I had an amazing farewell from family and friends--thank you so much to everyone who came to dinner and made it out to spend some time with me before I left. It didn't hit me until I was on the plane, however, that I really wasn't sure when I would ever see all of your beautiful faces again.
This morning we managed to fit in some sightseeing--the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Benjamin Franklin's grave--and ate the traditional Philly Cheesesteak for lunch. Staging went well and I feel completely cared for and supported by the Peace Corps as an organization. As for my fellow trainees, I have definitely met some amazing people already and look forward to seeing what we can accomplish in our time in Mozambique.
I'd like to thank everyone for all of your kind words and endless support. The letters, the spoken words, the cards, the fb messages, have all made me smile and tear up. Thank you to everyone for believing in me. I am honestly very blessed to have this opportunity to serve others and to gain a better understanding of other peoples. And this is just part of my continuing efforts to mitigate the many devastating effects stemming from the economic inequalities which have manifested themselves in the regions of the world oppressed by colonial and neocolonial institutions.
For my first 10 weeks I will be training just outside of Maputo, Mozambique before swearing in as a volunteer in December and being sent to my site for the next two years. My August post has the address to reach me during this time, so you can send letters, etc. to the PO Box listed there. If you are ever sending packages, apparently writing "Jesus Saves" or "Irma" before my name will guilt people into not stealing anything that you send. So Tapatio should be okay :)
Hope to write again soon!!
Love you all and take care.
