Staging

Our orientation event in Philadelphia is referred to as staging, and it is finally over. Yesterday I arrived in Philadelphia around 10am and unexpectedly met a fellow volunteer outside so we rode to our hotel together. It was comforting to have a buddy so early on! At the hotel we filled out a lot of paperwork and then sat in a room from 2-7pm getting to know each other, talking about Peace Corps, expectations, safety, and logistics. It was also comforting to find out other volunteers were just as nervous as I was. After those sessions, I went into the city to get some dinner with a few other girls in the group. Then we headed to the hotel to relax and prepare for an early morning.

This morning at 7am all 50+ volunteers went to a nearby clinic to get our yellow fever shots. After that ordeal, it was finally time to load up the bus and head to John F. Kennedy airport in New York. And that is where I am now, waiting for my flight to Brussels.

It's finally starting to hit me. When I get on that plane I'm not coming back, at least not for quite some time. It's a strange feeling. However, I am extremely excited and hope that I can adapt quickly to my new home environment. I can't believe I get to call Cameroon home! How lucky am I??!?