we're here!!

I'm writing this from the Peace Corps Headquarters in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! We arrived last evening at 10pm, after a smooth journey from Philly via Amsterdam. We all went as a group (we were met by Peace Corps people) to our hotel (kind of like a training compound) and crashed--major jet lag. Our room is very simple, kind of like a tiny dorm room with a double bed (and a mosquito net), and we share a bathroom with another couple. We really like our group--wide range of backgrounds and personalities. I'M IN AFRICA--can you believe it?? So we're here in Dar for a couple of days, going through lots of orientation stuff, then we go to Kilosa for 10 weeks of intensive training. Tony and I found out that we will be living together for training--we were initially told that we might not, so we're really happy and relieved. The next ten weeks of our lives will be focusing on learning Swahili, learning about Tanzanian culture, learning our jobs, and learning how to stay safe and healthy while living here. We move in with our host family on Saturday or Sunday, and I'm very eager to meet them. My anxieties are starting to melt--we've met lots of volunteers who are living here now, and they are thriving. Check out the picture of our group on Tony's blog (we took the photo right before we boarded the plane in NYC): www.antnystoney.blogspot.com. We're leaving the headquarters any minute, so I need to end for the day, but I did learn something else today that will make it easier for me to stay in touch: it's FREE for me to receive incoming calls on my cell phone (once I get one!), and it will be pretty cheap for you if you call with Skype. Worth investigating. Time to take my malaria medicine!!