This is the email I sent out with my contact info! (edited some for general internet consumption):

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This is it! I'm about to embark on the "toughest job I'll ever love" for the next 27 months. Joining the mid-career program of the Peace Corps in Cameroon is not something I thought I'd be doing even six months ago, but when the opportunity came up, I decided it was a perfect time to explore the world for a while.

I leave Hoboken on Wednesday morning and the US on June 4th from JFK. I will have my cell phone with me until then. After that, here's what I know:

My mailing address for the first 3 months of training in Cameroon (until Labor Day):
Pete Bine, Peace Corps Trainee
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 215
Yaounde, Cameroon

Please make sure you mark all letters and/or packages with "Par Avion". It will speed the process. I've been told that it can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks for mail to reach me. For important items, DHL has a presence in Cameroon.

I will have a different, more direct address after training is finished (when I get placed in a specific position in a different city), and I will send out that address when I get my own place (as well as a cell number- hopefully!).

I am planning on having access to the internet and email, although its unclear how frequently that will occur. I will continue to use my yahoo account as my primary account. (if you still have the usa.com in your address book, please update since I will not be using this account any longer)

I have also set up a blog so I can easily share general and extended thoughts and observations about my experiences in my new world. That address is: http://peteincameroon.blogspot.com That way, if you find yourself thinking, "I wonder what Pete's up to?", you can go to that site and read all about it!

I am extremely excited about my new adventure and the opportunity to travel all around Africa. If you're interested in coming to visit, please let me know! Its likely that I'll have plenty of room. And, if you want to go to a different part of Africa, there's a good possibility I could meet you there (Egypt? Tanzania? Morocco?) since I get lots of vacation time.

I want to thank you all for your incredible support you've given me. I wouldn't have been able to keep it all together or be able to take advantage of this opportunity to see the world and make it a little bit better place to live without my friends and family.

I look forward to hearing from you while I'm there! Mark your calendars now for Labor Day of 2005 for a big return party!

All my best,
Pete