It's TIme For Africa!

As I write this my heart is pounding with excitement and anxiousness! With Namtunes station playing in the background I am getting hyped for what is ahead of me! We just finished our first webinar that was hosted by WorldTeach. This was a chance for us to talk to 2 girls that previously volunteered in Namibia and ask them any questions we had. They were very thorough and answered every single question that I was worried about. There were about 10 of us participating in the webinar. Each and every day I find that I am learning something new or accomplishing one more thing in order to prepare for my time apart. During the seminar I learned a whole lot of somethings new.

1. Don't buy or bring anything in bulk
• Namibia has more available than what people think. There will be stores in the capital and hopefully fairly close to our sites that we will be able to get things from.
2. Our main modes of transportation will be a Combie or hitchhiking
• Never be in a rush or have set travel plans as they will always be delayed.
3. Packing a sleeping bag for traveling and overnight stays is essential!
4. Living is really cheap. The stipend will be more than enough to get me through the year and maybe save a little extra.
5. It takes over 10 hours to get from Southern Namibia to Northern Namibia
• We could be placed that far from other volunteers. If that is the case, traveling will be taking up a lot of my time BUT I will become pro at it :)
6. Corporal punishment in the classroom is an everyday occurrence.
• I don't think I will be comfortable using corporal punishment so I will have to come up with new ways of dealing with bad behavior. 
• I bought incentive charts so hopefully positive reinforcement will do the trick.
7. Communication is going to be rough.
• internet is sort of a "pay as you go" idea. You buy MB and load them onto a device that gives you internet. 
• I will be able to chat but won't be able to do much with video or pictures.
• I am hoping that there will be internet cafes in the city that I will be able to get internet that will be cheaper and faster.

There was a lot more that was relayed but for now those are the ones I am focusing on. It is crazy to think that Thanksgiving is here and Christmas is just right around the corner. Usually these are glorious holidays and still are but this year they bring a whole new feeling. The feeling that my time here in the U.S. is counting down even more rapidly.

My shots are complete, prescriptions are filled, suitcases are beginning to be packed and the occasional tears are beginning to escape.

Happy a Happy Thanksgiving!

Are you ready?

I have heard this question more times than I can count in the past few weeks; are you ready? I don't know how to answer that question. Am I ready? Am I ready for a year without my family and friends; a year without "normal"; a year full of challenges that I can't even imagine. Am I ready? I don't think I will ever be fully ready to leave what is familiar to me. The friendships and bonds that I have formed since coming home are making it that much harder to leave in December. As time winds down, 54 days, I try to push the feelings away more. I think writing this is the first time I have started to tear up thinking about the impending departure. I am as ready as I am going to be. My paperwork is submitted for my visa and it is in the midst of being processed. Almost all the clothes I will need are bought. I have my short-wave radio (thanks dad) to bring down with me as well as my snake bite kit :). Save for a list that my amazon-crazy dad compiled I have everything checked off. With the storm that just hit I had to re-schedule my vaccinations but in 2 weeks those will be done! My flight, as mentioned in my previous post, is booked. I go into the city on the 29th for a pre-departure orientation and then fly out on the 30th. I have friended a few girls on facebook that will be heading over to Namibia with me. It is nice to start bouncing ideas, feelings, and worries off other people who are in the same boat as I am. These are the girls that will become my support and family for the next year and beyond.
Namibia will be a whole new, fresh, clean slate for me to discover who I am. I think I am going to come back with a completely different perspective on life and I am so excited to discover what that is. I am going to grow and change in ways I never thought I could!
I am starting to think through packing and making many lists; I LOVE lists :D I will begin to seriously pack after Thanksgiving so it gives me time to weed through things and pack what I really need/want. It is a year people, A YEAR!!, imagine all the things you use in a year and try packing those in a suitcase :). It will definitely be interesting and I will be sure to post pictures of my overflowing suitcases. For now, I am working and enjoying my last couple days on Long Island.