Lipnica Wielka. It is a small town on the Slovakian border, in the mountains of Poland. It has a population of approximately 3,000 spread along a single road (some 18 km long, I hear). On the map it shows (bad construction) only one road into the whole village. What do they do there? I can only imagine. I will soon know.

So I will soon be in my home. There is already an environmental volunteer there – he will be done in March. It will be nice to have someone to show me around.

When I think of Lipnica Wielka, it feels just like all the times I tried to imagine what Poland itself would be like. This time I have something to base it on, but it is still a big mystery. I’ve been told my apartment is really nice – a good thing. Still I’ve no idea what is in store for me. It sounds just great. A small, remote town – isolation. It will be a great opportunity to get to know myself more.

So now the mystery is over – Lipnica Wielka. I know where I am going. My new address is simply: Liceum Techniczne, 34-483 Lipnica Wielka. One street in the whole town! I can remember thinking about what PC would be like in Africa – isolation and such. It seems that I will be getting more of that than I initially thought when I arrived in Poland. One winter evening I might actually be writing by candlelight. A dark evening with a pipeful could be nice . . .

This is soon to become a very intense experience. I am going to be a full-fledged PCV. Bizarre. It has taken a long time. It will feel like it took me longer to get into PC than to complete my service. It is difficult to believe I have been in Poland already for eleven weeks.

I am fairly close to some other PCV XII’s. Kevin and Niki are in Kraków; Melissa and Chad seem very close; a couple of others are nearby, I think. I’m glad I’ll be near people I like. The worst news is that Kerry is as far north as I am south. That’s not good. We’ve become fairly close friends. Poland suddenly seems so much bigger.

It is so very difficult to describe how I feel now. I am so excited, so frightened, so . . . well, so everything. I cannot believe what I’m about to do. It’s the only thing I can imagine doing now. The future is in another haze; I am once again imagining the letters I will write; I am imagining people visiting. Another new start.

My host mother told me that small-town kids are more eager to learn. I do hope that is true. Still, even if the kids are stubborn and belligerent about learning it will not phase. I hope. Yet it would be great to teach a group of kids who really want to learn.