Staging

The overall feeling: Anti Climactic. You get all packed, tie up all the loose ends you can, make your final goodbyes, get on a plane…
And at the end of the day your in a hotel in Detroit.
Your looking out over a huge parking lot of cars, meeting a bunch of people you don’t know, whom I’m sure are all really amazing people, but right now we’re all reduced to the same old getting to know you conversations. “Where are you from?” “What did you do before the Peace Corps…”
That, and Staging isn’t exactly the most enthralling info. It’s the broad, non-country specific, picture of the Peace Corps to get our brains moving in the right direction and to start to meet or fellow volunteers. For what’s its worth it was run quite well, but I’m definitely jumping to move on.

The ups and downs of meeting 78 new people have been quite interesting though. Trying to find the people who share some core values and ideas or are at least interested in some of the same things is a bit challenging. In some ways I also find that thought revealing about myself as well. It reminds me that I’m already sorting out who I want to invest time in and who I don’t. That efficiency part of me that doesn’t want to be left standing all alone, but also doesn’t want to be just satteliting in a group of people BSing about sports or whatever the small talk of the moment is. Especially because we will only be together as a large group for a little over a week before we split down. (More on that later.)
At times its hard not to let everyone else’s insecurities seep in and feel lost and unstable. For example, my roommate, Adam, who is a great guy, didn’t exactly pack well at 90 lbs of gear and was stressing about it which caused me to question all my own packing choices. It definitely took me the next couple hours to reaffirm my choices. The hardest of which is still the 8 lb. laptop I’m writing on now. I’m still glad I have it. Even if I do beat the odds and end up at a site with no electricity (which I would be elated about!) I’ll just donate this beast somewhere in the Capital and be on my way.

The highs are great too. And quick and sudden and random. Like Karen, who I had not met yet but was reading the paper about the Shavio case and we jumped straight into a interesting conversation about the politics of the whole deal. Life is good. And then take Mike, who I was not very impressed with day 1 but over dinner turns out to be a very interesting outdoors, wanderer type. Life is good. But I still can’t wait to get in Country.

Baby Steps....

I'm finally packed and ready. All my worldly belongings are either in two bags or packed in labeled boxes in my parents basement for when I return. All my finances will take care of themselves for the next two years. I've taken the LSAT and researched schools, and I have recommendation letters lined up and can apply from abroad if I so choose. My truck is cleaned out and ready to be sold and all the other loose ends have finally been either tied up or left to flap in the wind. The only good byes left are my parents.

Tomorrow I get on a plane to Detroit! It still doesn't feel real. By this point in time I knew it wouldn't. I realized awhile ago that this isn't going to feel real until I've been in country for awhile. Its just too big to comprehend and I've had too many things to take care of to really dwell on it. Its living in the moment and knowing that I took care of business well enough for this step months ago, so now I was focused on making sure I have something to return to. But that time has finally come to an end and tomorrow I leave from Staging in Detroit. Wow.

All 80 of us will be converging on a hotel and will spend the next two days getting to know each other and to start to get the introductory business out of the way. We'll be in orientation sessions starting tomorrow evening and running all day Tuesday. Wed. morning we board another plane for the long hop to the Philippines via Tokyo. I don't know when I'll be able to check in next, so I wish you all well and I hope to let you know some of the initial thoughts and feelings sometime in the not so distance future. For right now, all I can do is wait.

~george

Peace Corps Packing List

Everything was packed in the same Eagle Creek Travel Pack (thanks Grandma!) I took to NY and one small backpack as a carry on. I'll also be carrying on a sleeping bag. All together it clocked in at just over 65 lbs. (the weight limit set by PC is 80).

Clothes
2 Button Down Dress Shirts - Blue & White
2 Polo Shirts - Blue & White
1 Short Sleeved Button Down Prana Shirt
2 Undershirts
2 Pairs Khaki Pants
2 Pairs Brown Dress Socks
1 Tie
1 Pair Work Boots, Well Polished. (thanks Dad!)

1 Pair Carharts
1 Pair Grey Cargo Pants (of course)
1 Pair Hemp Cargo Pants
3 Pairs Shorts - climbing, athletic, swimming
2 Tech White Shirts
2 T-Shirts (Where the Wild Things Are, ’98 Macalester Intramural Champion)
1 Sleeveless Hot Action Jersey (white, #8)
1 Long Sleeved Black w. zipper
1 Black Hoodie
4 Pairs Tech Underwear
9 Pairs Socks
5 Bandanas
1 Pair of Chacos

Electronics
’98 Laptop w. cords
Ipod (thanks Aunt Nancy!)
Speakers for Ipod (thanks Mom & Dad!)
Digital Camera
Short-wave Radio
Travel Alarm Clock

Gear
Gerber (Multi-tool)
Small Black Knife
Headlamp
Flashlight – windup (thanks Scott!)
Nalgene Bottle
Well Worn Clipboard w. paper storage
A couple Pens
3 Small Notebooks
Address Book
A Box of Blank Flashcards
Neck Passport Pouch
Watch
Pack Lock
Roll of Duct Tape
Daisy Chain w. carabiner
Small Lighter
Various bits of Peace Corps Paperwork
A Laminated Map of the United States

Entertainment
Climbing Shoes
Chalk Bag (for climbing)
Running Shoes
2 Frisbees
1 Pack Hammock!! (thanks Kitty & Meghan!)
Coraline by Neil Gamian (thanks Bridget!)
Seven Storied Mountain by Thomas Merton (thanks Ann!)
A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
(more books to be sent over later)


Toiletries
Small Bottle of Shampoo
Razor w. Shaving Cream
Bar of Soap w. Wash Cloth
Toothbrush & Toothpaste
Large Pack Towel
Clothes Line w. clips
Plastic Storage Bags
Dirty Clothes Pillowcase (Scooby Do)

Pasabulong (gifts for host families)
A bunch of MN Pencils
A MN coffee Mug
2 Packs of Cards
2 Jars of MN Syrup
A bunch of Post Cards
A MN Weather Calendar

Anywhere?

Background: These are the gut thoughts after our first real time simulation of a multi-victim medical emergency. The first time - i.e. we didn't do all that hot. That combined with a reminder that 98% means hitting the ground. Which is a quote from a book by an extreme alpinist that reminds me about the will to survive. That internal drive to do everything within your power to draw one more breathe. To live loud and to go screaming with joy into the afterlife knowing that you did everything you could to get the most out of your time here and stuck around for as long as possible. I'm not there yet, but life goes on.


If I could be anywhere in the world right now I would be in the Darfur region of Sudan. I would be at a refuge camp where the government armed militia in the hills are trying to kill the refuges faster than the dysentery is doing it. I would be doing everything in my power to be trying to make those people's lives better.

And that's why I'm in Northern New York spending a ridiculous amount of time and money to get a piece of paper that says I'm a Wilderness First Responder. Because the bare bones truth is that the people in Darfur would be much better off right now if I simply took my weight in medical supplies and put them on the plane instead of myself. I don't have the skills or expertise to be worth the food and water I would be consuming on site. So I'm here. Trying to improve my mind and body so I might be of more help to whatever community in the Philippines I end up in. Another step along the road.

Which brings me to another thought. I don't believe in altruism. I'm an adrenaline junkie. For the same reason I enjoy lead climbing, or buildering, and would love to be living in a tent in Patagonia right now; (which for the curious, it is in fact, more than a clothing brand) I want to be in the thick of the worst humanitarian hot spots in the world. Its where I truly feel alive. The difference between the two is that I can sleep better at the end of the day working for the Appalachia Service Project (www.asphome.org) and I can rocked out of bed in the morning knowing that I'm making a difference in someone else's life as well as my own. At the end of the decade I want to know that I've done more than just improve myself and my own life. I want to have more than just a scrap book or cool places I've been or a list of summits I've made... but that would be nice too.

~george

Reading by Headlight

Literally. That’s the nice thing about having a headlamp: The light follows you around emanating from your forehead. Not quite a halo, but I’m getting closer.

Quite the adventuresome evening so far, though I think the most fun is yet to come…
I really had plenty of info to go on, but rolling into a new town at 7:30, after dark is still a little worrisome. I had my plane tickets, a pre-arranged shuttle for the hour trip to Hamilton and the name of the building I was to camp outside of: Base Camp. A great name to instill confidence in any outdoors person. So I got dropped off by Bill and his 11 yr. old son at the gym in front of Base Camp because it has been snowing since I landed and I wanted a warm place to get my bearings. Welcome to Hamilton New York.

Its an interesting feeling being in completely new terrain. Luckily, being in a college town as a 22 year old (who looks 18), I don’t stick out very much. But still, casting yourself on the good will of complete strangers is a humbling experience. Bill told me about the ‘Colgate Cruisers’ who are the free shuttles around the University and to ‘downtown.’ So relying on that info, after stashing my bags on Base Camp’s wrap around porch, I flagged down the first shuttle looking vehicle that stopped on campus. The New Yorker who was driving pointed out the few eating establishments as we chatted about life & what brought him to driving in Hamilton nights & school buses in Syracuse during the day. Unfortunately he didn’t mention that the Chinese place was horrible. But after dinner some college kids did take pity on the kid standing out in the snow and gave me a ride back ‘up the hill’ to Base Camp. Passing from person to person I at least managed to get myself fed and back to home base and my gear. I finally decided to brave any alarm systems on Base Camp’s door and use the code the organizer gave me via email which provided me the warm shelter from which I am writing. He didn’t mention anything about being able to sleep here however, so I still get to face to joy of pitching a tent outside in the dark and snow. Nothing like playing in the snow to start out your week…

A Little Side Adventure

18 days and counting and I guess I decided I didn't have enough to do so I'm heading off on a little pre-adventure adventure. In some ways a bit of a trial run if you will. I signed up to take a Wilderness First Responders course. It is an excellent certification mainly aimed at people who are interested in serious hiking and professional guiding. Working as a guide for a company like NOLS (www.nols.edu) would be an amazing job and one of many pipe dreams I have. Beyond that all that, the knowledge will be handy to know for life in the rural Philippines. (For a run down of the course check out www.wildmed.com/course_fact_sheets/wfr_facts/html )

So my travel pack, a carry on bag, and my sleeping bag will all be on a plane to Hamilton New York this afternoon for a fun filled 8 days of medical knowledge, complete with full simulations including fake blood which will be video taped to review later on. Crazy eh? And the best part is throughout the whole deal I get to sleep in my new one man tent! Yeah for winter camping!! It should be a fairly tame experience though. I'll be right outside the back door of "Base Camp" where I assume we cook and have our lectures and showers are only a 100 yd. dash away. If worst comes to worst I'm sure I can also find some nice Colgate University student to let me sleep on their floor. So everyone have a great week and send warm thoughts my way!!

~george

My Little Corner...

Welcome to my own tiny little corner of Cyberia!
This is where I plan on posting the vast majority of my experiences, thoughts and feelings from my swiftly approaching jaunt to a small archipelago in the Pacific call the Republic of the Philippines! I will accompany my posts with an email out to The World so you will know when I update and aren't left checking the site daily, holding your breathe, in rapt anticipation of my next gem of wisdom. Not that I actually thought that would be a concern.

Anyway, for now I have posted a few links found in the right hand column for you to browse. Check out some local news, the BBC country profile, as well as my own research on the various Anti-Government organizations currently operating in the country. I figured I might as well throw it all out there up front so you have some idea what's going on. That way you also have some idea of the history surrounding various exciting current events such as the bombings that took place on Valentine's Day. But every country is more than its political flavor (thank the Lord) so be sure to check out the Philippine Department of Tourism site as well!

~george