Orientation - 17 July

Dear Reader,
You'll be pleased to hear I slept well under my princess canopy (aka mosquito net). I woke up earlier than necessary at 5:00am so I checked my messages and did some reading before drifting back to sleep.  Breakfast was at 8:00am so I was able to get some rest before I needed to get ready. 
Breakfast was yummy - we had omelette style eggs simply called eggs, a pastry similar to a donut but better, boiled sweet potato and fresh local bananas.  We also had fresh mango and passion fruit juice- delicious! You're missing out on that one for sure.
After breakfast we had a full group introduction including all CCS volunteers, CCS in- country staff and local volunteers. As volunteers can choose their placement length there's a good overlap - this group's placements range from 2-7 weeks. After all introductions were made the new volunteers stayed behind for orientation with Mama Thea and George. I won't go into detail as it was a very thorough orientation meeting.
Orientation was followed by lunch.  We saw (and smelled) our chef Andrew cooking it while we were in the tour of the house.  We had beef stew, rice, lentils and veggies. Another satisfyingly tasty meal!
After lunch we met with our placement partners. I was pleased to meet Evarist, coowner of Hope Haeva Daycare. Evarist and his wife Haika started the school three years ago. Haeva is a combination of their names. He told us all about the history of school as well as their schedule.  I'll fill you in on that later.
I'll be volunteering at Hope Haeva with a family group that came on the same day as me- young Ben, his mother and grandmother. We'll be joining Karen and Maddy, a mother daughter duo who have already been volunteering at Hope Haeva for 2 weeks. This will be their last week. 
Once all formalities had been taken care of we headed into town.  I withdrew some Tish  (Tanzanian shillings) and picked up a pair of Moshi pants since it's a lot cooler than I expected and I can wear pants to work. We priced a weekend safari then stopped at the grocery market.  I picked up some hand soap as it wasn't provided in our bedrooms. I have been leaving my bar soap at the sink and carrying the container to the shower but for about  $2 USD I got a bottle of soap that will last longer than my three week placement- well worth it. I also topped up my snack supply with some cookies, banana chips and ice cream.
As mentioned it is cooler than I expected so grilled cheese and mushroom soup was a welcome dinner.  We also had pumpkin, green beans and onions and salad. Have I mentioned I'm pleased with the food? 😉
It was a full day with the promise of an exciting morning ahead so I decided to get everything ready and have an early night!

Meet the Roommates

Roomie Roundup 

Allison - Allison comes from North Carolina. Much like me, Allison was drawn to CCS by the opportunity to experience a different culture and influence the lives of other people.  We bonded quickly and our two weeks together flew by even faster. Although it was only a short time we had a ton of fun.
Delainey & Dana - The Dynamic Duo
Dana and Delainey are here with a group from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  The girls are extremely friendly and easy-going.  They signed up to volunteer in Thailand through their school and then later found out they would be joining CCS. I'm glad they did.
The four of us settled in perfectly as roommates.  Even though our schedules are different, the time we have spent together has been full of laughs. The memories we are building will last a lifetime. 

Gratitude

Last night I spent a nice chunk of time talking to Rebecka, a volunteer in her third week of the CCS Bangkok programme. She was part of our welcoming committee at the airport.
During our conversation it was eerie how many things we had in common, beginning with our love of elephants and tattoos. Rebecca was writing a postcard to a friend which reminded me that I was going to send a postcard to myself each day.  When I told her she said she had thought about that too until her mom gave her a gratitude journal.  The idea is to write something you're thankful for everyday and on days when you are feeling down you can look back in the journal to pick yourself up again.  I loved it!  I explained that I had purchased a journal for this trip but hadn't been using it because I was attempting to keep up with the blog.  I think my journal just met its new purpose.
This morning I found myself having breakfast alone due to the difference in schedules of the various volunteer placements. As I sat there enjoying the peacefulness of the empty house, listening to the chirping birds, I added a little extra to my grace. Today I am thankful for this incredible opportunity.

Tired in Tokyo

After over 12 hours of flying I was thankful to land safely in Tokyo. The airport was like no other I've ever seen- considering its size it is very quiet, clean and unhurried. As we peacefully made our way from the plane to customs I noticed a young lady who appeared to be traveling alone like me.  I was wondering if she could be a fellow CCS volunteer as I was informed I wouldn't be alone on my flight from Tokyo to Bangkok. While I was debating whether to say something she asked the Delta agent which way to the Thailand flight. It had to be her!  I followed the directions given and hesitantly called her name.  I'm pleased to say I was correct and we ended up walking around the airport for a bit.  Her name is Amanda and she'll be volunteering in a daycare for two weeks.  Like me this is her first time volunteering with CCS and she came with protein bars too. We made our way back to the gate to wait for the plane.
After what was possibly the longest three hours of my life we are finally getting ready to board the last flight. 
Despite my best efforts my body is not convinced that it is 5:15pm. My red eyes are proof that my body thinks it is 5:15am. Six more hours of flying - I can do this! Bring on Bangkok!