In Kolonia

It was SO GREAT to visit Hawaii again! (For those of you who might not know, I took an IWU May Term class at the University of Hawaii in May 09). Peace Corps placed all of the volunteers in a swanky hotel on Waikiki beach, so I got to go back there. My last three meals in the United States were all Korean dishes (love it!). Staging went well. All of the other volunteers seem awesome and we're all really excited to begin our service.

We flew out at 7AM for an 11 hour plane ride, with pit stops in three places. When we finally arrived at the airport in Pohnpei, current PCVs and staff were there to greet us with the Micronesian version of the lei. Everyone was so enthusiastic and genuinely happy to see us, which was wonderful. We drove to the hotel and had a mini-orientation, and after that I had a medical interview with two Filipino doctors (excellent). Dinner was buffet style at another hotel, where adorable little girls danced some traditional Micronesian dances. I slept like a rock after that.

Today I've be wandering around Kolonia a bit, mostly to find food and explore. We had a host family orientation in the morning - I am beyond excited to finally meet my training host family tomorrow!

The 31 volunteers that comprise of Micro 77 (as we are affectionately called) are very diverse, coming from a variety of backgrounds (educational, ethnic, etc.). There's even another Fil-Am, much to my surprise! We're all pretty much on the same page, sharing the same anxieties and aspirations for our time in Micronesia.

In sum, I can't wait to begin! Thanks for all the support, and I'll update whenever I can. :)