what will things be like anyway:

Updated Sept. Here is a general description of what my situation will be like in the village that has taken me as an inhabitant:

The closest Peace Corps volunteer to me will be about 13 miles away. I will be working with local folks to increase their capacity to improve their own quality of life (if I do my job well). They will of course teach me more than I teach them though I will try to keep it even. There is no phone in my village*. There is little cell phone coverage. My toilet is a very clean and comfortable Indian style toilet. The village has no electricity or running water**. A couple months out of the year we will have to walk 2 km for water otherwise there is rain water and well water nearby. There are about 3000 residents in the village. There is tofu in my village. There are no paved roads within 20 km of my village***. Red dirt roads have a certain allure. There is one clear FM station (Radio France Intl)****. There is a market that attracts folks from all over once a week in my village. More about the wonderful people themselves later...

*There is a new "cell phonebooth" in village **there is a generator ***there are no paved roads within 13 miles of my village except one paved road just across the border in a neighboring country which is closer than 13 km. ****There are 4 clear radio stations 1 local 2 regional and the other being Radio France Internationale. PS: My first meal in village was made incredibly delicious by the Indian curry paste that my friends in Portland gave me. The curry paste was the base of a sauce along with condensed milk and oil. This was poured over fried tofu and couscous...very tiku... Tdaniwad