Ciao America!

"Being accused of enthusiasm is something I'll never live down." - Sargent Shriver

And the journey has begun! Before going to Togo, my group of incoming Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) had our staging event in Philadelphia. Staging takes place in the U.S. before traveling abroad, so fellow PCTs can meet each other and gain a greater understanding about the expectations and goals of the agency. It was a long day, but I had a lot of fun meeting everyone who will now make up my new Togo family. For our last hurrah in the states we went to Chipotle and gorged on giant burritos, finishing the night off with a round of beers at T.G.I. Fridays.

Yesterday we drove from Philadelphia to JFK. On the way we passed through New Jersey, Harlem, and I even saw Flushing Meadows where the U.S. Open takes place! That made me more excited than seeing the Empire State Building from afar. Next comes the waiting. Waiting to board the plane, waiting to reach your destination, waiting to board another plane, etc. I can't wait to get to Togo already! The journey has just begun and I'm already LOVING it! All the waiting is giving us a great chance to get to know each other better, brush up on our French skills, and to sit back and relax before our official training schedule really starts.

last breakfast in America

I'm typing this up while sitting on layover in the Brussels airport. We arrive in Togo tonight, July 12, at 9 pm. Tomorrow our training starts and from then on I will be pretty busy for the next couple of months before I actually get to the official site where I will be spending the next two years. I hope to post regular updates during training, but I have no idea what the internet situation will be like.