** Most importantly to all of you, I WONT HAVE PHONE OR INTERNET ACCESS UNTIL AFTER APRIL 2ND (see mailing address below)**
Mon Feb 2nd: Fly to Philadelphia to officially register as a Peace Corps TraineeTues Feb 3rd: Fly out of JFK airport in New York on a direct flight to Johannesburg, South Africa ( a whopping 17.5 hr flight!)
First 5 days in South Africa: Begin PST (pre-service training) at an educational center 1.5 hrs outside of Johannesburg with all peace corps trainees. Each day we will have one-on-one interviews with Peace Corps staff to help them place us in the organization and host family that best suits us.
Mid Feb- April 2nd: Move in with host family and continue pre-service training.
April 2nd: I am officially sworn in as a Peace Corp Volunteer
April 2nd and Beyond: Hopefully at this point Ill have internet access and can start blogging regularly. I'll be moving to my permanent site where I'll spend the next two years living with a host family and working in the community as an HIV/AIDs outreach volunteer.
Well, I suppose that's it for now. I love you all dearly and dont know how I will make it through the first two months without any communication, but I'm sure Ill have plenty of interesting stories to tell by then. I'll be thinking of you all every day and missing you until my safe return! Getting mail is great, and I promise to write you back! My mailing address during Pre-service training is below. Just be aware that mail to South Africa really is 'snail mail' and it could take 2-3 weeks for your letter to arrive to me, and vice versa when I write you back. Unil then, my loves, keep it real. Yeeeeehaw!
My address in South Africa for the first few months:
Heather Brand
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Heather Brand
Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Heather, I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you! I'm really excited for you and admire you for doing something so important and meaningful that most people don't have the balls to do. You are awesome! Love you lots, cuz!
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you Heather. I am going to miss you so much. You're going to improve the lives of so many people, your dedication and selflessness amazes me. I love you! Be careful out there!
ReplyDeleteMy sweet little miss heathery...seeing you leave me this morning was tough. I am so very proud of you. You inspire me.... You worry me! PLEASE be careful!!! I love you.
ReplyDeletexoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxxomom
To all of Heathers friends- Heather has arrived safely in Pretoria South Africa. She says it is a beautiful country. She is accompanied by approx 20 other Peace Corps volunteers and says that they are all very nice and interesting people. Many of them have been to Afica before. She is staying in dorm style accomodations while in training and just took her first "bucket bath".
ReplyDeleteShe send her love to all!
heather my love--
ReplyDeletei am nervous and excited and cannot wait to hear more about EVERYTHING that you are doing over there. take care and as always: be smart.