Initial Orientation

I've been here for four full days now. Time is going by very slowly as everything is still so new and I don't feel very busy yet.

We've been having full days of training sessions. Health and safety sessions, including a hillarious demonstration (well, simulation) of how to use an Asian toilet and collect a stool sample. Sessions about Peace Corps policies and the process that most Volunteers go through after arriving at their site. Sessions about the logisitics of the next three months. Overviews of what Peace Corps and the Philippines hopes our work will accomplish. Most of the rest of my peers have been getting their shots, but since I'm mostly set with that, so far I'm feelin' pretty lucky.

We move on to our pre-service training clusters on Friday, and in with our first host families. For this I will be placed in one of two communities on the large northern island of Luzon. I'm excited to find out which town I'll be in and which other Trainees I'll be living alongside over the next three months.

Today, as a sort of treat, we had water safety training sessions out in the ocean. We went out on a banka (common small boat for local transportation), practiced inflating and deflating our life jackets, which we're required to carry onboard, and learned about how to get in and out of a boat and what to do if they start tipping over. A lot of passenger ferries sink in the Philippines, so I'm glad that they trained us in this. Don't worry so much, Mom & Dad!

During down time, I've been learning how to play hearts, and getting coached in how to throw a frisbee. I'm building some good friendships, having lots of fun, and feeling better and better about my decision to join the Peace Corps each day. I feel like I'm definitely capable of doing this, and I've also realized that two years, which seemed like infinity a week ago, is actually going to be broken down into segments for me and be quite managable. Things will probably get stressful soon in the future, but for now I'm feeling pretty good and comfy.

The next time I write will most likely be from my pre-service training cluster. Until then, seeya.