Departure nears...

Only a couple of more days left in the U.S. until I depart for Tanzania!  Right now I'm feeling a mix of many emotions including excitement, anxiety, trepidation and anticipation.  As I'm packing up for the year ahead and saying my goodbyes to friends and family, I can't help by think of the many things I will miss about life in the U.S. and yet eagerly imagine what my life in Africa will be like for the next year.

A few days ago I received an e-mail from Ashley, my field director, that described a little bit about what my placement will be like in Tanzania.  The school I will be teaching at will be the Mzumbe Secondary School, located 45 minutes outside of the nearest city of Morogoro.  As Ashley has described it to me, it is a beautiful, lush, and expansive location surrounded by the Uluguru Mountains.  The school itself ranks as one of the best secondary schools in Tanzania, with a student body of 689 male students and 38 teachers.  While it is a top school in the country with extremely motivated students, apparently the conditions are still poor.  There is no phone, fax, science lab or photocopy machine and only a few working computers- none of which have internet access (the nearest internet access is in downtown Morogoro).  From what she was told, there were Peace Corps volunteers at the school from 2003 to 2008 and the school is extremely excited to have a new volunteer there to teach English (especially one from California)!

As for my living conditions, I will be in a two bedroom house complete with a kitchen, living room and bathroom inside!  I was also told I would have running water and electricity (neither of which I was positive I would even have in my housing).  I will have to cook my own meals, but that's something that I'm actually looking forward to, and not anything unfamilar to my life in Los Angeles.

Overall, while I've had an open mind about what my placement and living conditions might be, I'm really quite excited about where I'm going to be teaching and living for the next year.  I know there will still be a number of challenges, but it does bring me a peace of mind to know a little bit about what I'll be facing once I arrive.  I truly can't wait to get there and get started, and also post some pictures and videos to share with everyone!

As the last couple of days before departure wind down, I can't help but feel a great deal of enthusiasm about the next year.  Right now I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow volunteers and starting my life as a teacher in Tanzania, even as I'm saying goodbye (temporarily) to my life in the U.S.