Staging

So, we just finished staging and leave for Morocco tomorrow.  Because I arrived early I was able to go visit the liberty bell and independence hall in addition to enjoying a Philly cheese steak with some other early arrivals. There were about 16 of us that arrived yesterday and it was nice to get to know a little group of people before another 47 people showed up. 

The best part about this staging (besides that I got significantly more out of it than expected) is what a blessing it is to be surrounded by a group of people that is so excited to be here. There are about 4 married couples, 10ish  people who have been in the Peace corps previously (aka RPCVs,) and age ranges form 21- at least late 60s. There is an interesting story to go with each person and everyone is on the verge of exploding with excitement. 

 We seem to have similar anxieties and aspirations and all of those things can be shared without anyone questioning, “Then why are you going into the Peace Corps?”  At this point we have all shared the experiences of the never-ending application process, jumping through hoops, taking surveys, filling out paper work and now staging. From here our experiences will all diverge but we will always be connected by the common link that is the Peace Corps. How Cool!  It was interesting to talk about how many people hear, “yeah, I thought about doing that once,” when they talk about the Peace Corps with someone. A sign in the Philly airport that read, “PEACE CORPS, never have to say I Should’ve,” just reminded what a great opportunity this is.  I’m wondering if that same sign is conveniently placed in the airport in DC and the other staging cities as well.  It’s  certainly enough to get ya pumped up!