Disclaimer: The written contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect the opinions, policies or position of any institution or individual(s) mentioned herein, including the US Government, Peace Corps, the Government of Namibia, or its citizens. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

Monday, October 31, 2005

One week from today!!

Hello friends,
I want to thank those of you in Richmond (and who came in from out of town!) who came to my most fabulous going away/birthday party on Saturday. It was great to see all of you and catch up with everyone. I had a great birthdy too. My family and I went to tea at the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. It was fancy and quite elegant! Even dad went and liked it :)

Now all I have to do is put all the junk sitting on top of my luggage inside the bags and it's time to go. Oh, and does anyone want to buy a car?

Don't forget to write!

love,
Pam

Monday, October 17, 2005

Flight is Booked!!

My staging kit finally arrived last week, which meant I could then book my flight to Phily! I leave at the dreaded hour of 7am on my mom's birthday. (sorry mom!) There will be an information meeting the day I arrive and all day on the 8th. Nov. 9th, we fly to Johannesburg, South Africa, via Senegal. oooh!!

Each and every day I think to myself, what exactly am I getting into?? But, I suppose it's all part of the fun. I've traveled abroad many times and always have the same feeling. I would never take back any of the experiences I've had thus far. If there isn't an element of fear in what I do, then I become too comfortable. I'm not interested in living a life where I just coast through....

"Do one thing everyday that scares you...."

What about doing something for 2 years?

Monday, October 10, 2005

My address while I'm in Training

Hello everyone!

I wanted to explain a little more about my training period. During the first 2 months, I will learn about the culture of Namibia, the language (I'm not sure which one as of yet. There are many languages, so it all depends on where my permanent site will be.), and how to properly do my job as a Primary Teacher Trainer. Hopefully during this time I will be able to experience different foods - like goat!! I know it might sound a little gross, but there are plenty of goats there, so that's what they eat! I can't wait to tell you what else will be on the menu!

I'm also excited about the music. I am sure there will be much singing and dancing, and hopefully some drumming too!

Thank you to Miss D's class for posting a comment and a few ideas!!! I will definitely take a gift to give to my host family. What do you think about a Boston Red Sox hat??? Thank you for your kind words...I will write to you whether I'm lonely or not!

Please feel free to write while I'm in training. The following address is good until January 1st, 2006. The cost for 1 letter in an envelope is $.80. You should allow 2 weeks for a letter to get to me:

Pamela Lowry, PCT
Peace Corps
PO Box 6862
Ausspannplatz,
Windhoek, Namibia
AFRICA

Once I move to my permanent site to start my job, I will have a different address. After January 1, 2006, this address will be good for 2 years.

Have a great week. I leave in 4 weeks from today!!!

Sincerely,
Pam

Monday, October 03, 2005

Dear Friends, Family, and Healey Students

Dear Family, friends, and friends at the Healey School in Somerville, MA:

Thank you for visiting my blog! I created this for you to know a little more about my adventures in Namibia, Africa with the Peace Corps.

According to the Peace Corps web site, the PC is "an organization filled with men and women who live and work in another country for two years. The people who serve in the Peace Corps are "Volunteers" who share their skills with people at the grass-roots level to help solve some of the most important challenges that face communities in the developing world. Peace Corps Volunteers serve as teachers in elementary and secondary schools. They help communities protect their environment, gain access to clean water, and prevent the spread of diseases. They work with people who want to build small businesses. And they help farmers grow food more efficiently.
Peace Corps volunteers build the bridges of cross-cultural understanding with the people of other countries. They help the people of other countries learn more about who we are as Americans, and at the same time, they bring home with them a better understanding of the peoples and cultures.
The Peace Corps is part of the U.S. government." You can read more about PC at
www.peacecorps.gov

I started the entire process to join PC back in Jan. 2005. I had to fill out a 10 page application, complete with references from people I've worked with saying they think I would do a good job. Once my application was received, I went in for an interview in March 2005. I met with a PC recruiter who asked me very difficult questions like, "how will you deal with being away from your family for 2 years?" or "how will you explain to your village you do not eat beef or pork?" I had to think very carefully about how much my life will change living in a country very different from the United States. I am open to learning new ways of living my life, and after 2 1/2 hours of interviewing, my recruiter nominated me for a "job" in Sub-Sahara Africa leaving in Nov. 2005 to train primary education teachers.

The next step was to be checked by a doctor and dentist to make sure I am healthy enough to live in a country without the same medicine as here in the United States. Plus, there are so many different diseases and bugs who carry diseases in developing countries, which the PC wants to make sure I am strong enough to handle if anything should happen. This was a LONG process, which began in April. I went to my doctor (Dr. Canty!) several times, had almost 10 shots (ouch!), then went to my dentist and eye doctor. I was finally cleared in July!

My invitation finally arrived on Aug.15th saying I was invited to join the Peace Corps in Namibia, Africa! How do you say that name??? Well, after practicing a few times - Nah-Mih-Bee-Uh. And where exactly is Namibia?? If you look on a map of Africa, look all the way South and find South Africa. Namibia is just above South Africa on the West Coast on the Atlantic Ocean. What other countries does Namibia border? The climate in Namibia is VERY hot, as most of it is a desert. But, there are lots of animals there including Giraffes, Hippos, and Lions. Can you think of any other animals that might live there?

I leave for my Peace Corps assignment on November 7th, 2005. I will spend 2 days in Philadelphia meeting all the people in my group, to learn a little about what to expect when we get off the plane, and to get any final shots....then off to Africa!

In the meantime, I am spending a lot of time with my family and friends before I leave. I have started a packing list because there are very few items I can bring with me - I have to be able to carry it all!! If you have any suggestions, please leave a post!

I will continue to update my blog during my service. I will try to post pictures as well. If you would like to write me letters, I will soon have my address up....so be on the lookout!!

Thanks again for reading. I look forward to hearing from you all!

all the best,
Pam Lowry