HOT

I spent 5 days with my new family in Cariari. And I just want you all to know that when I move there on September 16, I will officially be changing from the Posh Corps to the Peace Corps.

Living Conditions: Don’t get me wrong – I have everything I need. I have my own room with a door that closes and locks. My family was so sweet to provide me with a full size bed and a little piece of furniture to store my clothes. I have electricity and an indoor bathroom. I have more than a lot of people in the world. I am still spoiled. I know.

Weather: But, it is soooooooooooooooooo HOT. Between noon and 3 o’clock, I literally could not move. I sat in a chair and I sweated. I thought to myself "I could read." or "I could write a letter." or "I have that Peace Corps work to complete." – but I could not. It was too hot to inspire myself to move, much less be productive. A fan – didn’t help. Still sweating. A cold shower - helped while I was in the cold shower, but as soon as I put on clothes – SWEAT. So, I’m about to be VERY VERY hot for the next two years.

Mosquitoes: Let’s suffice it to say it looks like I have chicken pox. Even on my face and neck. It’s awesome. I will most definitely be sleeping under a mosquito net for the next two years. J

Privacy: There is none. The house is open air. The rooms are divided by concrete walls, but the walls don’t connect to the ceiling. So during the day when there is noise and everyone is busy –its not really noticeable. But at night, when anyone’s light is on, when anyone is snoring, when anyone goes to the bathroom, or when anyone rolls over in bed – I know it.

In conclusion: I have already started experiencing, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." For instance, the first day when I practically couldn’t breathe because it was so hot – RAIN CAME and made everything fresh and clean. And my sister and brother took me on a walk through the banana fields which were beautiful. My brother climbed trees and picked me different fruits to eat. In the course of an hour, my life went from "Can I do this for 2 years?" to "I get to do this for 2 years!". The whole five days were like that – one minute I was thinking "What is going on?!?" and the next minute I was so excited and surprised and happy!
This post only brushes the surface – I can NOT wait to get started. I am excited for the challenges and for the life that is about to be mine in less than 2 short weeks.

(P.S. The picture above does not in any way capture the feel of my five days in my new site. It was a picture we took to display our MOUNTAINS of luggage before we separated! One more thing – before I left for the PC, I read a piece of advice that said "Pack all your luggage and make sure you can run around your neighborhood with it all." I laughed out loud – hahahah – what an exaggeration. Yeh, not an exaggeration at all. :) )