T minus one: The Last Day

It's my last day in the US, and what place more appropriate to spend it than our Capitol itself, Washington DC?

I'll skip the sightseeing stuff, though. It is HOT here! To think that 3 weekends ago, I was in Minneapolis. Snowflakes floated mid-air, and I invited the idea of chasing a cab for two blocks just to keep myself warm. High in Ouagadougou today: 100 Fahrenheit. I'll arrive on Thursday to a brisk 98. Guess I ought to get used to it.

I hop on the Amtrak tomorrow morning to Philadelphia, where I'll play pincushion for a few vaccines, meet the folks with whom I will spend the next three months, and learn everything left to know about what I've gone and gotten myself into.

The last few months have been incredible. Feeling nostalgic with every person I see and every place I go, I really couldn't ask for a better send-off. In addition to seeing Minneapolis, I got to eat ice cream with my grandparents and uncle in Wisconsin, share it in St. Charles, and try it fried for the first time (never again); eat more meat than humanly rational at a brazilian steakhouse; play my last hockey game, earning my share of goals, assists, and (as is the family tradition) penalties. And I finally did a few things which, in twenty-two years living right outside of Chicago, I had somehow never done--tour the art museum, shadow at Cook County hospital, rock the house at a downtown bar with my own band, and jump out of a plane 13,000 feet above the ground (soon after enjoying a DELICOUS Chicago-style dog from Grumpee's Weiner Wagon).

So THANK YOU to everyone for your wishes and going-away gifts, for taking me out, and for buying me a beer! (On this volunteer stipend, I'm just praying they sell Keystone Light for 50 cents a can in Ouahigouya.) I know already that--while I can probably stand to miss the Starbucks, the traffic lights and all the different varieties of bottled water--I will think on my friends and family with longing and love. Perhaps nobody will miss me more than my wonderful, supportive mother, but I know of a few adorable newborn kittens living under my porch at home who might keep her company if Dad agrees to clean the litter box...

I do not know how often I will have access to internet and email, but email will almost certainly be quicker than post. PLEASE send me news about yourself and your families (JBRESSL2@gmail.com). I will respond as promptly as possible. You may send mail to me if you like. While the postal service in Burkina is kind of slow, it is relatively reliable. If you're sending packages, take them out of their packaging to save space and weight. And don't send anything expensive, as it will likely not make it to me. I will come up with a list of stuff I could really use from Wal-Mart once I'm settled.

My address during training (until late August) will be:

Jonathan M. Bressler, PCT
S/c Corps de la Paix
01 B.P. 6031
Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso

I hope you all have a great summer! We'll catch up soon.