So this journey ends here....

So I'm in Lusaka, in the office, because I am going home... yup three weeks later and i'm on my way back to the US. It definitely sucks, but my health comes first, and in my time here my body has not taken too well to the malaria meds and i've completely messed up my knees from riding for 45 klicks.... then my host stay brother asked me to sleep with him! Yeah, go figure....

So I will go back to the US and get my knee checked out and if I'm good to go hopefully the Peace Corps will be able to send me to a country without malaria where i wont need to ride a bike! go figure...

In Kitwe

So I think I'm at what the PC calls "your lows will be low". Yet your "highs are very high". I havent been at a high yet. I feel like I've been camping for the past week and a half... although the past week and a half have felt like a year and a half. Its crazy how its morning over here, but my friends are out partying because its saturday night in nyc!

Zambia is a nice country, and I have seen so many stars at night, the big dipper upside down, constellations only available in the southern hemisphere. I have seen the milky way, fed a rhino some sugar cane, seen elephants in the wild, and not to mention other insects that I would have rather not seen!!

I am homesick like crazy and well I cant really express that to my family since their reaction is always "just come home"... case in point, last night when i called home, my mom broke down in tears and just told me to go home! Yes so easy to just say come home, but I will regret leaving if I make that decision without giving this thing a fair chance. I have issues with the meds and how things will effect my body, and of course my health always comes first. But I need support from back home... not an easy cop out!!

I'm in Kitwe right now at an internet cafe. Hopefully I can come out every sunday and use the net, but you just never know how things will flow over here. I've been here for a week and a half and it feels like i've been here forever!!

My host family is great, and sometimes the food is good too. Learning a new language is interesting, and the things I have sacrificied are amazing. I hope all is well with everyone back home. I miss everyone like crazy, but just know that i am trying to stay strong over here.

Love you!

And we're off...

So I'm in philly at staging.... there are 58 people in my group!! Yes large group!! Anyhow, this will be my last entry for a while.... we fly out tomorrow and end up in Joh-burg, then stay for a night, end up in Zambia on friday!!! Two days of orientation, then a five day site visit!! How cool is that?!?! Then its training, and we have a 14 day site visit in the middle of it all..... August 14th or 18th cant remember, is swearing in day.... that's when we become official PC Volunteers!!! Right now we're just trainees.... the paperwork has me delirious.... My sister pointed out to me that in my previous blog I said i'd leave behind my oreos... i meant to say that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCS will I leave my oreos behind!! Oh you better believe i took out lotion, deodorant, soap and shit like that to bring my oreos!!

Anyway ladies, gentlemen and others, I just wanted to post one more blog while I'm in the states just to let you know that if you don't hear from me, via blog, email or phone just know that I AM OK!!! No news is good news!!! This is it! START WRITING TO ME!!

Oh here are some mailing tips:
1: Write in red ink
2: Number your letters and packages (separately of course)
3: Write "air mail"
4: On packages, undervalue it (i have pay the taxes when i pick it up); write "used educational books" OR "biblical materials" AND write biblical quotes or say stuff like "May God be with you" Of course I want you to mean stuff like that, but it also helps to prevent hands from going inside the packages!!
5: Once I'm at my official address (the one I gave you all is valid only until mid August, so you have to write me at least once, so i can tell you my new addie, or you can get it from my mom) you can write "sister" before my name.....


LOVE YOU MOM!!
LOVE YOU (in decending order of age): Big Boog, Middle Boog, Wampoo, Wachupita, Frankie Baby, Gordo, Nana & Chris!!!
Much love to my titi, cousins and abuelo in Puerto Rico!!!!
Te Amo Bubba, hoy y siempre! Thank you for everything!
To all my friends who will miss me, I love you too.... WRITE TO ME!!!!


Write ya'll in Africa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its time....

So in 15 hours I'll be on the Amtrak on my way to Philly for staging. Get to sign my life away... JUST KIDDING... meet the lovely people in my group that I've gotten to know over yahoo groups! And then on Wednesday I'm going on the longest journey of my life thus far... 18 hour flight, 7 hour time difference and bam, i'll be on the other side of the world, and on the bottom of it! I went to career day this past friday for my old elementary school, and one of the kids asked me if i'll fall off the earth in Zambia (we were looking at the globe), it was the cuttest thing!! I wont literally fall off the earth, but i will fall out of the lives of some people I leave behind. But only time will reveal who those people are.... Every has asked me if I'm nervous and to be honest I'm not. it has yet to hit me. The PC puts you through so much before you get to this point that I think I'm worn out! I'm just ready to be there and go through this journey... Mi Nena's Journey... I'm packed, I think I'm five pounds over the limit, but oh well, I'm leavin my oreos behind under any circumstances!! hahahahaha... hey i just cant sacrifce it ALL!! People make two years to be such a big thing, and to me it's such a short period of time in the grand scheme of it all.... There is only one thing that will devistate me if it's not here when I get back... and that person knows exactly what I'm talking about! But I'm ready for this, and I'm not scared. God has always been on my side, and He is the one that has graced my life and given me all the blessing I've recieved and I'm grateful for this one I'm about to go on.... So for all of you who are worried about me, DON'T BE... Just keep me in your prayers and I will see you on August 11, 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watch out now, you know I'm going to have a welcome back party!!! hahahahaha

abrazos!

So, I'm back from the lovely isla of Puerto Rico

So, I'm back from the lovely isla of Puerto Rico. It was great, I had such a great time with my bubba. Ima marry that boy one day, you watch! I saw my family and that was so great, because God know I'll miss them when I'm gone! Got back late thursday/early friday (however you see fit), only to go nuts trying to get the last minute stuff together for my going away party, which was a great success! There I am at the end of the night, glowing from just seeing those who came out to see me. At one point it felt like a SLU reunion, there were so many faces from sluville there, it was great!!! Everyone had a great time and I sure did! My mom got me this four pound Dominican cake filled with my favorite, guayava! Everyone loved it, and there were about three and half pounds of it left over!!! I've been eating cake everyday since.... then people wonder why i've packed on the pounds... So now I'm at my bubbas house, taking care of last minute POA and loan stuff. And well I'm just about out of here. I was thinking of mailing myself a letter so that i can not only test how the postal system will work on this end for people to send me things, but to see how long it takes to get there... but also so that i can get something in the mail. LOL... yeah I know..... anyhow, amazingly i'm not nervous or scared! I've been waiting and wantin this for so long, i'm just ready to get out there and experience it. I have 11 days left and I feel like I have so much time... I'm not even nervous about this plain ride.... oh which by the way, I realized that I dont fly into Europe, I fly into Dakar, which is in Senegal, northeastern Africa... coach the whole way.... isnt that going to be just freaking great!!! LOL... go figure. Then we fly into South Africa...exciting. the next morning we leave to Lusaka, and then my new life will begin! Well, I'll try to post some other pics from my party.... THANK YOU to everyone who showed up & the gifts were great!!
abrazos!

off to puerto rico

so here i am in my bedroom, washing clothes, cleaning up and packing.... no not for africa, for puerto rico!!! aaaah yes, going to spend five days with the love of my life, visiting my abuelito who i'll miss so much while i'm off in africa doing right by the world!! so excited to show off puerto rico to him from a nontourist perspective!! so excited to see my fam!! scuba diving, massages on the beach and real pina coladas here we come!! but no fret, i'll be back just in time to shake what my momma gave me at my going away party... i havent put up any pics, cuz i'm gonna put up pics from the party!!! adios!

Too overwhelmed

So I just created this thing, after reading half the posting from the yahoo group, and looking at my fellow pcvs blogs, and i am just too tired from this all. feeling like i'm playing catch up and like i don't have enough time left to spend with my family and friends..... oh boy.....