HOLA

Hey Hey!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are here and safe in Panama! We landed Wednesday afternoon and are staying at an old army base until Sunday when we will move in with our host families. There are 54(!!!) people in the training group, but when we move on Sunday they will split us up into smaller groups based on sector (3 sectors of between 17 and 21 people each). Sean and I are the only married couple in the group and thoguh we are in different sectors we will be living with one another. This means one of us will have to commute to training every day, but it is worth it.  The training group is great- I can truly say I have enjoyed every conversation I have had since Tuesday. Everyone is very energetic and laid back- excited about the next two years and keeping themselves free of any expectations.

We are definitely living the high life right now and are being spoiled with great food, running water and air conditioning. This is going to make for a much tougher adjustment come Sunday (we were told to buy our own toilet paper for the latrines we will be using), but we are enjoying the amenities while we have them.  I am especially loving the mangos and rice/beans that have already become a staple in our diet.

So far we have been getting a lot of basic information, meetings with out project directors and language assesesments. The 'real' training doesn't take off until Monday morning- then we will be in classes and in learning/study mode for a few months. A few current PCV's have come down from their sites to help answer questions and give us an idea of what their experiences are like. No experiences are the same, but it is helpful to have some insight into things we might need to prepare for (scorpions, mold and ant nests, for example) and really exciting to hear  about the awesome projects people have (cofffee, chocolate, sea turtles...) we just cannot wait to get our placement!

Have to go now, not sure how often I will be able to update, but know that we are safe and very VERY happy :)