This is the first post

Hello all, Mr. San here. This is my first ever blog posting. Yay. I've never been a fan of the things, but thought that the prospect of being separated from my family, friends, and country for two and a quarter years warranted some way to gain access to said family, friends, and country, as well as giving you all a glimpse at my life as a U.S. compatriot.

And what a glimpse it promises to be! My wife, Mrs. San, and I have accepted an invitation to serve in the United States Peace Corps as Agribusiness Advisers under the Small Enterprise Development program. We will be working under this mysterious guise in Burkina Faso, a small, landlocked country in Sub-Saharan Western Africa. Burkina (as it is affectionately dubbed by its peoples) is one of the poorest countries in the world, ravaged by routine droughts and an economy based mainly on water-intensive agriculture. Despite this, the Burkinabe are purportedly extremely positive, hardworking, friendly, and patriotic people and make Burkina one of the safest countries in Western Africa. I feel extremely excited and privileged to meet, live and work with them. We will learn Burkinabe customs, French and another local language the best way there is to learn such things: by being thrown directly into the fire. During training, which accounts for the first three months, we will be posted with a host family in a major city (probably Ouagadougou (isn't that the best name for a capital city ever?!)) to immerse ourselves in Burkinaness. We will take classes conducted by the Peace Corps regarding language, safety, history, and of course agriculture and business. When we are experts, and only then, will we take our vow to serve our host country, the United States, and the Peace Corps.

Currently we are living at home, anxiously awaiting our staging information and making arrangements to place our lives in the U.S. on hold for two years. What adventures await us? What new friends will we make? What lucid insights will we glean from this amazing experience? Come along...