Quick Update

So of course last night i typed 3 blogs and saved them on my flashdrive in anticipation of coming to find internet today & my computer that I'm on has no USB drive, so I won't be using what I typed. TIA - this is Africa! Oh well. A quick update. My homestay is going well, although after living alone for so long I think I'm having a hard time adjusting to not being by myself. I look forward to the day when we get our sites and our own places - but that's 2 months away. My Mama & Baba are both teachers at the school where i learn swahili & have 2 daughters, 14 & 10. I can't post personal details, but you can ask me in snail mail or email what you want to know. Time moves slowly here as it takes forever to do most things - get from one place to another, cook dinner, take a bath (have to get water & heat it first), etc. etc. It's a hard adjustment to make. The bugs are not too bad & have seen no critters around other than a gecko. He eats the mosquitos, though, so he is welcome. I have electricity but no running water. I got a phone today & so if you want the # email me. I don't know when I'll get back to you, but someday! We have school six days a week form 8-5 everyday. It's exhausting especially because the d--- roosters keep me up most of the night. They are retched creatures & I hate them! The food is good, but I do miss the variety of home. Wearing skirts isn't too bad bec. it's cooler than what the guys have to wear, but I still will not wear them at home. Ok, My time is running out. No time to proof read. Send snail mail & padded envelope packages under 4 pounds when you can!

You Know You're In Africa When...

1) The electricity goes out while your baggage is going around on the conveyor belt & you have to search for 33 people’s luggage (x 2 each) with flashlights. How did the conveyor belt continue to move? No idea.
2) You can fit 10 people into a car made for 5 & still arrive alive.
3) You have an entire meeting devoted to diarrhea including the four different types, when to call the doctor & when to wait it out, how to take a stool sample, and discussions about the pros & cons of a fresh sample vs. a solution.
4) You dress as a sign of respect to others and not as an expression of yourself.
5) You sleep under a mosquito net at night.
6) You get excited about things like electricity & running water
7) You need vaccines for things like yellow fever, rabies, meningitis, Hep A, Hep B, & Typhoid all at the same time.
8) You have Oscar-worthy dreams once a week courtesy of malaria prophylaxis.

Overall things are going well. Most of the people I’m with are great – sharing similar interests, goals, reasons for choosing the PC, etc. However, as in any group of 33 people, there are few personalities that will either take a while to figure out, warm up to, or just clash with for 2 years. The age range is 22-67. Our youngest member had his 22nd birthday on our first full day in TZ. We haven’t seen much of TZ yet as we are basically sequestered in our hostel in Dar & being shuttled back & forth to PC Headquarters. On Saturday we leave for one of the PC training centers in Morogoro Region. If you look on a map, this region is very large, so it doesn’t give a good idea of where we’ll be, but I cannot post our exact location on a public blog for security reasons. We’ll spend 2 days in Morogoro Region in another hostel before beginning our homestays. We’ve been given a schedule for the full 10 weeks of training, so pick a day & I can tell you what I’ll be doing on that day! You know me, I like a schedule, so I’m just fine with the daily breakdown of events. It looks like we’ll be going on a weekend trip to Mikumi National Park one weekend in October. We are all already looking forward to a weekend where English will be the primary language used & heard.

Apparently I will have to pay to receive all packages sent to me, so keep them as light as possible and/or tuck some cash inside to help replace money I’ll have to spend to pick them up! Remember – not listing valuable items on the customs declaration slip will help to ensure the item’s safe arrival & cut down on costs for me. Also, if Peace Corps is not apart of the address, it will be returned to the US. The address is part of the US Embassy & w/o the PC in the address they don't know which agency we're with & send it back.

Ready or not...

Today's the day! Staging (orientation to everyone else) was a good experience. Sunday I met the 30 other people with whom I'll be going through this adventure. I am not the oldest, but I may be the second oldest. There is one gentleman whose age I will not hazard a guess, but I'm definitely not the oldest. There are some others who are around my age, but a bit younger. There are also others who've had some teaching and work experience, but for the most part everyone is fresh out of college with in the last few months to within the last year or so. Everyone seems great so far. With a bunch of math/science people who all think alike, we're bound to get along. Staging was full of activities to get to know one another while at the same time preparing us for this huge undertaking in front of us. We looked through the history of PC, how we fit in, what it might feel like to be the new person in town as well as to be a person living in the village with a volunteer coming in and other such in-service type activities.

This morning we head off to vaccination clinic where I'll receive my yellow fever vaccine as well as my first does of malaria medication. Then we board a bus to JFK to catch a flight to Amsterdam. Then it's off to Dar es Salaam via Kiliminjaro. We'll arrive in TZ about 24 hours after we take off. Yep, I have to be wearing a skirt when I get off the plane... but not on the plane, so I'll be changing on the flight. Then we spend 3 days basically sequestered in Dar before being driven to a TZ training site in the Morogoro region. For security purposes, I cannot post exactly where in that region we'll be located, but if you want to know you can send me an email & I can tell you. We'll spend 2 days at a training center before being shipped off to our host families, also in the Morogoro region. Then starts intensive language, culture, technical, health & safety training. I'll be with 5 people for 8 hours a day 5 days a week and then the entire group on the 6th day. It should be pretty intense, but I'm looking forward to it.

I may not get to internet for at least a week, so keep the snail mail coming & if you email just don't expect to hear back for awhile!

Are you....????

.... fill in the blank. I'm asked so many questions about leaving. Am I packed?? YES, but I can't carry the load!
Above are my 2 allowed checked pieces of luggage plus one carry-on. The hiking pack weighs about 30 pounds and the duffel weighs about 40 pounds (at least they did the last time I weighed them which was 2 weeks ago & I've been shoving more stuff in...). The carry-on does not look heavy in the picture, but it has 2 toiletry bags, my laptop, electronic stuff, a book, and changes of clothes in there. I didn't weigh it - it's heavy!

Other questions... Am I nervous? Not really. I'm tired of living in between worlds. My old life has moved on without me and I haven't moved on yet. I've given up my job, family, friends, Newton, car, etc. & I'm still here! So, I'm not really nervous, but more anxious to get going. I'd probably be more nervous if I let myself think about it too much, so I just don't.

Am I scared? Yes & No. The unknown is always a little scary, but being the unknown I can plead ignorance, so I'm not really, that scared - yet!

Am I fluent in Swahili? NO.

Did I get all of my vaccinations? NO (none actually - that starts Tues. morning. Vaccination clinic anyone?).

What age/math will I be teaching? NO CLUE

Am I going with other PCV who'll be in TZ? YES (all 28 of us will be teaching math/science/IT in TZ & will be together on & off for the first 3 months)

Did I register for my absentee ballot? YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, etc. (one "yes" for each person that's asked me that, plus a few extra for my brother who seems to be getting early onset dementia & has asked me several times!)

So, after all of these questions of "Are you..." I guess, if I had to fill in the blank with "I am...", it'd be that I am hopeful. I hope I'm not the oldest one in the group. I hope I don't get sick from the shots. I hope I can wear my contacts. I hope I can adjust quickly to the heat. I hope I learn to speak Swahili fast. I hope I am as good of a teacher in TZ as other people tell me I am at home. I hope I can make it the entire 2 years. I hope my buddy doesn't forget me & forgives me. I hope everyone who has said they'll write to me does. I hope I love it there so much that I won't want to leave (don't worry, I'll come home!). I hope I find the change I was looking for. I hope people come to visit me. I hope I'm not saying "what did I get myself into?" as soon as I get there.

The end of my favorite movie of all times, The Shawshank Redemption, sums it up just about perfectly (except substitute "Indian" for "Pacific"):

"I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel; A free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as beautiful as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

Farewells

The last few weeks have been full of farewells. It has honestly been harder than expected to say goodbye to family & friends. I knew giving up Newton would be rough, but I figured the rest would be ok because I knew I'd be able to communicate with them in some manner. Newton was hardest, but the rest turned out to be pretty hard, too. It's amazing to find out how much people like you when you leave! Anyway, I had some amazing surprises, dinners, gifts, & get togethers. Thanks everyone! Here's some random pictures of some of those moments.

Bryan, Darla, & Me: Part of my amazing team @ MNMS - Everyone else was out to lunch when I was looking for people to take this picture! Sorry!!!
My bestest buddy & companion, Newton.

The yummy bakery cake from my sister & her family.

My other half, Amy, & me at one of my farewell dinners.
Diane, Lisa, Eric, Ruth, & Dad @ another dinner.
Mom, Amy, & Virginia @ another good bye feast.

Eric, Bryan, Martin, & Diane @ my surprise picnic.
Mark, Dan, Cody, Amy, & Me @ surprise picnic.

Living In Limbo

One week ago I had my own apartment, my own things, and my cat. Within the last week I moved out of my apartment, put all of my things in storage, and gave my cat to my sister & her family. That was so hard that I don't really want to even think about it. I know he'll be loved & well taken care of, but I miss him & I know he misses me :-(. One week from now I'll be getting ready to register for staging (i.e. orientation) in Philadelphia, so basically I'm living in limbo. Last week the school year started without me, so I'm officially out of work, too! It's strange to not have my own place, my own space, my own job, and all of those other things. Maybe it's good I have this limbo time because it's helping me to be ready to get going - mostly so that I have something to do! Extended summer vacation isn't as fun as it may sound. My friends are working, my life is in storage, and my Newton is now living below the Mason-Dixon Line, so there's not a whole lot for me to do except sit around and wait.