Today we completed our Staging for the Peace Corps in Philly. There are 36 of us going to Swaziland, all going as Community Health HIV/AIDS Educators. And guess what? We're the oldest volunteers in this group (technically, jamie-boy is the senior member). Some volunteers graduated from college just a few, short weeks ago. This is a pretty impressive group of people, from all over the country, and already quite accomplished. For the curious among you, the average age of a Peace Corps volunteer is 27.
The average life expectancy in Swaziland is in the mid-thirties.
Our training here in Philly focused on the general demands of being a healthy, safe and effective Peace Corps Volunteer. We discussed the Peace Corps mission and its approach to development. Their goals focus on development that promotes the dignity of people and their capacity to improve their own lives, which draws upon their available resources. In other words, the projects are community initiated. It's nice to be involved in an organization that values integrating projects within the pre-existing framework and using the community's intrinsic strengths. It's a great combination of idealism and pragmatism.
Anyway, we've endured several icebreakers, of course, and many small group activities. It's been nice to be in a group of like-minded young people. Three other married couples are among our cohort and we've really enjoyed meeting them. Tonight we found time with some other PCVs to explore a small part of Philly, seeing Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell... an appropriate last evening in this country for a while. and Jamie-boy got a big cheese steak (which, for me, sounds awful).
Tomorrow morning we'll load onto a bus for JFK (New York) and fly out. So, next time we post something on the Cookbook, we'll be in Swaziland. Even as I write it, I can hardly believe it. We're spending the waning hours of my time in the US watching news channels and packing for the hundredth time.
Sala Kahle (or, if you like, hamba kahle, another goodbye which means "go well").
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Greetings from...
Greetings from... Illinois.
We haven't left the States just yet, but our departure is imminent. On Monday morning we'll get on the plane here in Moline and fly all the way to the distant and exotic city of... Philadelphia. Apparently, we need some brotherly love and a cheese steak before leaving the country.
After a 2-day Peace Corps staging event in Philly we'll board another plane-- the plane we've been waiting to board-- and about 18 hours later we'll be in Johannesburg. Not quite Swaziland, but close enough to catch a bus there. A 4-hour bus ride, in fact, from J-burg to our first actual Swazi destination: Mbabane. That's the capital city. We'll get there on Friday, June 27th, stay a few days, then move to the town of Nhlangano, where the Peace Corps has a training center-- and where we'll (finally) be able to unpack and stay a while. On the Fourth of July we'll move in with a host family in/around Nhlangano and begin the first stage of our 3-month training. Once that's done, we'll move to our permanent site, to be determined.
So next weekend we'll be in Swaziland and beginning our Pre-Service Training (PST-- the first of many, many acronyms to come), and we're pretty excited. Philly and J-Burg and Mbabane and Nhlangano here we come.
Quick aside: we went to a Spanish For 100 show last Thursday night in Chicago, and it was awesome. Thanks Corey, Ross, Chris and Aaron for a great time. Say hello to Seattle for us when you get back home.
Sala kahle! (that's goodbye in siSwati.)
tim & jamie
We haven't left the States just yet, but our departure is imminent. On Monday morning we'll get on the plane here in Moline and fly all the way to the distant and exotic city of... Philadelphia. Apparently, we need some brotherly love and a cheese steak before leaving the country.
After a 2-day Peace Corps staging event in Philly we'll board another plane-- the plane we've been waiting to board-- and about 18 hours later we'll be in Johannesburg. Not quite Swaziland, but close enough to catch a bus there. A 4-hour bus ride, in fact, from J-burg to our first actual Swazi destination: Mbabane. That's the capital city. We'll get there on Friday, June 27th, stay a few days, then move to the town of Nhlangano, where the Peace Corps has a training center-- and where we'll (finally) be able to unpack and stay a while. On the Fourth of July we'll move in with a host family in/around Nhlangano and begin the first stage of our 3-month training. Once that's done, we'll move to our permanent site, to be determined.
So next weekend we'll be in Swaziland and beginning our Pre-Service Training (PST-- the first of many, many acronyms to come), and we're pretty excited. Philly and J-Burg and Mbabane and Nhlangano here we come.
Quick aside: we went to a Spanish For 100 show last Thursday night in Chicago, and it was awesome. Thanks Corey, Ross, Chris and Aaron for a great time. Say hello to Seattle for us when you get back home.
Sala kahle! (that's goodbye in siSwati.)
tim & jamie
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