Greetings from Staging

Well, I've officially survived the first small part of the Peace Corps- staging in Washington D.C.. We checked in to the hotel in Georgetown by 3pm yesterday, and spent yesterday afternoon and all day today going over basic expectations, cross cultural communication strategies, safety concerns, and logistics for Peru, and generally get to know one another.

So far I am pleased with our group. There are 47 of us, all going to Peru, who will work as Community Health Promoters, Water Sanitation Volunteers, and Agribusiness/ Forestry Volunteers. There is one retired volunteer (see- it's never too late! :)), one married couple, and a handful of us who are over 21/22 and fresh out of college. It's about evenly split male/female, although there are probably a few more girls. I've met a guy from Grand Junction, CO, a gal who went to CU Boulder, and there are a full THREE of us who attended college in Northfield, MN (the other two are Oles). Two people have never left the country. Wow. I've found one other person who has a master's degree, but hers is in Tropical Medicine (cool!!!). The best part is that despite our diverse backgrounds and life experiences, we are all scared, excited, optimistic, and have roughly the same fears. I feel so much calmer knowing that in no way will I be alone in this experience. We may all be crazy, but at least we can be crazy together.

So, I leave for Peru tomorrow. I'll be at a two-night, one day orientation just outside of Lima this weekend, and then on Sunday we go to Chaclacayo to meet our host families. I have no idea what kind of internet access I'll have or how I'll communicate, but I'm sure I'll have a lot to say after my first few days. I am unbelievably nervous, but I think I've made the right decision. As they told us in training today, "You are officially not that person who always wanted to do the Peace Corps, or that person who almost did the Peace Corps, but rather, you have joined the ranks of people who said, 'yes, it's time to do the Peace Corps' and acted on that decision."

One Month from Today I'll be on a Plane...

Hi all. I'm creating this blog as a way for friends and family to keep tabs on me while I'm in the Peace Corps. I'll be serving as a Community Health Promoter in Peru from September 2008- December 2010. So far, this is what I know:

1. I have a two day staging in Washington DC from Sept. 10th- Sept. 12th where I will meet my other Peru trainees, fill out lots of paperwork, and receive more information about what my life's going to be like for the next 27 months.

2. I leave from DC at 1:05pm on September 12th for a 3 month training in Lima, Peru. During this time I'll live with a host family and attend job, language, and safety training.

3. Sometime in those first three months I'll get my site placement, where I will spend two years. Peru is a big country, so right now I'm trying to pack for the coastal desert, the Amazon, the Andes, and the beach all in two 50 pound suitcases. Wish me luck.

My address while I'm in Lima will be:

Sarah Walker, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
Calle Via Lactea 132 (accents on the i in Via and the first a in Lactea)
Urb. Los Granados, Surco
Lima 33, Peru

Looking forward to sharing lots of adventures!