The hotel

by Dom on September 28th, 2006

This place seems pretty swank. It’s costing me 25 rand to use this computer for 15 minutes. I got complimentary wine while I checked in. Red, and it was good, though I don’t know what it was. Our rooms are nice, but there’s nothing that crazy about them save the light switches working oppositely and the toillet handle on the other side. Kind of a let down, but I guess I now have a pretty good idea of how Britain will work if I ever go there.

Seeing all the cars with the steering wheels on the wrong side was amusing. I was even surprised when one of the other volunteers got in the shuttle on what would have been the drivers seat but was actually shotgun. It’s the little things. Anyway, my time is running short and nothing really fantastic has happened so I’m going to wrap it up.

The Flight

by Dom on September 28th, 2006

I think the flight ended up being about 18hrs, including a 1hr stop in Dakar in which we weren’t suppose to use the bathroom or get in the way of the cleaners. So basically don’t move.

Overall it was pretty good. We mostly sat near each other so we could chat and a couple of us switched seats because it wasn’t a full load so we spread out a bit. They had some ok movies though I only ended up watching Akeelah and the Bee within the final three hours. A fine movie. The food was good; I’d never eaten on a plan before so that was an experience.

The plane was surprisingly small. I expected the biggest but it wasn’t. There was a middle row, which is where I was confined too, though I had an aisle seat. I couldn’t see much through the windows as a result. A bit of a let down. The crew was nice and you could get almost anything you wanted so that made things interesting.

Everything really went off without a hitch. They only weighed one of my bags at the check-in so I was pleased. Apparently I could have taken my guitar as a carry-on, which I am bummed about. C’est la vie.

Staging

by Dom on September 27th, 2006

Staging. What was it? Apparently it’s a bit like college orientation. A lot of ice-breakers and a lot of activities to help you learn about foreign cultures and Peace Corps policy.

The first day was kind of long because I planned on taking a nap and a shower in my hotel room since I’d been up since 4am with 2 hours of sleep and no shower for two days. Alas, that was not to be the case. Check in wasn’t until 4pm. It was 10am. Registration began at 2pm; there’s a bit of a conflict there. So I went and got a chicken philly and, as I’ve come to find out, paid way too much($10.25).

After a 10:45am “lunch” I decided to go wait in the lobby, since I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I ran into some other PC people there. They were going to The Gambia. (the prado) Anyway, it wasn’t until I met a few others that some Malawi people started to show. I walked with them to lunch. I didn’t eat, but it was nice conversation. Also, that was when I noticed that I really liked Philadelphia. Which was only re-affirmed over the next day or so.

After that I had to get back to change in the bathroom since we were suppose to be “business casual” and I had on cut-off camo shorts and flip flops.

It turned out to be cool. I got my passport, which is huge. The people I met have been great so far. I think it’s because we all came in with an attitude of wanting to be friends with each other.

Now though I just got through resituating my packing. Apparently we are only allowed 80lbs not 100lbs as I previously assumed. And we can only bring one bag with us to training. So I had to figure out what I might want for three months of 5-6days of intensive training and living with a family. Oh and I had to drop some weight which was real fun when I have no scale. Both my bags seemed lighter after repacking, which by the law of conservation of mass, makes that quite strange.

This may be the last time I get to use a computer for the upcoming months so I hope you guys take care and don’t worry too much. I’m sure it will be great.

The night before Philly

by Dom on September 25th, 2006

So it’s the night before. (I noticed most of my posts begin with the word “so.” I may try to cut that out. We’ll see.) I have finally finished getting all packed up. I have a 2 bag, 50lb a peice, weight limit. One is at 48.2lbs and the other is like 44-ish. I hope this scale is right, or I could be in some real trouble. I had to leave a lot of toilletries and foodstuffs behind. Nothing too crucial though, don’t worry.

I have to be up around 4am tomorrow so I can get ready and head out to be there on time. It will be a fun trip I’m sure. I’m just really hoping we leave on time so I don’t have to run around Charlotte. I woke up this morning around 10 and realized that tomorrow I will already be there by this time. Alright well I’m going to try to wrap up a few loose ends and head to bed. Thanks again for everyone’s support. It’s greatly appreciated.

My Address!

by Dom on September 23rd, 2006

So I found my address, but I’m not going to post it up here. Too many crazies. Anyway, if you want it send me an email before I leave and I’ll forward it on to you. Don’t forget I don’t know what kind of email access I’ll have in Philly(mon-wed) and I won’t have any during training. You could also leave me a comment, or contact my parents.

Malaria pills and what there is to know

by Dom on September 21st, 2006

Lariam(mefloquine) - consumer reports - peace corps online

So yeah, I’m thinking I might write myself a note so that if I go crazy I’ll remember why.

Practice Run #2

by Dom on September 19th, 2006

So I did a second practice run at packing today. It went pretty well. I have a 50lb. weight limit and some size requirements to fill. I already knew I met the size requirements so I was really just curious about the weight issue. It turns out that my hiking pack weighed about 26lbs. and my old air force bag was about 32lbs. So I’m definitely under the weight limit. Now however I need to figure out how to get the heavier stuff into my pack that I will wear on my back and not carry in my hand.

Flight Times

by Dom on September 19th, 2006

So some people have been asking how long my flight will be. I finally pulled out the paper and found out. It looks like it will be 17 hours with a stop over.

A Story and Time-Killers

by Dom on September 18th, 2006

So I ran across this story. It was enticing. Almost as many new questions and ideas came from all the little stories and anecdotes they shared. That island resort does sound like a pretty sweet idea. This site also has some pretty good pictures and stories.

So I’m looking for ideas on how to pass the massive amounts of time I’m sure I’ll have over there. Peirce seems pretty adamant about me bringing my Gameboy SP, but I stilll don’t know. I’ve considered:

• writing/drawing
• harmonica
• bringing a flattened soccerball and maybe a little pump
• frisbee
• running and stretching and general type athletic stuff
• chess/backgammon/cards

If you guys have any ideas let me know.

The Passport Resolution

by Dom on September 14th, 2006

So I called the lady at the Malawi country desk today. I told her that the county health dept. wouldn’t give me a Yellow Card, unless I got up to date on my shots, and that I decided to bail and just wait. She agreed. I then asked her if there was some way to check on the progress of my passport. She said she’d walk down there personally and check and give me a call back.

Maybe ten minutes later(a surprisingly short amount of time, in my opinion) she called back and said that she physically saw both my birth certificate and my Peace Corps passport. So I am good to go. That is unless they somehow lose it on the way to Philadelphia.