I can't believe it's finally here! I am about to peace out of the U.S. on my way to South Africa! I am all packed and heading to Philadelphia in a few hours. My luggage all fit into one big black duffel bag, one medium sized sports bag, and a backpack. It does not look like enough stuff for two years, but I'll make it work. Staging starts tomorrow in Philadelphia where I will get vaccinations, my passport, an introduction to the Peace Corps, and whatever else. Then we leave Wednesday morning to depart to Johannesburg! I'm quite excited, a bit nervous and anxious as well. Thanks to everyone who came to my going away party, it was great to see you! I'll update again as soon as I can!
Peace,
Maggie
P.S. Here's my Peace Corps address for sending me letters or packages in South Africa:
Maggie McDonald, PCV
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Keep in mind that it will usually take about a month to get to me, so perishables might not be a good idea, and sending things early for special occasions might be. And they advise that you label the green customs forms with "school supplies," "religious materials," "food," "personal health supplies," etc. DO NOT write down anything valuable like batteries, solar radio, etc, even if they are in the box. You can use generic terms like "electronics."
Thanks!
Maggie
Maggie, I hear you got stuck for awhile due to bad weather...I'm sure that wasn't fun. I looked on the map and noticed there are several nature reserves near Pretoria. Be sure and check them out and hopefully get photos. Your going away party was fun. Your mom did a good job. I'll be missing you but you you will have a wonderful adventure. Two years will go by faster then you think, plus you will probably be coming home in between now and then. Take care and let me know if you want me to send you anything special.
ReplyDeleteLove...gma