A nice, long entry

I've decided to write you all a nice long blog entry, prewritten in a notebook to avoid being rushed at the internet cafe. I've only been gone for a week, but it feels like it's been years since I've really spoken to anyone-maybe because I've had so much to say. It's amazing how much life can change in a week! If this was a vacation or a short trip, I wouldn't feel any compulsion to call everyone I know just to say hello, and homesickness would be a laughable idea. But this isn't a vacation. I will be living here for the next 26 months, with very little hope of going home to visit or having anyone visit me here. I'm doing fine right now, but every day, mostly at night, I get waves of anticipatory homesickness. You can say I knew what I was getting myself into when I applied, and of course I did. I just didn't know how long 26 months would seem at the end of the first week. I can't make any promises that I can do this, and I hope that if at some point I decide that it's too much and I need to come home, that everyone who supported me in coming here will understand and not be too disappointed in me. There is absolutely no way you can prepare for this experience, and no way of knowing how you will feel until you're here. It's a daily, and sometimes hourly, decision to stay. That said, I am still excited to be here, I want to do this, I will do my best, and I have every intention of seeing this through. I went through a lot to get here, and I don't plan on giving up that easily. Right now, my goal is to make it through training. 8 weeks? Now that I can do!
Today was my third day with my host family, and my first without speaking to an American. I think I can safely say that I am starting to adjust. Being in the same room as my host family is no longer awkward, and I finally know all of their names (I'll introduce them all in my next entry). And I am an expert at bucket bathing. For those who think a description is too much information, skip this paragraph- but I know I had no idea what it was before I got here.
First, you heat a metal bucket of water over the fire outside to the perfect temperature. Then you transfer the water to your own personal bucket and bring it inside along with a plastic basin large enough to stand in. I bath (or bath, which is the verb here) in my bedroom, but others bath in the hut or in separate bathroom if they have one. I gather my soap, shampoo, conditioner, cup, toothbrush and toothpaste, place my bucket inside the basin, and then step into the basin myself. I wash with the a washcloth and my cup, then use the cup to dump water over my head so I can wash my hair. Before I had my cup, I dunked my whole head in the bucket, but the pouring works a lot better. Once my hair washed, I brush my teeth with water from my water bottle using the basin as a sink. Then I brush my hair and take out my contacts while my hands are clean. I get dressed, drag the basin to the backyard to dump it, put it away in the hut, and that's the end of the bucket bath. This happens every night, and if my host mom has her way, every morning, too. The best part is that this only uses one bucket full of water,and I feel completely clean. Imagine how many buckets of water we use to bathe or shower every day in the US!
Tomorrow (Monday) starts our real training, with intensive Setswana lessons, cultural field trips, and classes on HIV biology and behavior change strategy. Maybe it;s a bit nerdy, but I can't wait to dive in. Last week was a lot of logistics, procedures, and policy. Maybe now that we'll be getting into useful, applicable training, things will start to fall into place. I'll keep you updated!