Sunday, August 3, 2014

Excitement and dealing with concerns

It's hard to believe that in exactly five months I'll be hours away from landing on Burkina soil! I am so excited, but I feel like I have so much left to do! I've already picked out my flight and I have lists upon lists of things that I need to get done (that are less exciting, like paperwork). I've also been working with my anthropology professor on developing a reading list that will prepare me for my trip as well as aide my research. And let's be honest, I'm excited about the upcoming school year in general (16 days!!!).

Even though I get butterflies in my stomach every time I think about the trip and my project in general, I can't help but notice the reservations that others seem to have. I'm not ignorant, I keep up with world news and current events, and I know that this is a shaky time for international travel. I have been keeping myself updated and have been monitoring the US government's travel suggestions/restrictions. For the time being, I am still planning on proceeding with my travel plans. The way I see it, there's no way for me to predict what the world will look like five months from now, and unless I have a concrete reason not to travel, I intend on taking full advantage of this amazing opportunity that I have been given.

Let's start a conversation...what do you know about Burkina Faso/West Africa and what do you want to learn about it?