Blog

Dear family and friends,

I have been in Zimbabwe for an entire week!  It is amazing how fast my time has gone so far.  I am not sure how to best describe the first week because so much has happened, here is my attempt at a summary:)

After 2 days of travel Devon (another salter) and I arrived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on a Friday afternoon.  After smooth  but long travels we were happy that are bodies were finally present in Bulawayo.  The first two days were spent with our amazing MCC reps and their family.  We rested, ate food and were taken on some tours of the city and even to our places of employment for the next year.  It was fun to visit the Sandra Jones Centre and see where I will be living and working during the week, a little overwhelming too, but I mostly feel excited.

On Sunday we left for our MCC team retreat in Kariba; a beautiful location in northern Zim.  It took a very long time to get there as Kariba is near the border of Zambia.  It was worth the long drive, Kariba was beautiful. We stayed in a lovely house with views of the mountains and Kariba Lake. During our retreat we spent the mornings learning and sharing together, the afternoons exploring and the evenings were filled with games and laughter.  Our afternoon  explorations took us to a Dam Wall on the Zambezi River, to a Game Park and on a Boat Trip. We spotted Zebras, Hippos, Elephants, Crocodiles, many birds and my favorite, the Baboon!   My childhood dreams were fulfilled as I spotted baboons in the wild.  If only I could bring one home:)

In the next few days we will be doing our in-country orientation. It will be a lot of information but I am sure will ultimately be extremely helpful.  I wish to be in better touch with you all but I have been very busy this first week and have not had much internet access.  As I get a bit more settled in I will continue to discover the best ways to stay connected with you all! I truly miss you all and am deeply grateful for your continued thoughts, prayers and support from afar.

Much love from Zimbabwe
Love, Elena

p.s. I will post pictures when I can figure out how to post them!

Zimbabwe!

In just a few weeks, on August 14, I will be going to MCC SALT orientation in Akron, Pennsylvania and then to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on August 21,  for my 1 year SALT term!

If you are interested here is the website of the Centre where I will be working:  http://www.sandrajonescentre.org/

Also, listen to some current news from the Zimbabwe elections:
 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=207458043