I've got my flights to Philly arranged. So the big news is that I have one less day to think about! I leave early morning on the 16th of July and spend the whole day flying to Philly. I get there and the next day at 1 pm we officially register as Peace Corps Trainees.
The ensuing days will be hectic I'm sure as we all try to meet and greet eachother. Only to fly off to Benin the evening of the 19th. After 24 hours of travel and a 5 hour layover in Paris we will Arrive in Cotonou probably ready to do nothing more than collapse on a convienient bit of floor and sleep for a few hours.
All of this has managed to make me less pissed off about the bad news of the last 2 days. My car got vandalised. Yes VANDALISED! "Why?" one might wonder, and perhaps its part of some cosmic process to ready me for the possibility of vandalism and theft in Africa. Or perhaps its some punk teenagers who have nothing better to do with their time than spray paint 'blood' and 'die' on 5 cars in my rather peaceful neighboorhood. In any case, the spray paint came off with an hour of scrubbing using my new fav product 'Goof Off' and after a wash and a wax the car is looking better than it has for at least a year. Overall a learning experience to be sure.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Horrible Heat
I just got back from a 4 (ish) day trip to Phoenix to visit the last of the Family. This trip allowed me to complete two of my goals. One to say goodbye to the relatives I hadn't seen yet. My grandparents etc. Which was nice, I rarely see that section of the family because they aren't on my bi-annual road trip to and from NY.
The second goal which I hadn't realized was a goal until I got there was to come to a fairly pleasant realization. No matter how horrible and hot it seems to be in Africa, all I have to do is remember the absolute heat of Arizona, at 110 degrees in a living room with one fan I thought 'if i can sit here in this heat for several hours enjoying conversation with my family, Benin (which according to my weather book only gets into the high 90s) won't be so bad'. The 20 degree difference in temperature between Phoenix, 110, and Reno, 90, is like heaven. In comparison Reno is cool and lovely. This will be something very positive to remember when I'm in Benin.
The family visit went very well over all, as usual wonderful to see Grandma and Grandpa, who always has a good story or three that I've never heard before.
The second goal which I hadn't realized was a goal until I got there was to come to a fairly pleasant realization. No matter how horrible and hot it seems to be in Africa, all I have to do is remember the absolute heat of Arizona, at 110 degrees in a living room with one fan I thought 'if i can sit here in this heat for several hours enjoying conversation with my family, Benin (which according to my weather book only gets into the high 90s) won't be so bad'. The 20 degree difference in temperature between Phoenix, 110, and Reno, 90, is like heaven. In comparison Reno is cool and lovely. This will be something very positive to remember when I'm in Benin.
The family visit went very well over all, as usual wonderful to see Grandma and Grandpa, who always has a good story or three that I've never heard before.
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