4 weeks and counting...

So, despite all my belly aching, I am going to try my best to keep a blog while I'm abroad.  While I am mostly writing this for all my friends and family, I am sincerely doubting how many of you will keep up with it.  Especially my mom, considering she can't figure out how to delete her emails from gmail (no offense mom, love you!).  However, in the last few months, I've been reading up on a lot of other Peace Corps volunteers' blogs, and I'm realizing just how valuable they can be to other potential or incoming volunteers.  Plus, I guess it will be interesting to see how my blog comes along- obviously I'm new at this.

Anyway, to get on with it.  If you haven't figured it out yet, I'll be keeping this blog because I'm going into the Peace Corps in FOUR WEEKS!  I'm leaving on February 8, 2011 to go to Philadelphia first.  After a day of ice breakers, Welcome to the Peace Corps, and fun shots and pills for our immunizations, we'll be leaving on a jet plane on February 10.  The short 15 hour flight to Johannesburg will eventually lead to the 5 hour flight to Uganda.  Where's Uganda you might ask.  Well here's a map for the geographically challenged.

Once we arrive, we will begin in country training immediately for 10 weeks.  I'll be living with a host family while trying to absorb as much information as possible about the language, which is Luganda, technical skills for my job, health care and cross cultural awareness.  I won't know where my exact placement will be until around the 8th week.  Even though I know training will be absolutely crazy and busy, I'm looking forward to finally being there and meeting all the other trainees.

Essentially, all my packing is done.  Peace Corps gave us a nine page list of suggested items.  Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed initially.  It took me a while to figure out what exactly I would need from that list, and I'll just have to find out if I was right.  All the current volunteers were really helpful along the way, and they say we can pretty buy anything once we get there.  Except bras and underwear.  I was told to bring 30-40 pairs of underwear!

As for my last four weeks, I hopefully will spend them relatively stress free.  And hopefully learn a few phrases in Luganda before I go.  Here's how you say hi, so you all can learn with me today: Ki kati.  A little bit different than French, I know.

Also- I plan to eat lots of frozen yogurt (obviously before I leave.  My mom thought it sounded like I was going to the land of frozen yogurt or something).