Hopes, Expectations

In three days from this moment I will arrive in Nairobi to begin my two years and three months of service. In all honesty, I don't really believe I'm going. It's hard to wrap my head around being without all the comforts I have grown accustomed to, not to mention being without the people I have grown to love. When will be the next time I have strawberries? A hot, wasteful shower? Swim in a pool? Hear my mother's voice? Already I am nostalgic for the things of America, yet I am just in Pittsburgh, awaiting my staging tomorrow in Philadelphia. Last week I filled my last tank of gas at a shell station: $2.97 per gallon. At In-n-out burger, a Double Double cost $3.05. Stamps are currently $0.44. How much will prices change in a couple years? Still, my excitement builds with each passing minute. It will be the first time I visit the southern hemisphere, and the first time I travel alone without a cell phone.
My expectations of Africa are outrageous. I have this vision that as we arrive in Nairobi International Airport, we will be greeted by a Ladysmith Black Mambazo serenade while trained elephants unload our baggage. We ride on the backs of giraffes through golden plains, wearing safari garb and counting the leopards we spot. When we arrive at our village, almost naked pot-bellied children run to greet us with huge smiles, their bright teeth sharply contrasting against their deep black complexion.
This will obviously not be the case. I should expect poor living conditions, unbearable heat, and HIV-infected children. My biggest fear as a Peace Corps Volunteer is that I am ineffective at bringing about assistance to those around me. Many suffer from numerous medical conditions, and I am no doctor. Malaria kills 1 million people per year, and in Africa it is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in children. The only thing I am infected with is enthusiasm. With hope, the malaria-bearing mosquitoes wont be the only ones contagious.