Peace Corps take two is officially underway. It’s crazy when I think that this month I would have been COSing out of my service in Sierra Leone and here I am in Namibia, starting all over again. It started out relatively similar to two years ago. I stayed up all night trying to pack everything I thought that I could possibly need into two 50-pound bags. My family drove me to the airport and I said goodbye with tears in my eyes. I flew to Philadelphia for staging, continually questioning if I had made the right choice. I met the people that would become my family for the time that I lived away from home. We got on a bus that took us to JFK, 12 hours after meeting each other and we were off on an amazing adventure.
One bus ride, two flights, 30ish hours of travel, and a small amount of sleep, we arrived in Namibia. We had the warmest greeting from the Peace Corps Namibia team at the airport in Windhoek. The country director greeted each of us with a warm hug. Volunteers and other staff were outside with a sign saying “Welcome Group 44!” We loaded up our bags in the backs of trucks, took a group picture, and got our first traditional snack, a fat cake, which is like an unsweetened fried donut. We all conked out on the bus ride to Okahandja and were awakened by the sound of singing. There was a group waiting for us, singing and dancing. We had a quick dinner before crashing after so much travel.
Since arrival we have had one day of training, site placement interviews, medical interviews (I didn’t have to get any shots!), a walking tour of Okahandja, and hiked up Pride Rock. So far, I’d say it’s been a good 4 days in Namibia and I’m looking forward to the next couple years. Next up: finding out our languages and home stay families today.
