And we're off!

And so, ladies and gentleman, begins my epic adventure that is sure to be the Peace Corps.

I said my goodbyes to my family at the early hour of 7 am this morning while trying to stifle both the upwelling tears as I realized that I would not simply be going away to college within driving distance, and the nausea rising from an eclectic mixture of fear and excitement.

As I was about to board the plane, not knowing a single fact about who I would be serving with or what they would look like, I hear a conversation in front of my that remarkably resembled the subject matter of many of the emails I have received recently from the Peace Corps. Gathering all of the courage that I had left in my body I asked " Excuse me, are you guys part of the Peace Corps?" and as if the heavens broke open with a choir of angels; their answer was yes. I had met my first friends in the Peace Corps, Thank God!

As we were getting ready to depart the terminal one of the ladies very kindly came back to my seat and asked if i would like to sit next to them, as nobody was occupying that seat, and while i meekly responded that I was fine where I was, my fear and anxiousness about this trip began to trickle away one drop at a time. " Okay" I thought, "this isn't going to be as bad as I thought it was going to be".

We landed and my new found friends were nowhere to be seen until they found me at the baggage carousel, and my nerves were back. But as quickly as they came, they were gone. Suddenly I was surrounded not just by two, but five other peace corps volunteers! "Hey! Are you a volunteer??? Yes! I didn't know anyone else!" and so on. I quickly realized that I was not the only volunteer who was nervous and hadn't slept at all the night before, but somehow we formed an odd group of somehow sure but not so sure volunteers.

After we all checked into our hotel we left for dinner and spent a busy 2.5 hours at a nearby restaurant talking about a plethora of subjects. I no longer feel as though I am the only quirky volunteer left out of the loop, just a member of a far larger group.

These kind people who have accepted each other will surely be one of the most fascinating adventures of my life....let it begin.

* Anything expressed herein does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of the United States Peace Corps, they are my own.