So it begins...

MOZAMBIQUE!

After a full day of Staging in Philadelphia, one last Sam Summer at an Irish Pub in Philly and two hours of sleep, we boarded a coach bus at 2 a.m. to drive to JFK airport.

Staging was a great opportunity to meet everyone in the group and get the initial questions answered. It reminded me of many other trainings I have had in the past: the usual ice breakers, role plays and Q&A sessions. The only thing different about this training was that it didn't end when we left the comforts of the conference room, but was literally just the beginning of an adventure thousands of miles away.

We arrived at JFK at 4:30 a.m. only to lie around on the cement floor until the South African Airways check-in desk opened at 7:30 a.m. At 11:15 a.m. we got on our 15-hour flight to Johannesburg. The flight went by much faster than I had expected. We arrived in Johannesburg at 7:30 a.m. and I was surprised at just how many high-end touristy and duty-free shops lined the terminals of the airport. After several card games and meeting the very enthusiastic missionary group also on our flight, our five hour layover was over and we took our 50-minute flight to Maputo. After a 15-hour flight, 50 minutes literally felt like nothing. Just enough time to eat the cheese sandwich they passed out and we were there. Once in Maputo, we waited to go through immigration and then redeemed our bags only to find out that there was no one there awaiting our arrival. Oops. But, a few people in our group got right on making some calls and tracking down staff to come pick us up. Within an hour, they were there to greet us and transport us to the hotel where we would stay for the next three nights.

Our short ride from the airport to the hotel has been our only glimpse of what Maputo is like beyond the gates of our hotel. It was a lot to take in at first cast under the picturesque sunset. We passed by several makeshift produce stands, kids running with backpacks barefoot in the street, billboards for Cadbury chocolates and Vodacom phones, women carrying bundles on their heads, gas stations and car dealerships. It was a lot to see in addition to adjusting to riding on the opposite side of the road.

We arrived at Indy Village, our hotel, around 5 p.m. Indy Village is in the nice part of town where there are several embassies and governmental buildings. It definitely feels like we are being eased into the Peace Corps experience because right now we are still enjoying the comforts of a full-functioning and flushing bathroom, bottled water, pool, exercise room, maid service and Internet (hence, my ability to blog). I am not complaining at all, but it was definitely unexpected.

It has been really great getting to know everyone in the group. We are 31 in total, all ages 22-28, with one married couple. We are from all over bringing a variety of experience and knowledge. S Club 7's "We're all in this together" keeps ringing through my head because we share excitement and naivety about what is to come in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Yesterday, we had our first day of training at the Peace Corps headquarters, which, mind you, overlooks the Indian Ocean. Tough spot, right? Training has been a lot of information, shots, language interviews and what to expect in the days and months ahead. No big surprises yet. Peace Corps supplied all of us with our own medical kits and taught us how to use our own personal water filters. Today, we learned all about the homestay experience. Everything from bucket showers, to handshakes, to latrines. 

Tomorrow we leave for Namaacha. My lack of Portuguese will definitely make things interesting. In the past few days around the hotel I have really mastered, "Bom dia" and "Obrigada" so at least that's a start.We will officially start our 10 weeks of PST. Monday morning begins with five hours of language training.

One of our PCVLs told us today that Peace Corps service is like a marathon. 26.2 miles. 27 months. Pretty much the same thing. It's all about your pace. 

Boa noite!