Staging

Tonight is my last night stateside. Tomorrow at 3:55 I am flying Delta directly to Amman, arriving on July 1 at 10:35 local time. Yesterday, I took a Chinatown bus up from DC, arriving in Philadelphia at 12:30. After hailing a cab I easily found the University Sheraton Hotel, located directly across from the UPenn campus. I quickly changed into "business attire" in a restroom not having worn dress clothes on the bus since in all likelihood the bus would smell (which it did) and my room not yet being available. After submitting all required documents staging began.

I will not bore you with a recitation of every specific event, but suffice to say, the material covered was extremely general, operation from a macro Peace Corps perspective. Specific information on Jordan, and idiosyncratic policies and practices of the Post will be covered in three days of in country orientation. Staging also served to allow a familiar cultural setting where all volunteers could be themselves and get to know one another without fear of crossing a taboo. On Friday I will begin an intensive, 10 week Pre-Service Training (PST) where I will be instructed on my specific tasks and be submitted to 24 hours a week of intensive Arabic study, which I am looking forward to experiencing.

The group as of now consists of 39 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs), though at number is expected to shrink to 30 within six months. Though I have only known them for a little over 24 hours, andhaven't yet engaged every person, everyone seems very energetic and I fully expect to get along well with everyone. I am not entirely sure when I will have internet access next in order to author another post, but I hope to remain in your thoughts until that time. If you would like my address in Jordan (to send me stuff) please e-mail me and I will be glad to e-mail it to you. Chao.

New Info on Training

Well, as reticent as the Peace Corps seems to be on divulging information, I have finally gleamed some information on my Training schedule while in Jordan. After arriving in the capital on Sunday (or Monday morning early) my Peace Corps class will be bused to Irbid, the second largest city, and located in the fertile north of the country, where we will spend three days in a hotel. Following this, each Volunteer will be assigned to his or her host family, residing in a village outside of the city, but near-by nevertheless. Five of my days every week will be spent in the village, learning the tasks and specifications of my assignment - I imagine this will also involve shadowing someone in my position - with the remaining two days elapsing in the city of Irbid itself. The training period consists of six days a week of training, so I am really unsure exactly where the one day of rest per week is spent, but I suppose I will know soon enough. I am getting quite excited and rather restive in Florida.

Detour to DC

Just in case you couldn't get enough of me, I will be spending a few days in DC on my sojourn to Philadelphia for staging. From Tuesday, June 24 until Friday, June 27 I will be gracing the District with my presence one last time. So if you would like to buy me a beer before embarking on two years of altruism and a lack of self indulgence, please let me know.