Env-PCVT

I am back at the Peace Corps training center. After 16 months of living and working in Mali, I am joining several colleauges to be a 'Peace Corps Volunteer Trainer' for the Pre-Service Training group entering Mali the end of this month. The "new kids", a total of 41, now have less than 7 days on American soil. Get ready! In Bamako, as a future trainer we attended meetings to discuss the objectives of the training program and to plan the Calendar of Training Events (C.O.T.E.). Most recently we had a workshop titled the Training of Trainers (ToT). All training staff were present and we had sessions reviewing learning techniques and theories, towards the end of the week each sector presented on a topic in order to put into practice the techniques and receive feedback/comments from the rest of the training staff.
The tech trainers and I are all pretty excited to welcome the new group of future Mali PCVs. We all remember our first few hours/days/weeks in country and how intense an experience it was for everyone on different levels.

[We landed in country after 1 A.M., stepping off into the muggy heat of Mali, greeted by our Training Manager. All 80 of us Peace Corps Trainees huddled around to turn in our Passports and WHO cards to get through as quickly as possible and then wait an hour for our luggage in a small terminal with one swamp cooler. We were exhausted, after an unexpected change in flights we ended up with an 8 hour layover in France. Once we finally received our luggage we were told to walk outside to be greeted by current Mali volunteers. The volunteers led us to the shuttles and gave us a bottle of water and a bottle of mosquito repellant. On the ride to the training center there was nervous laughter and excitement. The volunteers at the head of the bus were telling stories and answering a number of questions from people in our group.
Once we arrived at the training center we received a brief tour by flashlight, "a how to poop in a hole"]

Now I am in Bamako, working on session plans etc. in preparation for the newbies, eating good food, exploring the city and watching movies.
p.s. Since I am in the capitol I have access to reliable internet so send me e-mails or let us set up a skype date.