We've arrived in Suriname and are doing well!

We were greeted at the airport by Peace Corps (PC) staff giving us beautiful flowers. We were then welcomed to the Peace Corps training camp by many current Peace Corps volunteers who traveled into the city just for us (okay, probably also for food and to speak English). Each current volunteer put a pangi around us (which I can use later as a skirt, it is just a bright piece of fabric) and helped carry our luggage to our rooms where there were welcome baskets full of fruit, our medical kits, things to wash our clothes, prepared beds complete with mosquito nets, etc. That was around 1am Thursday morning. Since then, we have been in orientation sessions most of the time, getting to know the PC staff and other trainees (we are not PC volunteers until we swear in around July 20th), and trying to get used to the heat.

Ryan with his pangi showing you our room with our double bed mosquito net. There have not been many mosquitos though!

It is HOT here. It is during the rainy season so it drizzles throughout the day (and sometimes pours), which is a relief from the sun...until the moisture just makes it even more humid. Supposedly, this is the cool time of the year, though, so we'll see how much hotter we can stand it.

Our two welcome baskets and two buckets and scrub basins to handwash our clothes! We have not attempted this yet...

We've been able to get to town just a couple quick times to use the nice (and air conditioned!) internet cafe. It is strange to not know ANY of the language. Even when I was in Argentina and I did not know any of the Argentine slang or understand the accent, I still knew some Spanish. So I could get my point across, read most of the signs and understand a word or two. Most people start to speak to us in Dutch (at least I am assuming that is what it is). Some people know English, like the guy who works at the internet cafe (thank goodness!).

The sun setting behind our training camp

The PC staff is kind and the food has been very good, although repetitive. There is A LOT of chicken and rice in our future, which, luckily, we both like. We are supposed to find out which village we will be permanently placed in and get our cell phones on Monday. However, we're having trouble buying a SIM card for the phone as the little phone store cannot handle the demand of all 24 trainees. Hopefully it will be sorted soon.

I miss everyone back home and look forward to hearing from all of you. We've only been here for about 3 days, but it feels like a lot longer! We will be at the training site until Thursday, then move in with our host family and the real adventure begins!

2 Days 'Til I Leave the Country!

I absolutely cannot believe it. Ryan and I started the Peace Corps process so long ago and every step of the way has been so….unsure... that I do not really believe we are actually starting our adventure in 2 days. Well, 1 day really, as our adventure starts in Miami tomorrow (5/4). I don’t think it will sink in until after we have been in Suriname for awhile.

Our LONG “to do” list is finally checked off and we have been enjoying time with family and friends. We are SO thankful for all the love and support that we have been shown and realize how lucky we are. We have loved every minute of our send-off from CA to MS.

A few days with the Joiner Fam in San Jacinto, CA:

In San Diego for Mexican food and Mulvaney's (my country bar):

A few days in Austin, TX with the BIL & SIL:

Yes, Anne and I rented a giant swan. Be jealous.

And finally a few days in Gulfport, MS and New Orleans, LA with the rest of the Dapremont Fam:

Hmmm warm beignets while we escape the thunderstorm!

My first crawfish boil at the Havers!

I'm just missing pics of the 3 generations of Dapremont men from when we visited Gramps with Doctor Dapremont! Doc or Moks, please send!

Prayers for safe travels are appreciated! Love y'all.

Change is a Good Thing

First off, apologies for not updating my blog recently. The Dapremonts have been BUSY. Busy with what? Preparing to leave the country for two years. It is way more complicated than you would think. 

In case you haven’t heard, Ryan and I are joining the Peace Corps and moving to Suriname for 27 months (a small, former Dutch colony in South America). Adventurous. Inspiring. Crazy. We’ve gotten all of the above reactions. We want to have an exciting adventure outside of the States before we settle down. We want to experience new things and love on others in the process. It will be extremely challenging and, hopefully, rewarding. Regardless, it will all be an adventure.

Ryan and I will most likely be living in a small village in the jungle along one of the major rivers in Suriname. We will learn a local dialect and live amongst the villagers. Unfortunately, our site will be more on the basic side, which means very limited access to the Internet and any city conveniences. So, we will be able to check our email, update our blogs and pick up mail but we are not sure how often (perhaps once a month or once every couple of months).  

So…to symbolize this huge change (and in preparation for the hot, humid weather and having to bathe in a river), I chopped off all my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. I am ready for the jungle!!

Here I am, annoyed with that long mess of hair…

 Now see if you can tell  what is different in these two pics…

I Have Been a Married Woman for One Year Yesterday!

My wonderful and thoughtful husband was secretly saving money for our one year anniversary and planned a surprise trip to Santa Catalina Island, one of the stops on our honeymoon cruise one year ago. It turns out that a 2 hour ferry leaves right out of LA, just minutes from our apartment. We stayed in the enchanting Hotel Catalina, went for a beautiful (and tough!) hike, had a delicious, fancy meal, toured the island's exquisite theater and ballroom built in the 20's and just relaxed along the gorgeous shoreline. It was a wonderful weekend away.

Thank you for being so incredible guapito!!

p.s. Ryan also broke the news that he is learning how to play the guitar so he can play me our song!! He's been teaching himself during his lunch breaks and after the gym in the morning, etc. I am so excited!!

Happy Birthday Husband!!

The love of my life has been on this earth for 25 years today, almost 4 of which I have been a part. He is an amazing man- strong, capable, loving, gentle, understanding, talented, kind, open and intelligent. He truly observes the beauty and tragedy in the world around him while many others, like myself, simply blow on by. Happy birthday, my angel. I hope you enjoy the day, knowing that you are incredibly loved by so many and are every bit worthy of that love and admiration.

And to the woman who brought him into this world and did a hell of a job raising him- thanks Cecile!!

My Perfect Valentine’s Day

For anyone who doesn’t know, I thoroughly enjoy being outside in God’s majesty. Whether it is at the beach, in the water (lake, bay or ocean) or in the mountains, I find His creation refreshing and absolutely awe-inspiring. So, for Valentine’s Day, Ryan and I decided to go to our favorite place to hike and go farther than we’ve ever gone before. It was SO FUN! I loved it! The vast majority of the hike was climbing up a rock waterfall. We also brought delicious cheeses, meat, French bread, fruit and wine for a yummy, restful lunch. Thank you for a rejuvenating and beautiful Valentine’s Day, guapo.

And anyone who loves to hike, we are more than happy to be your tour guides any time!

Beautiful Colorado

Claire and I went to Colorado to visit two of our amazing friends, Alysha & Ara back in January. It was so fun!! My one and only wish (besides spending time with these incredible women) was to play in the snow. Claire and Alysha both enjoy looking at the snow but preferably through a window of a nice, warm building (potentially their one big flaw! ;). Anyways, God sent Ara to my rescue and we set out on a mission to find snow (of course we went the one time that Colorado hasn’t had tons of snow this winter). Much to my delight, we found it!! My high school friends and I used to drive to the snow at least once every winter, but, sadly, I have not been in quite a few years (I know, Kristin, you’re trying to imagine this crazy life I lead). I was SO excited to tromp around in snow up to our thighs, throw some snowballs, make an amazing snowman (his name is George Allen) and, of course, a snow angel. These few hours did my heart a lot of good!

Next on the agenda in Denver was….the rodeo, which, in Denver, is apparently a HUGE deal. Man, was that an experience. I find different cultures and lifestyles very intriguing and I was fascinated! The four of us could not have stuck out more as the naïve California girls (well, ok, maybe if we were wearing pink PETA shirts or something, but we were close). Thankfully, I was sitting next to a very knowledgeable woman from Kansas (yes, who drove to Colorado just for this rodeo) who helped us understand the rules, scoring, and general background of the different events.

Back in Colorado Springs, Claire, Alysha and I went to the Garden of the Gods, a public park with really unique rock formations. Claire and I were also able to see Alysha and Clifford’s beautiful home for the first time.

Thanks to Ara, her roommate, and Alysha for their hospitality and for showing Claire and I around Colorado. It was such a fun girls trip and I love you all!!