Staging Information

So I received my Staging/Pre-service training information last week, and sufficient to say, I'm more than overwhelmed. There's so much information to absorb and I can tell from departure onward, it will be a steep learning curve....but I say BRING IT ON! So I thought I'd share with you all some of the information I learned:

The town of Loitokitok is located in the Rift Valley Province at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is where I will spend the larger part of the 8 weeks of my Pre-Service Training (PST). During PST I will be spending most of my time in the communities around Loitokitok, which is about a 4 ½ hour drive from Nairobi. I will live with a Kenyan family from the third day of your arrival in-country to the day I swear-in as a Volunteer, three months later.

Logistics – First Three Days
Arrival: Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) look for one of our staff who will be holding a Peace Corps sign. You will then travel by bus to AFRALTI, which is approximately a 30- to 60-minute drive from JKIA depending on traffic. There, you will have a light meal and a good night’s sleep. You will have two days in Nairobi.

Day One and Day Two: Thursday June 9th, 2011 and Friday, June 10th, 2011
Given the late night arrival into Nairobi, on Thursday, breakfast will be served 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. with the first session of the day beginning at 9:30 a.m (DO THEY THINK THIS IS LATE OR SOMETHING?!?!) On Friday morning, breakfast will be served from 6:00 – 8:00 a.m. with the first session starting promptly at 8:30 a.m. You will receive a Safety and Security briefing by Nuru Zuhudi, Safety and Security Coordinator. You will meet with Amy Byerwalter, Director of Management and Operations and Isabella Maisiba, Volunteer Records Clerk. They will assist with completing various administrative forms. At this time, they will also collect your Peace Corps passports and 12 passport photos. During the morning, you will also meet the following Peace Corps Kenya senior staff as part of your orientation: Steven Wisecarver, Country Director; John Vreyens, Director of Programming and Training; Louis Othieno, Associate Peace Corps Director for Small Business Development; Timothy Kibet, Associate Peace Corps Director for Public Health; Joseph Maruti, Training Manager and other staff and a few Volunteers. The Medical Team (referred to as the PCMOs) will share with you a detailed immunization program. You can expect to get your first shots. PCMOs will also hand out malaria prophylaxis, give vaccinations and give the first medical training session. Also, you will learn more about your host families and meet the Host Family Coordinator. Expect to begin your crash-course in Kiswahili in the course of these two days.

Day Three: Saturday, June 11th, 2011
Breakfast will be served 6:00 – 8:00 a.m. Please have all your luggage packed and ready for loading after breakfast. We will give you instructions where to bring your luggage for loading. You will depart for Loitokitok by bus at 8:30 a.m. The trip to Loitokitok will take approximately 4½ hours (270 kilometers). We will provide a box snack and a drink for the trip. Petrol stations/ rest stops are not frequently found on this route. The bus will stop as needed; however, please be prepared that a pit latrine/toilet may not be available where you stop so you may need to walk off-road to relieve yourself. Once in Loitokitok, you will be taken to the Outward Bound Trust of Kenya—our training hub—where you will spend the night. You will have a lunch and take some time to settle in before dinner. You will share a dorm style room with 9 other trainees.

Day Four: Sunday, June 12th, 2011
Breakfast will be served 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. and the first session starts at 8:30 a.m. The day will focus on preparing you for entry into your host family communities. You will get to know the training staff in several one-on-one meetings and be introduced to your Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitators. Lunch will be served from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. During the afternoon, you will be introduced to your host families then depart with your host family to begin your home stay.

Local Conditions
The weather in Loitokitok, a small town with a population of approximately 35,000 people, ranges from cool to hot and dry to wet. The temperature during the day ranges from 75 – 85 degrees and is cool to cold at night (40 – 65 degrees). During the rainy season (which is early October through December), the town can be very muddy. In the dry season, Loitokitok has a lot of dust in the air, as the roads are not paved. Loitokitok, like most villages and towns in Kenya gets very dark at night. There are no streetlights, so we recommend that you bring with you a good, durable flashlight that can last for 2 years.

Overview of Training
Training is composed of five basic areas:
• Language Training This component involves learning basic KiSwahili until you attain the required minimum proficiency in Kiswahili.
• Cross-cultural and Inter-cultural Learning This component includes adapting to life in Kenya, learning who the people of Kenya are, our history, our values, and our traditions. Living with a host family hastens this process. Cultural training also integrates safety and security focusing on personal safety and strategies you can use to remain safe while living with your host family and at your site as a Volunteer.
•Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Training This component teaches a process to learn skills for community entry such as community mapping, resource identification, seasonal calendars, gender and development and organizational structures.
•Technical Training This component gives you knowledge and skills for your future job and how to adapt your skills to the needs of the job as well as develop skills required for your job.
•Health Training This component involves training you to take care of yourself using a Preventive approach, with a belief that a healthy Volunteer is a happy, effective Volunteer.
•Safety and Security Training This final component focuses on how Volunteers can develop strategies during Training that they can use to stay safe during their two year service.

I also found out that they will be assessing me during these three months for a variety of factors to see if I'm actually fit to be a volunteer. They will be looking for: motivation, emotional maturity, social sensitivity, cultural awareness, ability to adjust, communicative ability in language, productive technical competence and safety compliance. Should I not pass in these areas, they have the right to suggest early termination for my service!!!!

Swearing-In Date
Having met all the requirements for service, I will be sworn-in on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011. I will proceed to my site on Thursday, August 4, 2011.

19 DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE!