722 kilometers to Apia. We have been on this plane for about five years now, give or take. Someday I am going to learn how to sleep on airplanes and ten hour red-eye flights will stop being so delightfully eventful. Unfortunately, today was not destined to be that day. The big screen at the front of the cabin claims there is one hour and one minute left until we arrive. It’s absolutely surreal to think that I met all of the people sitting around me less than 48 hours ago. The past two days have felt more like an eternity (notice a theme here)- so much has gone on psychologically, and it is so intense to be meeting and getting to know people and preparing to leave together. Despite the fact that I have now spent my entire life doing this, somehow, we’re still not quite there yet. Where are we? Where have we been? We spent Monday and Tuesday (today? yesterday? unclear at this point…) in workshops going over basic protocol and getting a general overview of the kinds of information we will be processing during training. And, more importantly, getting to know and be comfortable with each other. Peace Corps Samoa group 75 consists of 14 individuals. Shockingly, we are skewed on the gender ratio with 8 men and 6 women (average PC percentages are more like 60-40 women-men). There are a half a dozen individuals doing information technology (otherwise known as computers), about the same number with a variety of educational positions (vocational skills through university teaching), two social workers, and of course the one special needs volunteer. I am, incidentally, also the one vegetarian in the crew (doing my part to make for a more diverse group of individuals). Speaking of vegetarianism, somehow Air New Zealand did not hear that I don’t like beef for dinner and turkey for breakfast even though I swear I made sure to alert them in advance. Fortunately the stewardesses (one of whom was a former PC volunteer… break out into chorus of “It’s a Small World”) and my seatmate were willing to offer up whatever non-muscular scraps they could find, so I was okay. I’m sure you’re all breathing a long-awaited sigh of relief at that comforting news. Anyways, the plan is now to land and stumble our lethargic selves through customs and get to Apia which is actually about a 45 minute drive away (when they call the airport “Apia” it is basically a euphemism for “somewhere on the same island as Apia”). Then we get a few hours to recuperate in the hotel that will be our home for the next ten days before we head off in the morning for welcome ceremonies and the beginning of our ten week careers as Peace Corps Trainees. It sounds like after the time in Apia we head out to a village about a 45 minute drive east of Apia where we will be living and training for the following five weeks. That’s pretty much all I know since, obviously, we still haven’t managed to get off the plane. But hey, it only says 374 kilometers now. If I weren’t so tired that my entire body was numb I would swear I could taste it!
P.S. I obviously wrote this while I was in the air, but rest assured, I had to land to actually post it, meaning I am also in one piece safe and sound.
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