16 September 2013

16 September 2013

After a shooting at the Navy Yard, I said a tearful goodbye to my parents in the lobby of a Holiday Inn in Georgetown, DC. We took the George Washington Parkway in, which allowed us to bypass I-66. I checked in, wandered around, met my roommate, had lunch, and then had to print a document that the PC (Peace Corps) wanted me to sign in person. Eventually, I emailed to the front desk, who printed it for me, and then waited in line for registration. After registration, we had staging, which was a cross between icebreakers and a meeting.

We learned that the PC uses immersion and will pay for a tutor when at site. We learned that any travel reimbursements would be to our American bank account, in a few weeks. We learned that we were getting money for incidentals in Washington, and that we had to tip the housekeepers, concierge, and bus drivers. We learned that we would be met by PC Ukraine, who would take our passports to start the registration process. We learned the Ukraine has the lowest ET (early termination) rates, and that integration makes life more bearable.

After our Staging, another PCT (Peace Corps Trainee) and I had lunch in the hotel restaurant/bar. It was pretty good, for hotel food. After dinner, I called my parents, chatted for a bit, and then got my last American shower. I passed some time online before going to sleep.