STAGING

Ok So for the first month of Peace Corps training I must say it has been very hard to keep up with the blog. However, I am going to try to be a bit more vigilant with updating you all.

Left-Photo with mom and dad before heading off for the PC VIDA

Middle-All my luggage

So where to begin, Its incredible that I have been here for a month already. Time really has passed by very quickly. I found something enjoyable to accomplish or do almost every day, but for now I will try to update you on the current events starting from staging up to half way through training.

Staging:

Staging was really exciting because it was finally the opportunity to chat with a bunch of the other volunteers that I would be spending the next 11 weeks with in Tumbaco. The day of staging I said my final good byes to ginger, and the puppies at home. Then my parents drove me to the staging in Philadelphia. We said our final good byes, then they sent me off with the other volunteers, although I knew dad wanted to come down, and chat up a storm with everyone that he could. I knew as they were going I was going to miss them very much since I had spent the last few months relaxing at home with them. It was really nice to have that time to spend with my parents and I felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to be a home at least for a little while. To me, family is extremely important and I know without my family I wouldn’t have the strength to pursue such a different path through life. And I think my time at home showed that to me. I am grateful and proud to have their support throughout everything I pursue.

Left- All the PCTs sleep deprived in the JFK

I think the excitement in Staging was also the fact that I was surrounded by likeminded yet different individuals, all with exciting and different stories. That was definitely something I missed about being at home, and out of college. I have found I really do enjoy meeting new people. The day was full of icebreakers and things of that nature. Then we headed off in the middle of the night to JFK airport for our flights to Ecuador. I wasn’t able to get much sleep before the flight so I was pretty exhausted, but I think the adrenaline kept me going. Our flight went from JFK to Miami and from Miami to Quito. It was interesting since I was seated next to another volunteer named Brian from South Carolina, who we nicknamed the Urban Cowboy. He pointed out to me as he was getting emotional that we may not see the great land or touch the soil of the US in a long while. It was interesting to see how emotional he was since it was his first time out of the country. It was a inspiring display of patriotism.

The day after our arrival we had many things to do including Spanish exams. I found out there are 62 people in our omnibus, a pretty large omnibus. The programs are Health, Youth and Families, and TEFL.

Left-- Tumbaco near the training center, its that beautiful

Right--Another photo from the walk home