Tiwonana means "see you later" in Chichewa! I've really been practicing -- I now know a few more words than simply "hello" and "toilet," so I'll be able to do a little more than greet a toilet... I can't believe that I'm leaving for staging later on today!! I just wanted to let everyone know a little bit about my travel details and getting in touch with me when I'm in Africa.
I leave this afternoon for Philadelphia, where I'll be in staging for a few days (staging = orientation, going over safety information, etc.). The staging deal begins tomorrow afternoon, so I'll get to spend a little time with Matt and Bethany before I go! On Sunday morning, my training group and I will take a bus to JFK airport where we catch our flight to Africa. We leave JFK at 5:20 PM and fly to Johannesberg, South Africa. It's an 18 hour flight -- I hope they're showing some good movies! We spend the night in South Africa and fly to Malawi the following day. I'll arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi Sept. 30 at 1:55 PM. Malawi is 6 hours ahead of Eastern time.
I will be in the Dedza province of Malawi (not too far from the capital Lilongwe) for ten weeks, for technical, language, and cultural training. During this time, I will be living with a host family and I will not have access to the internet or telephones. E-mail my parents (MorleyMid@gmail.com) if you would like my mailing address (Mom and Dad, I hope you don't mind me saying this... I just know that you know my address by heart)! Dec. 12 is when I'll get inducted into the Peace Corps and when I'll definitely know more about my site -- I'll let you know then how to get in touch with me after training.
I hope all is well with everyone! I will write more when I am able (and when I have something interesting to say).
Tiwonana!
Alyssa
