A Long Day of Traveling...

So today we're headed to Azerbaijan. I've spent the past two days in Philadelphia with the rest of my training group for "staging," which is essentially orientation to the Peace Corps. Now it's time to leave the USA and really begin this journey.

Please don't worry if you don't hear from me right away. No news is good news. When we first arrive in Azerbaijan we'll be in an area without internet access and we won't have our cell phones yet. We'll spend the first few days at a hotel and then be moved to our host families over the weekend. After that we'll have more frequent access to communication via cell phones and internet cafes.

Not too much more right now, but just a recap of the past couple days to say that our training group is amazing! We have 61 people in our group, including 4 married couples and a huge variety of ages. It's definitely nice to have someone (60 other someones) to share those anxieties with and realize that I'm not the only one who has things that are making them nervous...

Check back next week, I'm sure there'll be more by then; after all, I will have traveled halfway around the world, been there for a week, moved in with a local family, and much, much more!

Mailing to Azerbaijan...

For those (and I hope there are a few) who are interested in mailing me anything, please read the following information (thanks to the fellow volunteer who helped with this information):

1. Number mailed items in an easy to find spot. This will make it easier to determine what is and what is not reaching it's final destination.

2. Note: I have to pay any fees levied on packages, so bigger is not always better. Then I have to carry it around with me (this is especially applicable during training since I'm only in the training city for about 3 months).

3. Please don't send expensive stuff. It's very common that I will not be the first person to see the mail (i.e., the mail might be gone through), and there's always the possibility that things might go missing...

4. Mail can take anywhere from 10 days to 6 weeks, perhaps even more, so if you need to get something to me right away, this isn't the way to do it. There are options for getting things to me quickly, but they are quite expensive.

5. Think about what you're sending and consider insuring your package. Compared to what it's costing you to actually send the package, the insurance doesn't cost much.

6. This link is everything you need to know about shipping & mailing to Azerbaijan from the US. Here are the basics: First Class Letter or Postcard will be about $0.94, Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope will be about $11.95 and Priority Mail International Flat Rate Boxes will be about $38.95 (regular size) and $49.95 (large size).

My address for the first three months (through early/mid December) is:

Wendy Walter, PCT
AZ 1000
Main P.O. Box 77
Peace Corps
Baku, Azerbaijan

Thoughts, prayers and love are plenty, but if you're interested in sending anything else I'll try to update this posting with a "Wish List" once I arrive and have a better idea of the environment I'm in...

Moving Day...

So tomorrow's moving day! I'll be moving back to my parent's house for the last two weeks before my Peace Corps departure. There are boxes all over the apartment and I still have lots of packing to do before tomorrow morning when the trailer arrives.

Then I'll spend the next two weeks perfecting my packing, working on language lessons and saying goodbye to family & friends.

Making Arrangements...

So plans are being made, things are moving faster...

September 3rd: Going away party with the youth

September 6th: Moving out of my apartment to my parent's house

September 18th: NKOTB concert in Toronto with Amy

September 20th @ 8:05am: Fly from Traverse City to Philadelphia (with a stop in Detroit, of course. Why would there be a direct flight?)

September 20th & 21st: Staging (orientation)

September 22nd: Travel from Philadephia to New York City

September 22nd @ 9:35pm: Fly from New York City to Frankfurt, Germany

September 23rd @ 1:45pm: Travel from Frankfurt, Germany to Baku, Azerbaijan

Then training will begin...

The Countdown...

So it's been awhile, but I've been busy. I was done with work at the bank on July 3rd - I know that might seem really early since I don't actually leave until September 21st, but I've had a lot to do since then. For the week after that I counseled at High Adventure Camp in Pentwater. It was great! I haven't been at a mainstream camp in years and it was a nice break - can I do two camps every year? Oh wait...

Then I was home for a week. I worked on recruiting staff for Camp New Day in August and on being lazy... Then I went to Family Camp with church and had a great week with friends and the youth. It was amazingly relaxing...it was an odd sensation at camp, especially since it was at the same place where I had just had an action-packed week a couple weeks earlier.


Then back home for another week. That week was major Camp New Day prep.! Finalizing staff, preparing supplies, deciding on evening activities, and on and on. It was a great week...not without troubles and a couple of high maintenance campers, but hey, that's camp. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the experience. After last year I was questioning whether I would even return, but I did and I'm really glad. They're currently looking for a replacement for me, but no one yet, so right now I'm organizing all of my materials to leave for them since the odds are that I won't be reviewing it with them in person.


So after camp was Michelle's wedding - what a great weekend! I'm so glad I was still in the country for it...it was a beautiful day and I saw people I hadn't seen in a long time. Michelle was beautiful and everything went off without a hitch.

So now reality is sinking in...I'm packing and organizing camp stuff. I'm making lists of everything that I need to do before I leave. I gave notice at my apartment. I'm planning to see people for the last time. I went and renewed my driver's license early so that when I return in 2010 I'll have an unexpired license. I'm in Jenison for a little over three weeks. Then two weeks at my parent's. Then it's off for parts unknown...

5 weeks, 2 days...