First post in Africa :)

When in Africa, do as the Africans do. Well this is my first official blog entry in Africa... and boy where do I begin. 

I guess I will rewind it a bit.... and begin with staging.  I left Sacramento around 8:25am (9/20) en route to Philly... the plane ride was long, longer than I expected since my excitement was at an all time high.  In a new city, with new friends... we set to explore for the little time we had.  The first night was really nice, we had pizza and beer.  My birthday, which was the next day was amazing!!!! My new friends and I went out to dinner at the hardrock where they sang happy birthday to me :) A great treat!!.  It was so wonderful to be surrounded by people who could understand your reasons for joining the PC.  My fellow peace corps trainees are some of the most talented, unqiue and wonderful people I have ever met.

(9/22-9/23) are a blurr of airport, to airport, to check-in, to security clearances, to check-ins, to busses... to more travel......... We were greeted by the PC staff and our welcoming PCVs, Mary and Carlos upon landing.  Time seemed to fly by really fast during the first few days... as we had something planned for pretty much ever hour of our days.  Felt similar to college orientation or that of international study abroad programs... we began our malaria medicine and did a ton of socializing!  I even lost my voice!!! Mary and Carlos were amazing!! They truly are aspirations for each of us.  They both have only been here a year and are already pretty fluent in francais!  Pretty awesome to see what the progress will be for our future (hopefully) :)  During our stay in Yaounde, we got to go to a live television show and eat dinner at our country directors house with the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon... pretty freaking cool!

After our stay in Yaounde we were carted off to Bafia... our new home for the next 3 months.  This is where I met my family :)  I have the pleasure of living with the Jean St. Paul family who have four sons and one daughter.  Ma mere est tres gentil et belle.  She has been so accommodating!!  It's a surreal feeling living with a family in another country.  All my brothers and my sister sleep in one room... I feel a bit like I am intruding but they are so patient with my francais.  My route to school is AMAZING! I get to walk through the jungle :)  It's about a 8-10 minute walk from my home.  The first few days my mom and brothers walked me to and from school... but know I feel comfortable walking on my own.  Yesterday, my sister took me to the market to buy pagne (fabric) for a dress I am having made... I cannot wait :). Yesterday,  I took my first moto taxi... it was a crazy experience!!! Don't worry mom and dad... Peace Corps Volunteers MUST always wear helmets.   Thats all for now.

Well off to practice my francais!!

Love you all and think about you all everyday :)