Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Greetings from Maputo!

Well I landed today in Mozambique at around noon and am now in a nice hotel in the capital city of Maputo. I very quickly learned that this city is actually pronounced like Maputu, so for all the times I said Mapu-toe, I must recall my tally and make it:

MOZAMBIQUE: 2, ANNIE: 0.

But moving to more exciting news:

I met the 71 other Mozambique Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) in Philadelphia on Monday at Staging. We are called Moz 15- the fifteenth group to serve in Mozambique. Staging was mostly going over Peace Corps policies and expectations. But we got to hang out and meet the half of the group with last names in our half of the alphabet (our group is so big we have mostly been split in two, but this will all move and change around soon). Essentially, they are all awesome. It is so nice to be around people who have the same questions and anxieties as you and also, it is great that you don't have to validate your reasons for being here to anyone. They all get it.

We arrived here in Maputo today after probably 27 total hours of travel. My group, however, did overcome two obstacles in the Johannesburg airport. A girl almost missed our connecting flight due to almost losing her passport and the connecting plane miraculously had the jacket of another girl in our group that had been left at security. So even though neither of these experiences were directly related to me, I told everyone I would use them as group triumphs in my battle's tally so, 

MOZAMBIQUE: 2, ANNIE: 2.

It is now all tied up, which I would say is actually very true to my experience thus far. We have yet to be really tested (though actually getting on that plane was probably test enough for now) but I have had a great time so far. If the first two and a half days are any indication of the next two and a half years, I would say (or I am hoping that) it is pretty right on that the challenges and the rewards will balance each other out in the long run.

We have the next three days in our pretty plush hotel (with free wifi at the bar) but apparently we are going to be super busy, getting up to 10 immunizations, interviewing about our language proficiency, and meeting with the medical officer, and I'm sure much more to prepare us for going to our homestay on Saturday in Namaacha, 1 hour east of Maputo. 

I think that's about it, but I love you all (friends, family, and anyone else who for some reason finds this interesting to read!!)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Two Weeks From Today!

That's right. Two weeks from today, I will be on my way to Maputo, Mozambique!

Once there, and amidst the however intermittent (or totally prevalent) internet access I can locate, I will hopefully be updating my blog as much as possible, keeping score of the inevitable battle between myself and my new home for the next 27 months.

So to start, I have been trying to figure out how to pack up my life and fit it into the maximum 80lbs of luggage I am allowed to bring. Because of this daunting task, I am going to inaugurate this battle by saying that Mozambique is kicking my ass in the packing department, so officially,

MOZAMBIQUE- 1. ANNIE- 0.