Day 1 Staging, Philly

9/10/2005 10:14 PM

SHERATON UNIVERSITY CITY, PHILADELPHIA, PA.

STAGING EVENT, PEACE CORPS.

I’m exhausted. Somehow I made it to Philadelphia, PA today with at least most the loose ends of business and personal details tied up by 12:30AM today. Got up at 4AM to drive to Lexington, KY with Mom and Dad and flew out at 8AM for Philly via Detroit. I arrived at the hotel around 12:45PM with no incident save all my luggage missing (it’s still in transit as I write L).

Registration started around 1PM. I discovered there was not a group of seven, but 53 volunteers headed to Morocco under either the Business Development or Youth Development programs. We spent two hours filling out forms and chatting. I would say the guy/girl ratio is 75/25 (25% guys). There are a few elderly (like one white-haired little old lady who said she was “going for selfish reasons: when you travel, you don’t really experience a country like you do when you live there” you gotta give somebody that old, doing what we’re going to do a little bit of humor and grace, I guess). The median age was younger, but with a full gamut of overseas, language and work experiences. One person worked with the prosecution team in trials of Rwandan government officials.

During our many sessions (that lasted until after 7PM tonight) I began to realize that most of these people thought a lot like I do in a variety of aspects, in ways that the average American would think a little crazy. We all love weird foods, love traveling, learning new languages, relish the idea of living on nothing in a hut, hoping we can make a little impact among the poor in Morocco, and learn more from them than we teach. They have very interesting stories to tell, and good insight. I guess, what I was discovering was that Peace Corps seems like it will fit me very well. Of course, I still haven’t touched down in the country of service, but my first impressions are very positive.

That is, besides exhaustion at the saga of wrapping up my life in Cincinnati, or the U.S. for that matter. I told Mom this morning that (not in a bad way) it seemed as though I had gone through all the processes someone does before they die. Bid tearful goodbyes, happy goodbyes (because we will see each other “soon”), taking care of all debts, relinquishing my business and all personal responsibilities to several Power-of-Attorney’s, packing up my life as I’ve known it and leaving with little more than my body. Funny, the analogy.

Please pray that I’ll find one good Christian friend. And I’m going to bed!!

Rach