Staging at WA DC

So I just finished Staging (really a broad overview and intro to Peace Corps) in Washington DC. I've met the rest of my team (with the exception of one, Steve, who has been stuck in Houston, trying to get here in time. Fortunately it sounds like he will get here just in time to join us as we fly out to Macedonia on Sunday). Our group has really gelled nicely, I like the other trainees a lot. We are 33 in number, being mostly caucasian, female and in their mid-20's. We have 4 older volunteers and two married couples. Geographically most are from the mid-west (Kansas, Texas and Colorado) and a few from the East Coast and Californians and me (the lone Seattle-ite).

I'm doing great. I got into WA DC late Thursday night, staying at a hotel in Georgetown. I have a roomate which is one of the gals that I got connected with via e-mail prior to coming here.

Generally speaking, staging is what I expected, sitting and listening to a lot of PC rhetoric, but it is also great to find out that others share similar anxieties and aspirations to myself and sometimes we've gotten to do some fun activities. The best part has been bonding with my fellow trainees and talking to some staging staff who have lived over in Macedonia.

I'm also discovering that many are less traveled than myself, for some this is their first time outside of the US!

One person, Todd, was previously in the PC in Uzbekistan for about a year and a half when the program closed. So he has chosen to join a new program, that one being with us in Macedonia.

Sunday is when we fly out of DC. Our flight is at 5:45pm local time. We have about a 6 hour layover in Vienna. Our flight from DC is almost 9 hours long. We arrive in Skopje, Macedonia (the capital city of 600,000) at 3:30pm on Monday. (Then we'll take a bus to the town of Veles, 45 minutes away, where we'll spend our 3 months for training).

I expect that they'll be some internet access in Veles.

I'm getting really excited about going to Macedonia. I know it is where I'm meant to be.

It is hot and humid in DC. I'm so glad that Macedonia won't have the humidity they have here in DC. I haven't had the time to sightsee, but that's ok, I'm more focused on the Peace Corps right now anyway. However, the last thing that some of us trainees did Saturday night was go to the (peaceful) anti-war rally where people all over the country have converged, including Cindy Sheean. It seems strange that the last thing I'm doing here in the US is going to an anti-war rally, esp since I'm now a part of the Peace Corps and a part of the US government.

I'll leave you with some interesting PC facts...

There are currently about 7 thousand PCV's (PC Volunteers) around the world serving in 71 countries.

Mexico is the most recent country to invite PCV's.
Ghana (Africa) was the first country to accept PCV's.

1961 is when the PC program began, thanks to JFK (the prez who said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.")

About 178 thousand people have completed their service since the program began. 6 of them are currently members of congress.

58% of current volunteers are women
10% are married volunteers (serving with their spouse)
6% are over the age of 50

The oldest volunteer to have ever served was 82 years old!

There are currently 57 volunteers in Macedonia.