I'm in Panama!!!!

Written: 1/12/12 in the morning

I made it to Panama!! Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) Group 70 landed around 3:00 pm on Wednesday the 11^th, and we were promptly greeted by Joel Alvarez, the Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) for the Teaching English sector (TE), then by Brandon Valentine, the Training Director (this one doesn’t need an acronym). It’s been great so far, but let me backtrack a little.

First of all, it seems much longer ago that I boarded the plane in charlotte than just two and a half days. It was an early flight, but fairly smooth, and immediately when I landed I met up with another PCT in the airport and we navigated to the shuttle together. Of course as soon as we sat down we realized that there were 3 other PCTs on the shuttle as well – one who knows my friend Carol from home! When we got to the hotel, we checked in and I was able to relax in my room for a couple of hours before Staging started. Staging included waiting a long time to hand in paperwork, receive our new passports and some ice breakers before a long session of information regarding PC expectations, our expectations and fears, along with safety and security information. The facilitator, Emily, is an returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) from Panama, so it was great to hear some first-hand stories.

It has been wonderful to meet the other PCTs. They are all super nice, and it’s great to be around people who are all in the same situation. Though that’s not to say the past few days haven’t had their ups and downs.

Kelsey, a friend from home, was sweet enough to contact a lot of my friends to write me plane letters, which were absolutely wonderful, though they did make me a bit sad the night in Miami and in the airport the next day. The morning we actually left for Panama was full of anxiety and some sadness for me, but once the plane came into sight of Panama, I got really excited. Being with all of the other PCTs during was really great at getting me excited too. Our whole group is full of awesome people, and we are from ALL OVER, but it’s interesting how we are bonding quickly though. I guess it comes from being thrown into the unknown together.

Once we got to Panama, we were put on buses and transported to the PC office and to our housing, schlepping all of our stuff up to our rooms. I’m living in a little villa with 3 other girls and 1 guy. Us girls are sharing 2 rooms on the third floor, and the guy has a little room on the bottom floor. I’m with all of the other TE PCTs, and all of the others (Community Environmental Conservation – CEC) are in a hotel just a little ways away.

Today was full of lots of information sessions, walking back and forth from the villas for meal, which are all being catered by PC which is great, and lots of forms – typical government haha. The next few days will bring some more of this, but also a site visit to a PCV! Which will be really exciting.

Panama is gorgeous so far. And the weather is great. We’ve been inside during the hottest part of the day, but walking around during lunchtime it was pretty warm. Thankfully right now there seems to be a decent breeze most of the time, even though it is pretty warm and humid.

That’s about it for now, but my goal is to try to blog every two or three days, and post when I can access internet.

Thanks again to all of you who wrote me letters – I will keep them with me throughout my time here!

Lots of love and besos de Panamá!