tomorrow!

Well tomorrow is the big day. Here's a quick itinerary for the next few days:

Monday -
Leave Minneapolis at 7am, headed for Philly
Everyone else in the group headed for Tanzania meets up here. We'll do an orientation/shots/last minute paperwork and stay here Monday night.

Tuesday -
Leave for JFK airport, flight is at 6pm headed for Zurich, Switzerland.
From Switzerland we fly to Nairobi, Kenya then take a small plane to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania!

Wednesday -
Arrive in Tanzania in the evening and have a welcoming party!

We'll spend about a week in Dar es Salaam at a hostel while learning some emergency Swahili and more orientation info. From Dar we move to the northeast region on Tanzania called the Tanga region where each of us will live with a host family for 9 weeks while taking part in Peace Corps training. This takes me up to mid-August when we are sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers and move to our assignments (we find out our locations during training.) I'll be doing health education, HIV/AIDS awareness and education with local government, schools, and health centers and want you to stay updated on my journey!

You've probably noticed that I have a new email address, allimjones@gmail.com

And we have an address in Dar for the first 3 months, after that depending on where my location is, this address might change,
send things to:
Alli Jones
US Peace Corps
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

They recommend that you "school supplies" or bible verses on the box because it scares people away from rummaging through it. Hilarious.

That is all for now. Hope you are enjoying your summer and keep in touch!

You've been invited to serve...

It's been over a year since I first began the application process and I still feel like this is all happening to someone else. I have two weeks left in the states before heading over to Tanzania to begin my Peace Corps service. I will be in Africa for the next 27 months working as a Health Educator. I'll be doing HIV/AIDS awareness and education in schools and health centers, trying to learn Swahili, and getting used to a life without diet coke (among other things.)

If you have a chance, look up some info about Tanzania. It is located in East Africa with the Indian Ocean to the east, Lake Victoria to the north, Mt. Kiliminjaro and the Serengheti plains stretching out over the northern region. Tanzania is a very stable and safe county (I promise, Grampa), although very poor and devastated by the effects of HIV/AIDS. I am so excited that my dream to travel and work in Africa is finally a reality and hope you'll check back for updates!