arrival

so, we made it to johannesburg! we had two days of staging in DC with lots of meetings about leaving, anxieties, excitements, dealing with harrassment and more... though i don't think staging really provided much information about what we're going to be doing or how to deal with the situations we will face i think it was very successful at making the first step of the transition. we got to meet people, start really actively thinking about peace corps and zambia while still in the united states, still able to run and by that "one thing" that we forgot and still call home to hear a familiar voice. it ended with yellow fever and polio shots and our first dosage of malaria medicine which i'll take with dinner tonight. and then we were off to the airport! many hours early so that we could all get french fries and ice cream as our last food in america before we took off.

there are 40 people in my group. half of us will be working on the educational development program and half will be working on a community health initiative. we have 32 women and 8 men, apparently peace corps is not usually THAT female heavy. but everyone seems very interesting. it's a pretty diverse group... we come from all over the country and from many different backgrounds. the vast majority of us graduated recently and are doing this as a first or second job out of college. though there are some people who are older. people have done a wide range of travel with some people having spent a significant amount of time living in the developing world, though not many. many have backgrounds in ngos, volunteering, health, and education. and mostly most of us just both super excited and nervous.

i feel like it's all a bit surreal. we're not allowed to leave the hotel tonight. so, even though we're in johannesburg i feel like we could be anywhere. it's just warm. but, it's our last hot shower for a while.

a cute adrienne and julian story (my 8 year old cousin's in DC) before i go... i got to see them, my aunt, and my grandma in DC on monday night (two nights before i left) for a last goodbye and hugs. the first thing adrienne said to me was: "hannah, can you pack me in your suitcase?" to which i replied: "well, sweetie, i have an 80 pound limit and you just might put me over it!" to which she said: "but... i only weigh thirty pounds!"

and when i went to give julian a hug he said: "hannah, the next time i see you i'll be 10 years old!" "you're right! i said. that's old!" and after some more thought he said: "and you'll be 25! you will be a giant!" oy.

so, on that note... i think i may go find food. my giant self is off to zambia in the morning and it will prob be a while before i get internet again. we have a couple days in the government training center, then a site visit to another volunteer, then a homestay for 8 weeks (with another site visit in the middle) and then we get posted to our sites by the beginning of april. i'll try to get on when i can and also post my cellphone number once i have it.

but write me! write me! write me! i will be SO happy to get letters and if you write a return address on the letter i will write back!