Thursday, May 5, 2011

Go Siame Brandon

Now only one of my suitcases remains open on the floor of my spare bedroom. The case containing all of the school supplies for WUSC's partner organisations and the university course calendars for the students I will be working with is now zipped, standing upright, and waiting to be locked up. It's not all that heavy, but I won't get the final verdict on whether or not it's guilty of being over weight until I get to the airport.

Did I mention that that will occur tomorrow night? Mom is on her way to Brandon as I type this blog post. We'll be leaving for Winnipeg around noon tomorrow once I get my car insurance changed, my internet cancelled, and some money deposited into my bank account. We should hit my aunt and uncle's around 2:30 or so and head to the airport for around 4:00. I'll get my baggage checked (and hope to see it again someday), say some tear-filled goodbyes, and board my first of four flights at 6:55 p.m. At 9:20 a.m. Gaborone, Botswana time (or 2:20 a.m. Brandon, Manitoba time), on Sunday, the Airbus Industrie A319 Jet that I am in will touch down on the tarmac and shortly after that my feet will touch African soil.

I can't wait. I am confident that I have a lot to bring to WUSC-Botswana and the International Scholarship Management program from the years of experience I have working with the resettlement of African students in Canada. I'll be working with 60 university students who are enrolled in professional programs (nursing, engineering, etc.) at Canadian colleges and universities this fall. I'll be getting their immigration information together, ensuring their scholarships are all set to go, and giving them an as in-depth cultural awareness training orientation as I possibly can.

I am also positive, that I will gain so much more from them than I have to give. This experience is going to change my life. There is a good chance I'm not going to want to leave Gabs once I get settled in there. There's a slight chance that I won't (leave, I mean). My African heart is yearning to be taught how to speak. Botswana, here I come!


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