Welcome

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Welcome to my first Travel Blog! Tonight I received my Peace Corps staging kit in the mail ("staging" is the two-day orientation in the States prior to departure to the host country), and I am officially beginning my Peace Corps training on June 7, 2006! I am going to finish up my classes here, fly home to York, PA on June 2, and then drive to Philadelphia to begin staging!

But let me back up a little bit... My name is Steve, and I am a Peace Corps Masters International (PCMI) graduate student at the UW Evans School of Public Affairs in Seattle. For the last 9 months, I've been taking classes in Economics, Statistics, Management, International Affairs, and Development, working towards a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and preparing myself for the Peace Corps. I was assigned to serve in Togo (West Africa) as a Non-profit Advisor in the Small Business Development (SBD) program; that will include 3 months of training in Togo (beginning in June) and then two years of service on my own in a village or small city. After I come back to the States in September 2008 (God willing), I have one more quarter of classes before I'll finish my degree and finally enter the real (American) world. I know that all sounds confusing -- it took me over a year and I am still unsure about the whole process -- but if you are at all interested, check out the http://www.peacecorps.gov/PeaceCorps home page.

So now that you are all caught up, let me just say thanks for checking me out and stay tuned for lots of stories, pictures, and crazy adventures. I will appreciate all of your feedback, but keep in mind that 2 years in a developing country by yourself can get really lonely, so the more positive the better. Of course, if you have issues with the Peace Corps, or with development work in general, don't hold back, because I won't shy away from a good debate (provided that I can get to a computer). To my friends and family and new acquaintances, this blog is designed for me to continue to share my lives with you from overseas and for you to share with me, so read, respond, spread the news, and for God's sake send me a care package once in a while.

With Love,
Steve

P.S. For whoever's interested, I'll say a little more about Togo.

First, this will be my address as of June 9, 2006:

PCT Steve Mumford
Corps de la Paix
BP 3194
Lome, Togo West Africa

If you want to send a care package (and make me very, very happy), please send only small packages less than 5 lbs, always use airmail, and don't buy insurance. This will ensure that it gets to me quickly and that I won't have to pay outrageous import duties to pick it up.

As for Togo:

Languages: French, and many local languages (one of which I will be learning)
Religions: About 1/2 Christian, 1/2 "animist" (or traditional beliefs) -- Togo is the birthplace of voodoo!
Currency: CFA Franc
Climate: Tropical and humid (it's practiaclly on the equator) with temps from 72-95 degrees year-round
Politics: Until last year, ruled by Africa's longest-serving dictator; upon his death there was some civil unrest, but his son took over in a disputed election

If you want to visit, some things to keep in mind:

• I can't technically have visitors until the beginning of 2007 (after training and 3 months of service)
  
• You will need many shots and Malaria prophylaxis (see a travel clinic)
  
• You can't drink the water and I may not have reliable electricity, running water, or an indoor toilet (then again, I might have all these things)
  
• The rainy season is from May - Oct. but it's not too bad
  
• It might be cheaper to fly to Accra, Ghana and have me meet you there than to fly to Lome
  

So those are all the basics. Keep in touch!

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