So I'm in Johannesburg, South Africa for the night and will be leaving for (and arriving in) Madagascar tomorrow! (It is 8 hours ahead here by the way.) When we arrive in country, we'll take a 2 and a half hour "taxi" ride to our training site, which is sans electricity and running water.
As most of you know, I was in Washington, D.C. for a few days for a little training/orientation, known to the Peace Corps as "staging." I must say that I was relieved once I met the others. There are 32 of us, 20 girls and 12 guys, that includes 3 married couples. There are only 4 others in the Small Enterprise Development (business) program though, the others are all Environmental Education and Agroforestry volunteers. There is even another girl from Indiana (Indianapolis)! So we've all gotten along pretty well thus far...
The 16 hour plane ride wasn't too bad, maybe because I slept for about half of it? They also had some pretty good movies-I watched Atonement and Michael Clayton. The plane itself was pretty nice too and there was lots of room! I lucked out though and had 2 seats to myself. The flight tomorrow from South Africa to Madagascar is about 3 and a half hours. They say we won't have any communication with anyone for the first few weeks so it might be a while before you all hear from me again but please stay tuned! I'm very excited!! I miss you all already and wanted to say thanks to my wonderful Pinnacle family for the surprise going away party last Saturday morning! It was so nice to see you all, even if it was right after spinning and I was sweaty! Now it's time to enjoy one last hot shower and a good nights sleep in a comfy bed...
About Me
- Sasha
- Madagascar
- I began my journey as a Peace Corps Volunteer on February 18, 2008. I am a Small Enterprise Development volunteer in Madagascar. I graduated from Purdue University in December 2006 with a B.S. in Financial Planning. I worked for Ameriprise Financial in 2007, before being invited to serve in the Peace Corps.
3 comments:
wow sash! you are in africa!! so far away from me! but im very glad to hear you made it there safe. I know you wont have access to a computer to get my note until a few weeks, but still i wanted to say hi and that i miss you and that i will keep checking your blog so I can know what is going on with you. I'm glad you got along with the other people in your group, so that you have some good people to be with! love you and have fun.
love, patty
I'm sure by now you already have a fantastic tan. Hope the trip is going well thus far because you only have about 22 more months to enjoy it.
Oh, and watch out for the crazy's that are into voodoo. I hear they're nothing but bad news and shrunken heads....just ask Beatle Juice.
hello sasha! I hope all is well with you. Your trip there must have seen like it would never end as far as the plane ride goes. I'm almost sure that the weather is much nicer compared to what you left. Enjoy yourself when you are not working. This experience will no doubt be one to remember. Take care of yourself. CraigR
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