Quick update!

So today is our last (half) day is the Issyk Kyl hotel in Kant. It's been a lovely stay- the food has been mostly Russian, so we still have another adjustment to come. We had bath tubs with handheld shower spouts, but the water temperature was always hit or miss. We've started language lessons, which I seem to be doing well at, thank goodness! We had our first culture lesson today, with more to come, but it seems a lot of the culture will be absorbed by interactions with our PST host family. I am so unbelievably excited- this afternoon is our host family matching ceremony! This is a very big deal. This is the first family we live with, so I'll be with this family for three months. The ceremony is somewhat secret, so we have no idea what to expect, but we are all so thrilled! There are other big events happening this year, but, other than the swearing in ceremony, this seems to be the biggest deal. We took a marshutka to this internet cafe, and an older woman tried very hard to make conversation with me, but I was having a difficult time understanding. Turns out doing well in class is not the same as being capable in practice. Oh well, it will come! We are divided into language groups- Casey, my roommate, is in mine, so we get to hang out for the next three months at least! The groups meet daily, and once a week, the whole gang gets together. I am a little anxious about leaving my volunteers- we've been getting so close over the last few days, and I just love them so much. But we will see each other for some time more, which is very reassuring. No trips yet, but when we get more familiar with the area, we are all ready to head for the hills- hiking or camping or anything at all- the mountains are more incredible than google image can portray. Hopefully, I can update you all more later. Peace Corps made cell phones mandatory this year, so they will be providing them but not until next week or the one after. That seems to be the easiest way to keep in touch, but I will try and find internet whenever possible.

I hope all is well on the homefront.
I love you all!

Here we go!

We're at the airport in NY waiting to leave, so I wanted to drop a line real quick. (Who knows when I'll have internet again!) I'm having a great time- I can easily see how my fellow volunteers will become my closest friends. Staging did a great job of opening lines of communication between us all and helping us realize that we really are all in the same boat, and that is very comforting. Training will be a lot of work, and the whole experience will be a big adventure, so I appreciate how quickly we've been able to bond. There are forty three total volunteers and, I think, about two-thirds of us are education volunteers, so we really will be partners in experience. My roommate for the hotels is so positive and sociable. Her name is Casey. She's from Birmingham and went to school at Ole Miss, so the accent is familiar and comforting- along with the Colonel Reb stickers on her water bottle!

Anyways, we are all very excited about this opportunity and ready to get started with our service! I'll be in touch again as soon as I can.

Love to all.