[Note: I wrote this on Sunday night, but it was too late and I was tired, so the thought isn't really finished. I'll try to round out the rest of the week review next, though.]

Tonight I face the beginning of Week 8. Week 8 is the last full week of PST; the final week of language class and the final week of being a Trainee. In Week 9, we learn where our permanent sites are and we sign in officially as Peace Corps Volunteers. During this week, I expect that many of my colleagues will be thinking about their long term goals, and some will consider whether or not this is the right program for them. As of September 1st, we move to our sites, our new apartments and cities. The real game begins.

My mental state going into this week is pretty good. I am hopeful that I will be placed at a site that will both suit my qualifications and meet my needs for a living environment. Much speculation goes on in advance of placement; we talk about where we might go, where we'd rather be, who we'd rather be with as a site mate (if we even want a site mate), etc. Ideally, I'll end up in a city where the natural environment is easily accessed and with a site mate. We'll see if that materializes.

So I guess I should backtrack to describe my last week: to sum it all up, I think we are all basically really tired of training and ready to move on to our permanent sites. This last week, my training group (comprised of 8 other PCTs) has been kind of snappish and overall, exhausted. Our teachers are saints for putting up with us. Despite the wonderful homestay situation I am in, I am very ready to have my own apartment, without a curfew or expectations for where I'll be and when. I will miss my host family, to a degree, but it will be wonderful to have ownership of my time again.