Hello reader and welcome to my blog! My name is Michelle and I am a third-year student completing my undergraduate studies in a Specialist International Development Studies Co-op program at the University of Toronto Scarborough. As a requirement of the co-op portion of the program, students in the 4th year of their studies must go on a work placement. I have friends doing this currently all over the world- in Tanzania, India, and Bolivia just to name a few! I will be heading to Indonesia on Sept. 2 to work with the Church World Service for 8 months (see their website at http://www.cwsindonesia.or.id/en/). I am really excited and really nervous! So far, I’ve only talked with them a couple of times on Skype, filled in a bunch of forms and gotten a bunch of shots in preparation. I am still unclear as to what my exact role will be but it will probably be along the lines of being a Communications Intern. The other important thing I will be doing during my placement is conducting research for my thesis, which I will write during my 5th year upon returning from Indonesia. I’m still figuring things out but once I get there I hope to know a lot more, and I’ll be able to tell you a lot more too! So keep checking back for new posts :) For now, wish me luck in packing, preparing and saying farewell to family and friends. I will talk to you again once I am in the Indonesian sun!