Welcome/8201 Miles

Hello!
As you may already know, I will be spending several months in Makuyu, Kenya. Makuyu is 8201 miles away from my home in Cold Spring, Minnesota. This is certainly the farthest and longest I have been away and while I am quite nervous to leave tomorrow, I am also extremely excited. Another American volunteer, Katie, spent 9 months there and says everyone is very welcoming, but that the first week is the hardest. In fact, every long-term volunteer I've talked to says that the first week they cried every night and just wanted to go home. So I figure if I plan on being miserable the first week that will make it more bearable :) As a Resident Advisor (yes I can't believe I am using those skills) they taught us about the "Critical 6 Weeks" -- this refers to the time it takes to fully adjust and determine whether a student will 'make it or break it.' So, I'm going to try very hard to establish a regular routine and get fairly involved within that time period.
My year of service is with a fantastic program called VIDES+USA. VIDES is run by the Salesian Sisters and is an international program in which volunteers from all over the world travel all over the world. The website is www.vides.us and contains a lot of great information if you want to learn more about the program.