INTRODUCTIONS, INSTRUCTIONS, INNOCULATIONS

For the last two weeks we've been vacationing in very pleasant weather, enjoying time with family and friends, and not been thinking about the Peace Corps (much). The accompanying photo, taken during our travels, seems appropriate as we begin our service/adventure.

Today, we became Peace Corps trainees. There are 39 in our group; four of us from Washington State, ten of "senior" status, and six who are returned PCVs. A diverse group of enthusiastic, dedicated volunteers.

Tomorrow we fly out of Atlanta at 7:30 p.m., land in Jo'burg at 5 p.m Sunday, sleep at the airport hotel, fly to Manzini at 7 the next morning, and then are bused to our training site. Our training site is in Piggs Peak in the northwest section of the country at about 6,000 feet and we will start living with our host family July 1st. So our training begins--and this is a reminder that you might not hear from us for the next 75 days or so. We'll be in intensive training and who knows when we'll next be able to write a blog or have anything that requires electricity. If all goes well, we will be sworn in as volunteers on August 24th. We are excited about starting our new adventure and appreciate all your prayers and support.

CLEARANCE AMENDED. WOOLINS TO SZ

Bits and drabs of info are trickling to us from Swaziland and we are excited to feel that we are finalizing our packing and other details.
We expect our pre-service training to be in the high veld. That means there is less chance of an encounter with snakes or scorpions, but it means we need to pack for warmth. Winter is just beginning on the other side of the equator and with elevation the temperature could be near freezing. Our weight restriction doesn't seem to be as limiting as the volume or size dimensions.
Cancel the summer whites. We've been advised to not bring anything white because it won't stand up to the hand washing.
Check the side bar for our temporary address. But note, again, it seems very doubtful we will be able to post a blog while in training. Same for e-mail. So we will try very hard to post a blog after meeting our class in Atlanta.
About the Peace Corps:
60% are female; 94% are single; 15% are minorities; average age is 27--median is 25; 5% of PCVs are over 50. So you can see, we are doing our best to push the envelope.

WE ARE GOOD TO GO

There are almost 8000 volunteers in the Peace Corps, so every year about 4000 rotate. We are in Group 8 (the eighth group to serve in Swaziland after a hiatus) and will replace Group 6 which started as a group of 36.
While our actions might not be quite "frantic", our last-minute preparations are filling the days (and nights) with anxiety. We're excited! On the other hand, some things have fallen into place so effortlessly that it almost "seemed to be". So here are the final plans to begin our adventure:

• June 10--leave SEATAC for Newark. We'll visit friends and family in New Jersey, Long Island and upstate New York, until...
• June 23--arrive in Atlanta mid-afternoon. We'll be staying at the Wingate-Buckhead.
• June 25--Staging begins mid-day when we'll meet Group 8, get instructions, learn PC policies, safety briefing, and innoculations.
• June 26--7:25 p.m. we board our flight direct to Johannesburg, fly almost 16 hours and land at 5:05 p.m. on June 27 and spend the night in Jo'burg (in the last rooms not reserved for the World Cup).
• June 28--We fly from Jo'burg to Manzini, Swaziland at 7 a.m. Finally, we'll be bused to our PST site where ever that might be.

If possible, we might get a post out from Atlanta, BUT you might not hear from us for a while. For ten weeks (pre-service training or PST) we will be in intense training and won't be able to access major towns or the PC office. We won't have cell 'phones until the end of PST. The "shopping town" near training has an internet cafe with only two computers for probably 40 volunteers and will probably be closed on our day off anyway. Life is calling--here we go!

MOMO & POPO: GOGO & FARFAR

So what is up with the nicknames MoMo and PoPo?

A little family history will explain the slightly odd nicknames. Gary and I “blended” our families together in 1990. At the time, we had five teenagers/young adults. Calling us by our given names seemed too formal, but calling us mother or father didn’t honor their deceased parents. So what to call us? Lisa, Gary’s middle daughter, started calling her dad PoPo. MoMO soon followed and we have been Mo and Po ever since.

But now there are five grandkids and we get called all sorts of things: Grandma, grandmo, grandpa, and grandpo. Our favorites though are FarFar (Swedish for grandfather) and Gogo (siSwati for grandmother). But as long as it is the grandkids, we will answer to anything.

Debbie

"LIFE IS CALLING. HOW FAR WILL YOU GO?

We now have legal clearance and our medical clearances and all the formalities seem to be in order--up to staging instructions. So how did we get to this point?

On a business trip, the subject of Peace Corps came up while Mo was riding with a co-worker, a former PCV. It renewed her interest from college days, and she learned from Po that he, too, had had an interest in PC. (Po was in the class of '61 when John Kennedy created the PC; Mo trailed a few years later.) Neither of us acted at that time because life was calling in other directions, but for everything there is a season.

Our curiosity stimulated, we attended a PC meeting at a branch library (I think it was in April, 2008), picked up some pamphlets and the application forms. Over the next several weeks, we pondered the possibilities and began filling out the 16 page application, writing our essays, and asking for endorsements from several of you. Our applications were mailed off the end of August. At this time, we assumed we would probably end up in Africa: 37% of the PC was in Africa and our travels indicated our interest there.

On September 29, 2008, we had our interviews, were fingerprinted, and said we would be ready for service in January, 2010. Meanwhile, we kept an eye on Africa and checked out some books from the library to get a head start on learning a language.

On February 2, 2009, we got out Nomination...to serve in the Caribbean. Not only did we picture ourselves on a warm, picturesque beach, but we were told not to worry about learning a language. We immediately began reading about the Caribbean: history, travel brochures, novels, present and historical economics. We became rather well versed on the Caribbean.

Shortly after our Nomination, Debbie had an emergency appendectomy...and then gastric ulcers. We had already seen the voluminous detail of the medical qualifications, but with these new events, we spent most of 2009 working on medical questionnaires. One sticky point was a doctor who "didn't do forms". Debbie finally filled out the forms herself, and took them in for his signature. He graciously said he "wouldn't charge for his signature", but he accepted the bribe of a plate of fresh brownies. Our medical kits were submitted in November.

On January 11, 2010 we were Invited to serve in Swaziland.

TESTING...ONE...TWO...THREE...TESTING

Hello out there.

This is a new experience (blogging, that is), so if you don't mind, here is a test run to discover and shake out any bugs. We have about three months before launching for the Peace Corps, and setting up a blog is only one of a few hundred things that need to be done. Besides the blog, we're anticipating our departure by packing up the house, getting finances and legalities in order, and practicing siSwati every night. From the PC lexicon, we can say "I have a cold" (nginemkhuhlane), "virus" (ligciwane), and "you are welcome" (wemukelekile), for example, so now we're expanding what we feel is an essential vocabulary by adding "where is the toilet?" (uphi umthoyi).

Most everyone we've talked to has suggested a blog. I hope we're up to it. The purpose is simply to keep everyone informed: It should be fun to read, and it should be fun to write. So don't look for any deep philosophising, and we'll try to not allow any complaints to enter, either. We hope to make posts short but frequent, rather than wordy but seldom. We expect you artists and poets will be checking for flowery words and lyrical phrases, and we know that the technicians and mechanics will be looking for misplaced commas and poor syntax. What I hope you'll find is descriptive explanations of our adventures.