Initiate Honeymoon Phase.

After 7 hours of training, 6 hours of schmoozing, 3 hours in a Bus from Philly to NYC, 6 hours waiting in JFK, 14.5 sitting in a plane, 6 more hours of waiting in the Johannesburg Airport, 1 hour on a flight to Maputo, and then two hours in Customs and Baggage Claim...WE ARE HERE.  And my first thought after the grueling, sleep-depriving journey? "Holy Shit, I'm in Africa."  Not the most eloquent way to put it, but definitely appropriate.

I've had months to think about this feeling; to prepare myself and to recognize the significance (at least personally) of what I'm about to experience.  Still, although the thought of leaving always loomed ominously, it never felt very real.  Back home I was still living my every-day life as I would had I not been slated to leave.  I drove my car, ate fast food, watched recorded television and worked a regular job serving people endless amount of spinach and artichoke dip. Aside from the packing preparation I did (which I actually pretty much left til the last minute anyway), that's changed.  This is real.  This is very, very real.  I'm in here, I'm in Africa.  I'm half-way across the world in a rediculous country not one acknowledges. And it's awesome. Thus begins the Honeymoon phase of my Peace Corps service.

Just for kicks, here's a video I shot of our approach into Maputo, the Capital of Mozambique.

We're here for two days and staying in a fancy-shmancy Hotel called the Hotel Cardoso.  It's posh if I've ever seen it.  Ocean view (See Below), nice pool and satellite TV in the rooms.  One last chance to take a hot shower and use a regular toilet (maybe?).  On Saturday we're off to Namaacha where we'll spend the next three months training.

Look, a caption!

And for even more kicks, here are some of my initial reactions from what I saw during the flight and while driving to Hotel Candrive.

• Who the hell runs Coca-Cola's advertising department?
• South Africa is really flat (at least in the parts we flew over).
• Maputo reminds me of Guatemala City.  The slums, the signage, and the conditions at first glance all looks very similar to Guatemala City.
• The Chinese are defineitly here, and they are building.  We drove by a HUGE construction site on our way to the hotel and it was decked out in Chinese Characters and Cranes (the big metal kind, not the folded paper ones).  I think it was a consulate or something, but I'm honestly not sure.
• Traffic lights seem to be obeyed, which really surprised me.  On the other hand, stop signs, when present (there aren't many) seem to be pretty much ignored.
• The group of people I've traveled here with are freakin' incredible.  I like them.

I've been told we won't have much access to the internet during training, so my posting might come more sporadically.  I'm gonna try to continue to write, and then just post it whenever I can get a chance.  We'll see how well that works out.

Now I need to go catch up on sleep.