The days have gone by quickly. We are in better shape for going than we thought we would be. I can tell you that Goodwill, Purple Heart, and CityTeam in Chester have gotten a good deal from us over the last two weeks.
In addition to getting ready, we have been visited by our son and his family and Doug Long, one of Renee's high school classmates. Any number of friends have stopped by and it was great to see each and every one of them. It has been also good to get the phone calls and notes from so many people. Thanks for all of the good wishes.
Tomorrow at 8:15 we leave for the train to Washington. In Washington we take a taxi to the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington for staging. We will meet our teammates and some of our leaders. We will learn more about procedures. One night we will be out to dinner with some returned Peace Corps volunteers. We fly out on Monday the 30th. We go direct to Beijing and after a short layover we fly to Chengdu.
In Chengdu we stay in a hotel for a couple of days getting our sea legs. While that is happening, we will begin our Chinese lessons. We will meet our In Country staff. By the end of the week we will be introduced to our host family and be moving in. Pray for them and us. We also will be divided into two groups and then even smaller so that the training will be more specific. After going out with the staff for one meal, we will have to fend for ourselves.
We have been warned that internet access this first week may be limited and may even be more so when we move in with the host family. Every day's schedule seems packed, so our time is structured. We will do our best to communicate, but be patient. You can always reach us at erickson3@comcast.net.
In addition to getting ready, we have been visited by our son and his family and Doug Long, one of Renee's high school classmates. Any number of friends have stopped by and it was great to see each and every one of them. It has been also good to get the phone calls and notes from so many people. Thanks for all of the good wishes.
Tomorrow at 8:15 we leave for the train to Washington. In Washington we take a taxi to the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington for staging. We will meet our teammates and some of our leaders. We will learn more about procedures. One night we will be out to dinner with some returned Peace Corps volunteers. We fly out on Monday the 30th. We go direct to Beijing and after a short layover we fly to Chengdu.
In Chengdu we stay in a hotel for a couple of days getting our sea legs. While that is happening, we will begin our Chinese lessons. We will meet our In Country staff. By the end of the week we will be introduced to our host family and be moving in. Pray for them and us. We also will be divided into two groups and then even smaller so that the training will be more specific. After going out with the staff for one meal, we will have to fend for ourselves.
We have been warned that internet access this first week may be limited and may even be more so when we move in with the host family. Every day's schedule seems packed, so our time is structured. We will do our best to communicate, but be patient. You can always reach us at erickson3@comcast.net.
We are as prepared as we are going to be -- now the adventure begins.
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