Staging and Getting Over There!

I guess this is really kind of where my story begins (at least the exciting part). Yesterday (Sunday) me and my parents drove up to Philadelphia. It was a rough day, to say the least, with a few tearful goodbyes.

Today, Monday, was a day of training known as staging. It was the beginning of preparations for what is to come in Moldova. It included a few get to know you games, overview of Peace Corps goals, Mission, and Core Expectations. By the end, myself and the other 54 volunteers were all beaming. All the nerves and sadness leading up to today has mostly evaporated. I am with a great group of volunteers and can not wait to spend a lot more time with them. After training we went to dinner together and got official Philly Cheesesteaks… it was yummy but I have to give my dad props- his are better J

The most exciting part was at the end, we were given the names of our training cities. I will be in Budesti with 6 other volunteers. We will stay here for training until August 17^th which is when we will be officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers. Whoo hoo!! Until then, Ill have A LOT of language training and technical training so I can be a somewhat effective health teacher.

The nitty gritty details: Tomorrow morning all of us leave from the hotel to take a bus up to JFK airport. Our flight leaves at 5:45pm and 8 hours later we will be landing in Munich, Germany. We have an hour long layover there and then a 2 hour flight into Chisinau (the capital of Moldova). We’ll be landing in Moldova around noon Moldova time (aka 5am Maryland time- ouch!). We have a few hours of intro stuff and then at 5pm I will be off to meet my host family.

On a side note- I managed to pack within the limits (maybe overweight but whos counting) and I dont think I forgot anything!

Fun fact- or not so fun fact- there are mannny wild dogs and they recommend we carry stones in our pockets to throw at them when they chase us!

Well, I don’t have too many more exciting things to say. Im sure the next few weeks are going to be crazy! Ill be in touch again soon!

Moldova? Where the heck is that?!

Most of you probably have no idea where Moldova is. I'd have to say at least half of the people I've told about Moldova have NO idea where it is. Well, its in Eastern Europe, sandwiched between Romaia and Ukraine.

I haven't learned my actual site yet- Ill find out in August- but Ill most likely be in a small town or village. There, I will live with a host family and probably wont be near many other voluteers. (Luckily most volunteers have internet access in their homes so Im keeping my fingers crossed that my host family will have internet in their home!) Most families have their own gardens, make their own wine, and love to cook and eat (yay!). The climate isn't all that different from Minnesota. Summers are warm and humid- average temperature is around 80. Winters are cold and can stay below zero for weeks.

My title will be Health Educator for Schools and Community. I will be teaching health to kids in all grades up through 12th. I will also spend time int he lcoal community health center and probably do outreach programs or a monthly program for the community. I wont have a lot of info on my actual assignment until August.

What happens when I get to Moldova?? I land there on June 8th. From June 8th till about August 5th I will be in training- learning Romanian, cross-cultural training, and technical skills. As of now, I can count to 30, say hello and goodbye, and introduce myself... so I have a loooong way to go!!

Until next time :)

And so it begins

The countdown has officially begun:

2 weeks left of my internship.

4 weeks left of school.

8 weeks left in the United States!

Yes, its all happened much faster than I thought possible, but I couldn't be happier. I have a lot of preparing to do (aka shopping!) and its a bit overwhelming. How in the world am I supposed to pack a year of clothes into two suitcases and a carry on?! Its potentially a girl's worst nightmare! But hey, I think I'll manage :)

I've been given a mentor, named Cristy. She is currently a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) in Moldova and has been such a blessing. Its so great having someone to give me pointers and help prepare me for when I leave! She even mentioned that some volunteers adopt dogs while living in Moldova.... hmmm I think I might have to look into that :)

I haven't gotten the official leave date yet, but I know my first day of training in Moldova is June 9th and I have training in the US June 7-8. Looks like Ill be leaving the 6th!

We're in the process of planning my going away party, so no worries, Ill have many hugs to give and will happily accept many before its time to say "la revedere" (goodbye)!