First Impressions

So I'm here. I made it. I'm staying in a very nice hotel in Maputo with 54 other volunteers, and after the disaster with my missing Peace Corps passport in New York (they told me I couldn't get on the plane becuase without the PC passport I didn't have a visa, but then they relented and I got on, harried and anxious, at the last minute), I'm very glad to be here. I have to say, I don't really feel yet like I'm in "Africa," because all I've seen so far is the inside of hotels and a little bit of Mozambique on the van ride here. My first glimpse of Africa was as the sun rose over Senegal, and then we took off for another 8 hours in the sky and all I saw was clouds and the backs of my eyelids. And last night in Johannesburg we weren't allowed to leave the hotel, for our own safety, so I pretty much saw nothing there either. Nice hotel though. Picture white buildings and red tile roofs.

Tomorrow we start officially training for the Peace Corps. I guess we've technically been "training," but tomorrow we officially start learning Portuguese, so I'm going to count that as the beginning. I also received four semi-painful shots this afternoon. We're here for only three days, and then I move to an area just outside Maputo called Namaacha and meet my homestay family. I'm hoping that I have a lot of siblings there because that's what I'm used to.

From what I've seen, Mozambique is beautiful, as everyone assures me it is. I don't want to sound superstitous or overly dramatic or anything like that, but the overwhelming feeling I've had so far on this trip is one of peace and that this is right. It feels good, and it feels right. And now, it feels like sleep.

Packing List

I got the idea to post my packing list from other volunteers' blogs, and I think it's a surprisingly interesting read. All the gear I'll need for 2 years, on my back? Wow. (Well, except for cooking stuff, which I'm supposed to buy there.) In total, I think my gear weighs close to 100 pounds, maybe nearer 110, and I'm regretting (a little) some of the things I considered essential just yesterday. (A day of hauling stuff around an airport changes the view on what's essential pretty quickly. Shampoo? Nah, can buy it there.) Without further ado, here is an approximate list of everything I'm bringing:

Clothing:
-Shirts: 4 short-sleeve button down; 3 long-sleeve button-downs; 4 t-shirts; 1 zip up fleece; 1 pullover fleece; 3 tanktops;
-Bottoms: 2 pr pants (1 jeans, 2 work); 3 pr. Capris; 4 skirts
-4 dresses
-Raincoat & longer poncho
-pyjama shorts and t-shirts
-capris to “work-out” in and some old t-shirts
-20 pr. Underwear
-8 pr. socks
-2 hats: one straw with a wide brim, one visor
-2 pr. prescription eyeglasses
-2 pr. sunglasses
-a few pairs contacts (to try out)

Shoes:
-running shoes
-low-top, waterproof hiking shoes
-2 pr. Walking mary janes for work
-tevas
-flip flops

Gear:
-jump rope
-1 fleece blanket and 8-degree liner
-small compressible pillow
-thermarest sleep pad
-6 luggage locks
-knives: 1 swiss army knife, one leatherman micra
-10 carabiners, assorted sizes
-mini sewing kit
-1 small maglite and 1 headlamp
-batteries: lots of AAs, some lithium
-2 nalgene-type water bottles
-2 rolls duct tape
-1 wet bag
-assorted pens and papers; journals
-1 pr folding scissors
-travel alarm clock
-crank short wave radio
-1 watch
-bath sized camp towel and 1 washcloth
-playing cards
-hand crank shortwave radio

Fun/Entertainment:
-Canon A620 Digital Camera with 2gb memory card
-Ipod & headphones
-4 frisbees (to use and give as gifts)
-Books: Portuguese/English dictionary & 501 Portuguese Verbs; Africa: A Biography; A Complicated War: The Harrowing of Mozambique, The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, Middlemarch, Great Expectations, The Golden Notebook, The Blind Assassin and The Handmaid’s Tale. I also shipped myself a box of books, and feel free to give me recommendations.

Toiletries:
-face lotion
-2 deodorants
-8 razor blades and 1 handle
-2 toothbrushes
-1 bottle toothpaste
-nail clippers, big and small
-small mirror
-tweezers
-bottle of motrin
-2 bottles spf 30 sunscreen
-intense bug repellent, both liquid and wipes, courtesy of my aunt and uncle
-bottle body lotion
-shampoo, conditioner, and body wash (1 bottle each)

Paper stuff:
-spiral bound notebooks and few legal pads
-aerograms
-small photo album
-2 maps (Africa and The World)
-postcards of Reno

Food Stuffs:
-6 bottles cooking spices
-energy bars
-powdered Gatorade
-tic tacs and pop rocks to give to kids

All packed in large ziploc bags in one large rolling duffel, one kelty frame-less backpack, and one medium size duffel bag. I also have my computer. Already a mistake, perhaps, but we'll see.

I have an address where I can be reached for the first three months (and all throughout service, although I'll be there less frequently), so if you think I've missed something or just want to send me a letter, please don't hesitate to mail it direct to the address below (U.S. Postal Service is actually fairly inexpensive too).

Alison Vicks, PCV
Corpo da Paz/U.S. Peace Corps
C.P. 4398
Maputo
Mozambique

Weighted down in Philadelphia,
Alison

Upon Departure

Today I leave for what the Peace Corps calls "staging," a three-day event in Philadelphia that will consist of meeting the other volunteers who are going to Mozambique (yay ice-breakers!), getting some shots, and getting some last minute safety and cultural information. On Tuesay evening I fly to Africa, and I arrive in the capital of Mozambique on Thursday afternoon, where I go to a retreat and then begin ten weeks of language, techinical, cultural, and safety training. If I survive that, I'm then sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV from now on), and I move to a site to teach English for two years.

I'm excited and nervous--nervous when I have the queasy feeling, excited when I don't. I'm posting a bit about Mozambique in a bit, when things aren't so hectic.

Bem-vindo, as they say in Portuguese.

And counting....

Where I'm going: Mozambique

In a few short days, no longer able to count it in weeks, I'll be in Mozambique. On the 23rd of this month I leave Reno for training in Philadelphia, and on the 28th of this month I arrive in the capital city of Mozambique, Maputo. Below are some pictures of what I can possible expect, much as I'm trying to keep my expectations to a minimum.

Photos, in order
1. Maputo, Mozambique, built up by Portuguese conquerors, who occupied the country for 500 years.
2. Where I'll take vacations (or perhaps I'll be lucky enough to live by one of these):
3. This photo is called African Moonrise, but I think perhaps it is the sun behind there:
4. The questionable state of what I'll get around on.
5. And, what, perhaps, my living accomodations will look like.
6. And, finally, here's hoping that I see many beautiful ones of these.