Bulgaria, here I come!

Well, training is all over with - sooner than I thought it would be. We have tonight to see a bit more of Chicago, repack our bags, and get a little bit of sleep before making our over seas flight to Bulgaria, stopping first in Milan for a couple of hours. Our orientation really cleared up a lot of questions that I had about getting to Bulgaria and what's expected of me, but it also created more questions and raised new worries - like packs of wild dogs roaming the streets! Ok - it's not a common occurrence, but it could happen if the dogs get hungry and angry enough - who could blame them? And even though I've put to rest some worries and created new ones I'm still excited to be going to Bulgaria. I'm still not happy about the long flight. Well, I'm a kinda tired and can't seem to think of more to write, so I'll catch a nap before dinner and then work on re-arranging my bags. Our first four days in Bulgaria will be spent in a hotel, and I'm not sure that there will be internet access, so... I'll write again when I can.

The Windy City

Today has been a long day. Got to the airport this morning at 6:00, caught my plane at 8:10, and arrived in Chicago at 12:15, went right to my hotel and started training. (Had an awesome cab driver who is from Serbia, he said that I'll love Bulgaria) I'll be in Chicago for 2 and a 1/2 days for what the Peace Corps calls the "staging" event, or orientation. Today I met my 52 other Peace Corps Volunteers that I will be flying to Bulgaria with. I didn't get a chance to meet each and every person, but I met a large portion of them and I liked them all. We're a pretty big group with people from all over the U.S. - from New Jersey to Tennessee to Washington. Training was only half a day today, but tomorrow will last the full day. I've only been to the airport in Chicago before and never had a chance to explore the city. But this evening, after training, five of us took a walk in down town and went to Andy's Jazz Club for dinner. The food was great and the music was even better! I'd never been to a Jazz Club before, so it was a novel experience.
Last night at the hotel and this morning at the airport were pretty sad moments. Having to say "good bye" is not an easy thing to do. But even as sad I was to say good-bye, I'm still way excited to be going to Bulgaria and be a part of the Peace Corps. I know that home-sicknesses will kick in sometime in a week or two, but for now I'm having a great time getting to know my fellow volunteers and seeing the Windy City.

Leavin' on a jet plane

Well, tomorrow is the big day and I think I'm all set to go. I said good-bye to as many people as I could, took one last fishing trip with my uncle Hank, took one last ride on my horse, cleaned out my car and my room, ate a lot of junk food, and mostly tried to relax. Mom and dad are taking me to Salt Lake tonight to stay in a hotel and then they'll take me to the airport at 6 am. I think that tomorrow will be the beginning of a series of long days. I'm not as nervous as I was two weeks ago - I'm surprisingly calm. Though I don't think I've fully prepared myself emotionally for leaving - I really didn't know how to prepare, so I'll just take things as they come. I know that I'm going to miss my family and friends and my comfy bed too, but right now I'm just to excited to be going to Bulgaria to think about what I'll miss later. For all of you that I didn't get to see one last time - Good Bye! I'll try to update this blog as much as I can.

P.S. to Jason - PCV - thank you for the advise about packing and shipping. My mom has decided to come see me in September, so she'll just bring my boots and anything else that I've forgotten with her.

Packing is a nightmare

Well, I've packed and repacked my bags now about three times and each time I do I leave out a few more things. I don't really need four pairs of shoes do I? And I don't think that I'll really wear that shirt, so I'd better not take it. When I first read the Peace Corps stipulations on baggage I thought "no problem." I'm allowed two suitcases with a max of 50 lbs per bag (100 lbs altogether). I didn't think I would get anywhere near 100 lbs. But here I am with one 49 lb bag and one 55 lb bag. I guess I'll just have to take everything out again and consider more carefully what I really can live without. I know that I can have things shipped to me, but I'd rather not go that route, I'm afraid that I may not get the package. Though I will have to have my mom send me my snow boots because there's no way that they are going to fit in one of my bags. I asked my mom to send my boots separately, one boot at a time. It may reduce the risk of having my boots taken. So, I guess I'll go repack my bags again; I just hope that I don't think of any more things to pack, but of things to unpack.

My first blog

I'd never even heard of a blog until a couple of days ago, when I happened to be searching the web for sites from other Peace Corps volunteers, and I discovered a couple of blogs (or simply, online journals). I found a few blogs by people who are in my Peace Corps group heading to Bulgaria in about 5 days. After seeing them, I thought "Wow, that is a great idea - think I'll make my own blog." So, this is the beginning of what I hope will be a continuous account of my journey into the land of Bulgaria and of my life as a Peace Corps volunteer.