We have arrived!!

So we made it!! We have finally landed in Africa and what a day it has been....

I break it down for you.

1. Land in Dakar Senegal at 4:30am
2. Takes 2 hours to load the buses and start our trip to Mauritania
3. 5.5 hour bus ride through Senegalese countryside and cities
4. Wait 2 hours at Senegal and Mauritania to take our buses across the Senegal River on a ferry.... (the ferry broke for a while)
5. Arrive in Rosso Mauritania and get greeting by at least 30 Peace Corps workers and Host Country Nationals (lots on handshakes and French and Hassiniya )
6. Have lunch (fish and rice with a tomato sauce)
7. Free time (get african phone number!! 0112224596587 <---that's the whole thing if you wanna call me, I have unlimited minutes if you give me a call. We are only 4 hours ahead...
8. First walk around Rosso with guide. Talk about culture shock! It really is an amazing place though. Today I was happy when a little kid came up and shook my hand and greeted me while I was walking down the street.
9. Talking with some Host Country Nationals (worked on my french)
10. Set up our mosquito nets outside to sleep under the stars.
11. Had dinner (cous cous and goat)
12. Found out we have wireless internet and wrote this blog....

On a plane to Africa!!

Well I only have a few mintutes before we board the bus and head to Africa. So I figured I would use my 15 minutes of free internet and blog real quick....

These past few days have been amazing. We have been in Hot-lanta for the Peace Corps staging. Its basically a two day event to help "prepare" us for Africa. It really has been a awesome experience thus far. My fellow volunteers are great people, everyone is just so outgoing and well educated and gifted in their various fields. Its a pretty eclectic bunch of people lol... Plus, the government was more than generous with their per diem! So it has really allowed us to live it up during our last days state side.

Because of staging though I am amazingly exicted to head to Africa. We're boarding the plane in a few hours and we'll get their just in time to see the sun rise in Senegal for our bus ride to Mauritania! Good bye North America and hello Africa!!

Au revoir mes amis!!

T-Minus 1 Day: My Address

In case you would like to write me a letter or send a care package:

“Eric Barnett” PCT
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 222
Nouakchott, Mauritania
West Africa

Well packing is practically complete. I only have a few things left! I am exactly at 80 pounds.....lol no more no less. I only have room now in my carry-on luggage.


Random Mauritanian Fact:

Ethnic Groups: 40% mixed Arab/Black, 30% Arab, 30% Black

T-Minus 15 days: Its coming fast

Well I figured I would just write a quick note about what's going on.

TIME IS FLYING!!! The 100 days of Eric are rapidly running out lol. But I really couldn't be more excited. I have started getting emails from my trainers and managers in Mauritania. In my basement, I now have a table that is filling up with all the things I'll be taking there.

Next week I'll put up the list of things I am packing for Mauritania!!

Random Mauritania Face:

The Population is 3,069,000

T-Minus 97 Days, Kind Acts Return!! Live Strong!!

Well to everyone the used to read my blog. I apologize about the crazy long break with my entries (with no real explanation). Simply put, I was busy and got frustrated with posting everyday.....but I am bringing it back!!

So here's all the updates in my life......

I just recently received my final invitation from the Peace Corps and I will be leaving for Mauritania Africa on June 18th! This is going to be a huge life changing event... :-) I am just getting more excited everyday, especially because of all the really great people and fellow volunteers I have "met" via the Internet! So to commemorate this occasion, I am bringing back the "kind acts" (which never stopped, I just stopped posting them)....

Also, my blog will sort of serve as a countdown until I leave. I will also do whatever I can to post while in Africa.

So for today's kind act, I purchased a Live Strong bracelet from Dick's sporting goods. I know its rather cliche', but I really feel strongly about curing cancer. Its such a terrible disease that has destroyed so many wonderful lives....

Helping the smokers.........kind act 56

Kind act from 1/12/08

Saturday I was helped to clean up Cleveland and helped the smokers have a place to hang out. Me and a few friends had went out clubbing on West 6th Saturday night. Very good time... But, at the end of the evening. We were walking back to the car and we happened to walk by a public ash tray that has been tipped over. It was one of the those really big heavy ones that are made of stone. Someone really had to be on a mission to tip it over. I wanted to help clean up Cleveland, because I really like this city. So, I went over there and muscled the thing back up right (It was really fricken heavy!). There were a few people watching so they were quite impressed...haha So smokers, now its just your job to make sure you throw your butts in the ash tray.

Romero, you awake?...........kind act 55

Kind act from 1/11/08

This one is actually kind of funny. So Friday night was my deparment's YEE (Year End Event). This is basically what most other companies call a Christmas party. We just keep it nondenominational and party a lot harder!! I really do work for a great department, because everyone has just such a laid back attitude....but, we also get our stuff done too!

Well anyway, we had the party at The Boneyard this year. Very fun bar... And a few of us ended up staying for quite a while even after our private party part had ended. So, at the end of the night, me and my girlfriend were walking out to our car. (She drove for me, such a nice girl). We saw my friend Romero with his head down sitting in his car in the parking lot. I was like oh no, we need to go check on him. So we went over there and as it turns out; he was perfectly fine, he just had his head down because he was looking at his cell phone while he texting some girl he knew!! Romero is definitely a ladies man, perhaps he should change his name to Romeo...