Cathy's South Africa Blog: January 2011

Almost there! And I must say I'm a little bit proud of myself for having posted not one, but TWO entries on my South Africa blog before I've even made it to the airport. Maybe this blogging thing *is* my jam.

My loving, supportive family dropped me off at the airport at 4:45 am, the busiest time of day at Pasco International. They boarded two flights at the same time out of the same gate when I left, so thank goodness I made it onto the plane on the left that went to Denver, and didn't get on the plane to the right that was heading to San Francisco. I hope that kind of thing doesn't happen in New York tomorrow when we try to board a flight for Johannesburg.

Philadelphia has been great, and much less intense than I was expecting. We only got one shot this morning, but I think we have a few more coming in South Africa. We did end up doing a couple icebreakers, but no name games. Hopefully we can do some more in South Africa, but, if not, I'll just have to find some people to do some trust falls and human knots with me.

Other than that, we talked a little about our expectations and went through some general things about health and safety and the volunteer experience, but nothing specific to South Africa. We'll just have to wait a little longer for that information, I guess.

I'll try to take some good pictures when I get there. I know pictures of Johnny with my luggage at the Pasco Airport will entice some of my 5 to 10 readers, but maybe I'll pull in a few more with some sub-Saharan scenery shots. If not, I'll just post royalty free pictures of elephants and lions that I find online and claim them as my own. Either way, stay tuned to my blog - you're in for a treat :)

Hello, and welcome to my blog! In one week, I'll be leaving for South Africa. Needless to say, I am no where near ready, but I figure I'm checking at least one thing off my list by starting a blog!

Peace Corps isn't exactly known for overwhelming applicants with information (some might say they're a little stingy in that area), but I know everyone has questions about where I'll be and what I'll be doing. So here are the basics of what I know now.

Assignment: Community HIV Outreach Program

After an initial two months of training, I'll receive an assignment with an existing NGO that focuses on HIV outreach to help build their capacity and improve their effectiveness. I won't know much about my job until I actually get my assignment. From what I've heard, there are a variety of partner organizations - some are new, some are old, some are well established while others are struggling to get by. Also, some have had a volunteer before, while others are new to the Peace Corps Program. I'll get back to you with more details when I know.

Staging/Training:

On Sunday I'll be leaving Pasco at 6:15 am to fly to Philadelphia for a day of what we in the volunteer biz call Staging. I'll be joining the other South Africa volunteers at the Holiday Inn for a clinic appointment (shots), some introductory information, some paperwork, more information on getting to South Africa, and of course some Icebreakers (I capitalize "Icebreakers" to stress how much I love them.)

The next day we check out of the hotel at 2am, drive to New York JFK, and hop on a direct flight to Johannesburg. From there, we get on another bus and drive about three hours to a spot near Polokwane to start training.

We'll be in a dorm for the first week, and then move into homestays. Training includes lots of technical training, cultural training, as well as language. But South Africa has 11 official languages, plus several unofficial ones, so part f the plan for the first week includes determining which volunteers will learn which language.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Everyone please memorize this address - it's very important because this is where you will need to send me letters and care packages (subtle hint).

Catherine Sampson
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa

My email is the same - sampsocm@gmail.com, and Skype is catherine.sampson03.

I won't have a phone, and I will have very limited access to email and the internet for the first two months of training. So please don't be worried or offended if I don't respond to an email, I'll be in good hands.

I think that's most of what I know, so hopefully this is helpful for everyone else.

And now, since I usually pick blogs to read that have lots of picutres, I leave you with some photos from my trip to Spain and in and around the Seattle area.

Enjoy!