly long!

Carolyn Purington

Cuerpo de Paz/Panamá

Edificio 104, 1er Piso

Avenida Vicente Bonilla

Ciudad del Saber, Clayton

Corregimiento de Ancon

Panamá, República de Panamá

Luckily, I have been way too busy this summer to have time to be nervous. Now, time to start packing.