April 13, 2011: Learning Journal 13

Finals are here.  Papers are due.  IRB is in.  Marathon Meeting is on the horizon.  I guess that means that this whole India thing really is happening after all?

I have less than a month before leave for India.  This week is hard to write a journal about because I feel like my feelings and general level of preparedness has fluctuated so much.  For right now though, I feel good.

We talked about a lot of important things in the field facilitator training meeting.  This was the meeting we attended to get on track for wrapping up the end of the semester and preparing for the last minute details before going into the field.  It is time for the logistics that we have been not answering all semester to come out with a vengeance.  I could do a 12 page journal on what we talked about alone, but it is all a bit daunting at the moment.  This is a snap shot what it looked like in my head (SAFETY AND SECURITY, FIELD FACILITATOR ROLE, ITINERARIES AND HTH....PRAY PRAY PRAY AND PRAY SOME MORE!).  Lots of good information, but a LOT of it.  Since I have not been to the field, these are the kinds of things that I am most afraid of.  Luckily I have a lot of people in the office, and Melissa, the previous facilitator, helping me out.

It is not such a bad thing though, being a facilitator new to the area.  We talked about what the first few weeks would look like for us and our group upon entering the country, and in many ways it will be nice being just one of the group figuring things out for the first time.  It will ensure that a dependency will not be set up because I am not assumed to have all of the answers.  This is something I am excited about.  I'm thinking that one of the activities that I want to do when we get into the field is to do a mapping activity.  We have to do a safety and security worksheet anyways, and I think that this will be a great way to get people, including myself, out and exploring the community.   

All of these issues have been at the forefront of my thoughts all week.  It was not until the field facilitator class today that I really was able to bullet what it was I need to do by the time I leave that I was able to see that the whole thing really is feasible.  It will help me again to write it out, and maybe it might be beneficial to someone else as well.  Who knows.

To Do Before May 3rd

• Turn in proposal draft and Kennedy Scholarship
• Conduct marathon meeting
• Take of meeting about finances, meet with Troy
• Last words of advice meeting with Ashley, Jay, and Dave
• Log off the ISP application- get backpack
• Register with the Delhi embassy
• Call bank and let them know I am leaving the country- get cash necessary
• Figure out apartment, moving out, etc.  Fall housing???
• Pack
• Meet with Melissa about marathon meeting specifics
• Going away party that my family likes to throw me...
• SLEEP!
• Figure out registration for directed readings course
• Get books
• Borrow Lonely Planet travel guide for India from the office
• Pick up anti-malarial
• Figure out India housing!!!
• Get extra memory cards and proper camera case
• Travel plans
• Say goodbyes!

I can totally do this.