It's been a while...

So I don't have too much time to post during training and internet access takes some planning. So a quick update:

1. I am alive.
2. I am learning swahili pole-pole (slowly)
3. I am gearing up for my final language proficiency test.
4. I am going to find out my site for the next two years next Friday!!!!!!!!!!!
5. I am almost done with training.
6. I am surviving and loving Tanzania.
7. I have been student teaching for 2 weeks now in Form 3 at a local school as a math teacher. Being creative with math demonstrations is a lot harder than it seems.
8. To all the teachers, I applaud you. Teaching is alot harder than it initially seemed.
9. I also cannot wait to have my own students...because substitute teaching is way harder.
10. Lastly or should I have said before, "Habari za leo?"
11. And now I say "Haya, Kwa heri". I have a minute left. Will post later.

Megan

AHH... Packing!

So, finally after two weeks living with my parents, I have packed away my life that isn't coming with me to Tanzania for two years. Now I have to start packing for my life that is coming with me in 80 lbs, 107 cubic inches, two bags, and a carry on. I started conquering the pile that was once the "going to Tanzania pile" near my bedroom closet that I have been adding to as I have been shopping for things I needed. Now its on my bed, but it looks more neat and even kind of categorized. However, the task of packing for two year seems daunting even though everyone I have talked to has said I can get everything I need there.

As a result of this daunting task, I decided a break was just what I needed and blogging seemed like a perfect idea. Plus, it's almost lunch. These past few weeks have been nice and relaxing while I wait to leave for Tanzania. Though, it is really hard for me to believe in less than TWO WEEKS I will be half way around the world with my fellow PCVs just in time for the Tanzanian summer. This week will be for packing, ties all loose ends, and then off to the Cities to see some fabulous people one last time for awhile.

Staging City

So, I got my staging information this week, and I am OFFICIALLY booked to go to Tanzania. I am stoked, excited, overjoyed, etc. I leave Minneapolis on September 22. And then, by 6 pm on the 23rd I will be in Tanzania. Weird!

Now only to pack....Yuck! If you ever have to pack for multiple climates and for two years, I am pretty sure that it will not be fun. I will let you know my view of this in less than a month. I am pretty sure my mind will not change though.

And so the adventure begins... with packing :( At least once I am done, I don't have to pack until the next time. But oh so much to bring, but the need to pack light.

First Post

Hello Everyone,

So everyone keeps asking me if I am going to keep some sort of blog or if I have one yet. Well everyone, I have finally made one.

Couple of Disclaimers for the blog (maybe more for me):

1. I don't know how good I will be at blogging. It's kind of like keeping a journal, which I wasn't very good at up to this point in my life. But, I will try very hard.
2. I am not sure this will always make sense to everyone or be grammatically correct. But again I will try my best.
3. I will try to keep it interesting with photos, but it will depend on my patience and the internet (mostly the internet.. I have heard it is quite slow) .

Well, on another note. If you didn't know or didn't read the title, I am going to be serving as Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV.... the Peace Corps uses a lot of acronyms as a word of warning. If I forget to explain, feel free to leave a comment and I will try to answer the comment) in Tanzania, Africa. I will be serving as a Secondary Education Mathematics Teacher. I am so excited to teach math and maybe even get to tell my favorite mathematics joke. And yes, I would try and translate it if it seems applicable (that is how much I love this joke :) ).

It has been such a long time coming, if anyone has talked to me this year, Peace Corps probably came up whether it be about my frustrations, my completion of tasks, my clearances, or during the anxious period of waiting. I am so excited to be leaving. Although, it will be a bit bitter sweet to leave all those who I have come to know and love during college, who I have known and loved my whole life, and the Cities that I have become the person I am today. But of coarse I know those people will write every so often... Or at least I hope.

This past week, the other PCV that I will be going with started to receive their invitations. They have the same excitement that I had nearly 3 months ago. I am so excited to meet these people and get to know them. Along with that I started to realized that yes, I am going to be leaving in less than 6 weeks now! AHH! And maybe I should start listening to people that tell me I should start packing! Along packing list overwhelmingness, I started to get a little scared, but I think that I am over this for the most part. I think that it is mostly the idea of change. For so long this summer, it was just something that I was going to do in several months, but now it is becoming a reality. Each time I see a plane fly overhead, I think that will be me in six weeks. Leaving my family, my friends, and my homes, which is scary, but I guess we all have to jump off the cliff eventually. What better time to define ourselves than right after college... by going into the "real world". Some may argue that was right after graduation, or maybe even with starting college.

Anyway, I super excited, a little nervous, not worried though, and hopefully ready for anything. No expectations, just some luggage all 80 pounds, and and open mind ready to embrace Tanzania and Swahili. Since this is a pretty long entry already, I think I shall conclude. I will keep you updated. I have staging information (where I go to meet my other PCV in the US). So I have 36 day left and as they may say in Tanzania, Kwaheri!