Invited!!!

So yea, I was so surprised everything was going fast for me...And then it hit me - an actual invitation!

I was medically cleared on Thursday, and on Friday afternoon I got a call from a PO for the Africa region for a short phone interview...She wanted to know some more details about my previous internships and volunteer work. She also said that my recruiter noted on my application that I will not be comfortable to serve in a Muslim country. I had to explain to her that there was a bit of miscommunication. In no means am I prejudice against Muslim countries, I just felt that in a country that is predominantly Muslim, I might feel animosity towards me due to my background (Jewish/Israeli). She agreed and stated that for safety reasons during training they might advise me to keep a low profile when it comes to my background. As much as I am proud of where I came from and who I am, I understand that there are certain situations that not disclosing your religion or background is a percussion.
As soon as the conversation ended I had to run to work (I'm a waitress at a restaurant - but not for long :)), I was already late and didn't even have time to talk to my mom. For the next 5 hours I was in a complete shock, I couldn't really digest everything that happened so soon and my heart was beating as if I just ran up a flight of stairs! All of the sudden everything became real, especially when my sister said "June 13th? That's like a month and a half from now!"

It is a few days later now, and things have started to sink in...All sort of thoughts are running through my head...A major one is how do you pack for 27 months??? What country am I going to, and how would the conditions be like.

There is no doubt that Africa is one of the most, if not the most challenging regions to serve. My friends have a very funny way of preparing me for what's to come...Here are some of their jokes:

- Start practicing going to the toilet by bending you knees.
- Bring a 2 year supply of wetnapes and toilet paper
- "Your going to Congo!"
- Get yourself ready for the flies and mosquitoes
- "There is no coffee in Africa"
- Bring a large supply of over the counter drugs (anti-diarrhea, constipation, etc.)

I learned to take their jokes and have fun with it, because its now that they are the ones who realize that soon, I wont be here!

I have a million things in my head, and probably two million things to do, but I refuse to take any steps before I have my official invitation in my hand and I accept it.

The only clue I have regarding the country is that the religious division is 1/3 Muslim, 1/3 Christian, and a 1/3 indigenous beliefs. Of course I couldn't help but researching everything I could to try and guesstimate where I might be going, and according to the world fact book, the only country that is divided such as in that region is Tanzania.
Now I'm going to try very hard to stop myself from researching that country and putting myself in this mindset in order not to get disappointed or surprised!

Ok, I hope the next update will be VERY soon, because I cant take this mysteriousness anymore!