Ten days to liftoff

Hello again. It’s been a wonderful four months since my last posting. I have had plenty of time to experience retirement while preparing for my trip. Even the blizzards have been fun to watch, knowing I will not see another one for a while.

I leave in 10 days for Washington D.C. to join about 20 other Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) headed for Mexico. We will fly to Mexico City on March 16, then drive to the PC headquarters in Queretaro for orientation and language placement tests. Our host families will call for us on Saturday and take us to our respective homes, then bring us back Monday for our first day of school and to show us the route we’ll take for the next three months. I’ll try not to cry when my host mommy leaves.

Our host families have been asked to speak to us only in Spanish, although they can speak English if need be. I have been practicing some useful phrases: “Lo siento, no entiendo” (Sorry, I don’t understand) and “Vino blanco, por favor.” Kidding aside, I have been studying Spanish since November and have learned enough to not be too embarrassed when I show up for training. I’m definitely a beginner, but won’t be starting from rock bottom.

Training will include four hours of Spanish a day, plus classes on safety, health, Mexican history and culture, PC protocol, etc. We will also meet current Mexico PCVs and representatives from our sponsoring agencies and visit our permanent posts. The swearing-in ceremony is on June 1, after which we’ll move to our new posts. I will stay with another host family for about a month until I find my own housing, with their help and that of current PCVs and PC staff.

I have been communicating with several current Mexico PCVs, who answered my many questions and offered valuable advice, including some for family and friends interested in visiting. Brian Johnson, who is currently stationed with his wife in Queretaro, had this to say (reprinted with his permission):

"There is direct service to Queretaro [Note: The ideal arrival city may be different, depending on my assignment] on United/Continental from Houston and I believe American will start flying direct from Dallas this year. Many airlines fly direct into Mexico City (a 3+ hour bus ride from Queretaro) and Guadalajara. Of course all the beach destinations are well served and relatively cheap to fly to from the U.S. I have also heard about a Mexican airline Volaris that is very cheap and flies to a few locations in the U.S. (Chicago is one I think).

"The primary mode of travel within Mexico is by bus. The Mexican government has invested billions in highways and toll roads. There are many luxury bus lines that will get you anywhere you want to go. Some of the lines in the Central region include Primera Plus, ETN, Omnibus, and others. Travel by bus is safe and typically cheaper, faster, and more pleasant than air travel in many cases. There are states that are off-limits without special permission mostly along the northern and southern border due to security concerns.

“If your friends and family want to see a beautiful part of central Mexico within 2-3 hours of Queretaro the central towns of Guanajuato, Bernal, San Miguel de Allende, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, and others are wonderful old colonial towns with a lot to do and see. We are also very close to the Sierra Gorda mountains with many eco-tourism possibilities. If they want more of a beach vacation you can always meet them in Puerta Vallarta or Ixtapa. Both are beautiful.”

I can travel and have visitors after I settle into my new assignment, beginning in September 2011 and for the next 18 months, until around April 2013, when I will be wrapping up my work. There are many beautiful, safe parts of the country to see and explore. Do not let reports about crime in Mexico keep you from visiting – the distance from the PC posts to the high-crime areas is equivalent to the Midwest and LA or New York.

I have been told to expect regular, reliable internet and phone access. You can contact me through my regular yahoo address (dseigen@yahoo.com) after the first week or so. I’ll post my phone number and keep you updated here. My next posting will be from sunny Mexico, somewhere in the beautiful city of Queretaro.