I sit in my hotel bed with less than 12 hours before I leave America.  The only song playing in my head is John Denver’s Leaving On A Jet Plane.  It’s hard to believe this day has actually come.  It seems like just yesterday I was hoping that I would be able to get into the Peace Corps and now I’m an official Peace Corps Trainee, PCT.  Had staging today and it went really well.  All the people here are great.  It seems like this is going to be a great time.

People kept telling me this is the beginning of a great chapter in my life but I think this is far too big to be a chapter in my life.  This is the beginning of an entirely new life for me.  I know that I will not be the same person when I am done with service.  And in no way do I think that this is a bad thing.  I’m looking forward to see where the road leads me.

Well I have a bus to catch at 3 am and a plane at 11 am.  Leaving from JFK to South Africa.  It’s a 15 hr flight, then I have to wait until 1:50 pm to fly from South Africa to Mozambique.  Then it’s time for a couple days in Maputo before they send us out for Pre-Service Training, PST, in Namaacha for the next 10 weeks.  If all goes well during PST I will be an official Peace Corps Volunteer, PCV, by the beginning of December.

Good bye America!  We shall meet again!