Moz25 to ground control

Alright, so enough with the deep-minded philosophical jargon about why I'm doing this and the personal reflections about what I experiencing.  Because frankly I'm on this plane half way across the Atlantic to Johannesburg and there is little turning back unless I'm deathly ill or I can't stand Mozambique more than a whole herd of pregant women taking the pleasure to let me know that they are going to "pee."  Plus I'm promising there will be more of that vast psychological mind magic later to come.  

I just want all you beautiful people at home to conceptualizer some of the experiences I'm going through and some of the hilarity that I'm bound to witness.  I will more than certainly be wishing some of you experienced it with me.  But for now this is the closest it can get and will hopefully do.  

Being that I've never flown on an cross oceanic flight before my imagination of what to expect was slighty on and far off as well.  For starters, when I first started picturing this flight I couldn't help but conjure up scenes in my head of Samuel L. Jackson in Snakes on a Plane with that iconic line, "All these Motha F^€%ing Snakes on this MOTHA F^€%ING Plane!"  Also the idea that we were going to Africa and I would problem encounter more deadly snakes in my trip than the sum of my time spent in the reptile room on field trips growing up, it seemed plausible.  And then of course Liam Nessiam, after watching the Taken trilogy more times in the Cougar Hunter with the boys than I care to admit. The epic hostel hostage situation in Non-Stop came to mind as well.  Though I'd vote trump to get a personal recording of him telling me, "Good luck." But I'll do without the plane bomb scenario.  

What I have had to experience though in this air pilgrimage to Africa has been some what entertaining as well.  At least for me. Being someone who enjoys flying, 15 hours in the air ain't nothin to F^€% wit. After being informed of the crippling possibility of acquiring swollen ankles from the lack of movement, struck the fear of having kankles he size of bread loaves in me.  So I've been on the strict regiment of walking around, standing up, or using the head every couple hours.  Safe to say so far my calves have not begun to sag into my achilles.  Second on my air time journey has been the somewhat young and hipster European newly wed couple that is seated right in front of me.  The guy rocking a beard like he's Dan Balzarian and looks like his lankier dopple ganger and the petite little blonde arm piece he has with him.  These two have been exchanging sweet nothings like their in the back of math class, probably my math class, and their PDA (public display of affection) rivals that of the underclass first "love" we would witness at St. Joe High in between passing periods.  And they just went to bathroom, $5 this flight has been christened , what UPP.  Feel bad for Rob, my roommate from staging, who has been enduring their endless love for the duration of this.  But third of all that has appeased me on this flight is the on par food and beverage service we've been getting.  Salmon with mashed potatoes and a lager for lunch, game on. Along with the great accents of the stewardesses. Which I'm sure to hear more of in Moz, has been quite fantastic.  All in all, I'm like a kid who road his first roller coaster, hooked.  And the best part of this international flying is that when we do touchdown, I'm gonna be even more (aye aye) blown away and taken back by the place where we make port.  Can't wait!  And if you can't tell; I'm soaking in all the luxuries into my sanity bank for myself during those expected low points during service. 

Hungry Peace Corps volunteer XXL TV dinner

Not two-hearted or keystone, but it's beer.

P.S. Sorry, Couldn't snake a selfie with the the sweet hearts :/

Yes, it's real.

We're off, out the gate, lit the fuse, in THE FINAL COUNTDOWN to leaving America in the dust and starting our new lives in Africa as Moz25 volunteers of the US Peace Corps.  Even though there are a few hours left until we are really at the no turning back point of take off; as I write this on the bus to NYC's JFK from Philly.  We really in my mind have begun the service.  Staging is in the books and the offer to rethink our decision and feel the gravity of what really is about to be our lives has been told to us and made clear.  That being said it's nice to say I still saw all 63 of us up this morning and willing to through our packed lives on the bus.  We are in it together and that was one of the better things that was clearly made to us at the close of our staging.  No one else, not friends, family, significant others, or phone line therapists will really understand and be able to weigh in on what we are going through.  Even though I'd like to think you all will live pretty vicariously through me in this blog, giving you the sense of sitting on my mud porch with me soaking it all in.  But never have I been in a situation with a group of strangers and very new friends that will have to band together and lean on others to struggle, persevere, and succeed like this.  Which is cool to think that just a group of somewhat young people can instantly become so close just over a mindset and common goal.  

A quote that one of our staging instructors had said that almost brought this whole idea of what I'm doing onto a whole other mindset level was, "while some of you have been waiting almost even three years to serve in the Peace Corps, you need to think about the communities you will be serving and that they also have been waiting a long time for you to arrive and help them," which caught me by surprise because I never occurred to me to of it being that serious for those people too.  Being kind of selfish I really had thought mostly of myself having to give up things and put forth the time and effort. Though she continued with, "and if you are to ET(early terminate) and leave, think of how they might take that.  As if they screwed up, made you unhappy or unwelcome and messed up with a person they had hoped for a good while to be in their community."  So already I feel more responsibility and sense of purpose for this than I had ever previously though about.  Which with as much pressure as it adds on my conscious, it feels a lot better to have than to not.  Giving me some more confidence and determination for this role I'm looking to step into.  

So next time I post in this, it will probably be from the good ole continent of Africa.  Excited for this 17 hour flight, being my only previous preparations of 2 hr max flights to condition me; it should be a blast! 

Deuces!

 Yeah.

The great migration begins, 

By waiting for the terminal to open.

Sundays

I've never really liked Sundays, the start of a new week and the end of the relaxing weekend along with more homework more errands mo problems less money. Whether it was a Sunday in high school and a full day of classes to come loomed over my head or in college and a late night of studying was probably needed from the neglectful weekend filled with road trips, regattas, or a legendary Cougar Hunter banger.  Either way many Sundays all felt pretty similar and predictable of what they would hold. 

This last Sunday was different though, despite waking up and heading to the 11 o'clock mass at St. Bernard's with the rest of the Radenbaugh and visiting Flores clan, the predictability was gone after that. Which was a weird feeling, like the stuff you get before a drop of a roller coaster or the moment before meeting a blind date. My mind was restless as the thought of what's next began to sink in and really I have no clue to what I am truly about to experience this next week. Yeah, I know my itinerary and plans of where I'll be but everything in between is a great big blank and there's nothing I can expect for sure. I'm excited to meet my fellow volunteers, worried I'll do well at this, nervous to take the first step off the ledge of certainty and free fall into a world completely different from anything I've every been apart of.  

But I know these feelings are good, they are what I've chased for most of my life and reveled in these moments when I have experienced similar emotions before.  So I embrace these feelings and pack my bags like I have times before as this Monday is the start of what I believe will be some unreal journey.