Advice.

I don’t give advice. I’m not wise. But I think this will help you.

Unpack once you get to site. If you don’t, you will always feel as though you are in transit. Unpacking will make things feel permanent, even if they aren’t. You will need this when everything feels crazy.

Drink tea. Eastern Europe is cold. Tea will keep you warm. Plus, apparently peeing makes you warmer. The logic behind this is that contracting bladder muscles uses energy that could otherwise be keeping you warm.

Talk to strangers. This is pretty commonly accepted Peace Corps wisdom. Strangers can and will become your friends.

Go with the flow. People aren’t punctual and pretty much anything that can get canceled will.

This last piece of advice is a bit controversial but I’ll tell you anyway.

 Know when to say when. Early termination isn’t so much talked about as is it gossiped about.  Have your values before you ever set foot in country and know when enough is enough.

Edit: I realized this all probably sounds glib and trite.