Staging

It snuck up on me. I packed everything in one day and now, as though I only just blinked, I'm in Miami. Departure to Panama is set to take place in a several hours and I can expect to arrive around noon Panama time (they follow EST year-round). I'm normally not one to procrastinate, I usually have my essays done a week in advance! But in packing up to leave, I waited until the day before, cramming clothes as one does an essay. After finalizing my selections I half-slept those precious last hours until it was at last time to leave. My last view of San Diego was the runway of the airport as the morning fog covered the city in its entirety below. One might've been remiss to think they were flying over a glacier.

 

My phone lists this location as San Juan Capistrano, but this was all
I saw from takeoff until we were over Los Angeles (June 10, 2019)

 

Upon entry, the plane was delayed trying to access its gate. As a result of my flights being back to back, I missed my original flight from Los Angeles to Miami. My bag on the other hand, made it aboard the plane no problem >_>. Fortunately, the airline was able to board me on another flight that departed a few hours later. In the end, I made it to Miami, reunited with my bag, and arrived to the hotel where staging was to take place. Upon checking in, the concierge informed me that I was the lightest-packed Peace Corps invitee he had seen thus far. For that, I would like to extend thanks to my sister Anna for helping me pack everything efficiently!

 

The totality of my luggage (June 10, 2019)

 

Staging consisted of invitees in the sectors of Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH). In case you didn't know, I belong to the latter group. In total, we were 45 people. I spent the morning with my roommate Greg, a country-boy from Colorado. We happened upon a Cuban restaurant a couple blocks from our hotel and were surprised that everything was only in Spanish (talk about good practice!). Even more, this likely contributed to the relative cheapness of the meal. Around noon, we registered ourselves for the staging event and met with the many other invitees. The staging event itself was seven+ hours where we went over the Peace Corps' Mission and Core Expectations. We engaged in icebreakers and discussed our own expectations, particularly our anxieties and our aspirations and we learned of the many commonalities that lie among us as volunteers. That is, we each share the same commitment to service, and have many of the same anxieties and aspirations. In the end, the Staging organizers fostered a sense of community among us invitees reminding us that we have each other for support.

 

Peace Corps Panama G85 (June 11, 2019)

 

At the end of the event, we were assigned to groups (by alphabetical order). Each group stood so that its members could identify one another, and then all but one would sit leaving a lone individual who was assigned the group leader. After getting a good look at all of my group mates, I began to sit down only to realize that I was the last one standing... And so it was that I was granted the additional responsibility of making sure everyone in my group makes it out of the hotel to the shuttle, from the shuttle to the airport, and from the airport to the plane. In addition, each one of the group leaders was assigned a specific duty. In my case, I am to await the first shuttle and let everyone in groups 1-4 know when it is ready for luggage-loading and to confirm that the shuttle will land at the correct terminal. Once we arrive, it is my responsibility to ensure that no bags were left behind and tip the driver with money that everyone in the groups pitched in for. In exchange for availing my service as a group leader, I was rewarded with a Peace Corps flag much like the one that is displayed in the picture above.

 

It was a long eventful day which I found highly enjoyable. In just another blink, I'll find myself in Panama. But while I'm holding my eyes open, I must note that I will be unable to update my blog for at least a few weeks as I will not have internet access. Even so, be prepared to wait 10 or more weeks for an update. The irregularity in blog posts is likely to continue for the entirety of my service as I will only have internet access when I leave my site to visit town. Therefore, I recommend subscribing to this blog via email so that updates are received as they come out. No need to drive yourself insane by checking this website constantly, but the waiting will certainly provide a taste of what it's like to be an applicant; the expectation that an invitation will appear in the inbox any day now...