The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
I am obligated to post this message due to the fact that these videos and postings are solely my experiences and interpretations of this experience the Namibian culture.
On a completely unrelated note, I found out today from some of my fellow Namibian volunteers (though technically I'm still called a trainee) that I wouldn't have been able to visit Timbuktu even had there not been political turmoil. Apparently volunteers get kicked out if they do/try to go there.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
leavin'...on a jet plane
Well, the day has finally come. It's about 4:30 in the morning, and I've gotten maybe an hour of sleep. In 3 hours my flight for Philly leaves. This is crazy! I'm actually moving to Namibia! In about 3 days I will officially live in Africa. My going away party was yesterday, and it was so nice to see all my family and friends. It didn't feel real, though. I probably won't see most of these people in person for the next 2 years. To me, it felt like any other time we get together as a family.
It was hard to think that this may be the last time I see some of them. The harsh reality of going away for so long, without much chance of coming back, means that some people I love very much may be passing on from this world. I don't think that's a concept that I can really understand right now. It hit my grandmother hard, though. It was difficult to say good-bye to her. I insisted that instead of good-bye, we say 'see you later' instead. I don't know how dealing with death in the family without that support will be.
Not every change is going to be sad, though. My father is going to be getting married, and I'm going to be an aunty! Little Seamus (no, that's not going to be his name, but since I'm sure he's going to be a ginger, it's what I call him til they pick out a name) is going to be born in early September, and I'm going to finally meet him when he's 2. At least I'll get to skip the diaper changing and boring baby phase. I'll get to chill with him once he's able to actually do stuff with me. I worry a little that since I won't be there during those first 2 years he's going to have no idea who I am. I guess I'll has as many Skype dates as possible!
Well, as always, I've left finishing my packing til the last moment. So, for the next 45 minutes I'll be frantically throwing stuff into my (increasingly heavy) bags and hoping that I haven't forgotten something. Don't worry, once I get on the plane I'll realize exactly what's still sitting at home.
Ta-ta for now!
Christina
It was hard to think that this may be the last time I see some of them. The harsh reality of going away for so long, without much chance of coming back, means that some people I love very much may be passing on from this world. I don't think that's a concept that I can really understand right now. It hit my grandmother hard, though. It was difficult to say good-bye to her. I insisted that instead of good-bye, we say 'see you later' instead. I don't know how dealing with death in the family without that support will be.
Not every change is going to be sad, though. My father is going to be getting married, and I'm going to be an aunty! Little Seamus (no, that's not going to be his name, but since I'm sure he's going to be a ginger, it's what I call him til they pick out a name) is going to be born in early September, and I'm going to finally meet him when he's 2. At least I'll get to skip the diaper changing and boring baby phase. I'll get to chill with him once he's able to actually do stuff with me. I worry a little that since I won't be there during those first 2 years he's going to have no idea who I am. I guess I'll has as many Skype dates as possible!
Well, as always, I've left finishing my packing til the last moment. So, for the next 45 minutes I'll be frantically throwing stuff into my (increasingly heavy) bags and hoping that I haven't forgotten something. Don't worry, once I get on the plane I'll realize exactly what's still sitting at home.
Ta-ta for now!
Christina
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