mad_maudlin (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mad_maudlin) wrote,@ 2007-08-19 23:07:00 |
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I'm here. I'm alive.
So I got up today at 6:30, did some assorted last-minute tasks, then drove to the airport with my parents andlofro. mildred_pierce couldn't join us because of work, so we said our goodbyes Saturday night, and I think everyone got most of the crying out of the way then. I had big strong mens to help me with my bags, which is good, because they were both nearing the 50-lb limit. There were some tears when I went through security, but fewer than I expected. At least, E didn't say anything about my mom sobbing all the way home...
My flight was okay--really pretty short. They apparently overbooked, so before boarding they asked people if they wanted to take a later flight and get various goodies in exchange; obviously I didn't partake. Instead I got a cup of tea and bought some postcards and a couple of tacky keychains to give away as gifts, as I have been informed that these go over well. (Some guy here says he brought two pounds of prunes as gifts for his host families, since he comes from the prune capital of California. I think a keychain and a smelly candle will be more popular.)
On the flight I sat next to some people from the Urban League conference or Black Expo or whatever was just in St. Louis, and got a business card. I had an aisle seat, but it didn't much matter since we flew through clouds all the way; I worked on the first two chapters of Чук и Гек instead. The approach to the airport was very pretty, though--we flew basically down the Potomac, so I got to see the National Cathedral, Washington Monument and the Capitol through the window, along with various pretty river scenes. Same for the taxi ride to the airport, though I thought the duffle bag was going to kill me before I made it to the taxi. (Solution: shorten the shoulder strap.) The interior of Reagan Airport is kind of an eyesore, though I saw a cute shirt for sale--"I love my country; it's the government I'm afraid of." My cab driver chided me on the weight of my bags.
I checked in and went straight into various activities, ranging from "Yay Peace Corps!" to "Don't let them talk you into killing a bottle of vodka by yourself." We talked about the threat of eating horses quite a bit. There's a girl here from Perryville and a couple of people who lived in the Lou as kids, so I think our fair city is well-represented. I also met an ex-Army, ex-USAID worker, a retired teacher (her comment on the feminine hygiene situation: "There's some benefits to being old!"), a guy who worked for Kill Rock Stars and other interesting people. Afterwards I got Fortitudium set up and went out to aThai restaurant for dinner--I would upload pictures if I could currently get to the cord for my camera. I've got to wear pants tomorrow, though, as all the walking in a skirt has rubbed my legs kind of raw. We stopped by a CVS to pick up some odds and ends (how did I forget pens?!).
Tomorrow and Tuesday are full-day preparation days. We fly out on Wednesday and spend a couple days in a hotel outside Almaty before going to the host families. That's the point when my internet becomes seriously dubious, and I honestly don't know when I'll next update. Heck, I might flake out and be home by Thanksgiving...wouldn't that be anticlimactic?
So I got up today at 6:30, did some assorted last-minute tasks, then drove to the airport with my parents and
lofro. mildred_pierce couldn't join us because of work, so we said our goodbyes Saturday night, and I think everyone got most of the crying out of the way then. I had big strong mens to help me with my bags, which is good, because they were both nearing the 50-lb limit. There were some tears when I went through security, but fewer than I expected. At least, E didn't say anything about my mom sobbing all the way home...My flight was okay--really pretty short. They apparently overbooked, so before boarding they asked people if they wanted to take a later flight and get various goodies in exchange; obviously I didn't partake. Instead I got a cup of tea and bought some postcards and a couple of tacky keychains to give away as gifts, as I have been informed that these go over well. (Some guy here says he brought two pounds of prunes as gifts for his host families, since he comes from the prune capital of California. I think a keychain and a smelly candle will be more popular.)
On the flight I sat next to some people from the Urban League conference or Black Expo or whatever was just in St. Louis, and got a business card. I had an aisle seat, but it didn't much matter since we flew through clouds all the way; I worked on the first two chapters of Чук и Гек instead. The approach to the airport was very pretty, though--we flew basically down the Potomac, so I got to see the National Cathedral, Washington Monument and the Capitol through the window, along with various pretty river scenes. Same for the taxi ride to the airport, though I thought the duffle bag was going to kill me before I made it to the taxi. (Solution: shorten the shoulder strap.) The interior of Reagan Airport is kind of an eyesore, though I saw a cute shirt for sale--"I love my country; it's the government I'm afraid of." My cab driver chided me on the weight of my bags.
I checked in and went straight into various activities, ranging from "Yay Peace Corps!" to "Don't let them talk you into killing a bottle of vodka by yourself." We talked about the threat of eating horses quite a bit. There's a girl here from Perryville and a couple of people who lived in the Lou as kids, so I think our fair city is well-represented. I also met an ex-Army, ex-USAID worker, a retired teacher (her comment on the feminine hygiene situation: "There's some benefits to being old!"), a guy who worked for Kill Rock Stars and other interesting people. Afterwards I got Fortitudium set up and went out to aThai restaurant for dinner--I would upload pictures if I could currently get to the cord for my camera. I've got to wear pants tomorrow, though, as all the walking in a skirt has rubbed my legs kind of raw. We stopped by a CVS to pick up some odds and ends (how did I forget pens?!).
Tomorrow and Tuesday are full-day preparation days. We fly out on Wednesday and spend a couple days in a hotel outside Almaty before going to the host families. That's the point when my internet becomes seriously dubious, and I honestly don't know when I'll next update. Heck, I might flake out and be home by Thanksgiving...wouldn't that be anticlimactic?