Hours of paperwork later . . . I conclude that if you can't maintain your sense of humor, you've probably volunteered for the wrong 27 months. I’ve seen so many wonderful Aspiration Statements on PCJ, and mine surely pales in comparison; so I won’t bore anyone with posting it. I declare: it was less than one page. And what was the gist of my Aspiration Statement? "I can’t imagine . . . I have absolutely no idea . . . we can only speculate."

Reminder: Wikipedia does not equal research. However, Wiki says that Burkina Faso was populated early, between 14,000 and 5000 BC, by hunter-gatherers in the northwestern part of the country. My PC packing list was begun by this hunter-gatherer about four weeks ago. Need a sleep-aid? Then read the list. Notice what’s not on the list: food . . . and a great deal of clothing. I’m taking the word of the PC and bringing very few clothes. They can be bought in Burkina Faso, or can they? We can only speculate.