The departure

So I've been putting off starting this blog for a while now (as all of you who have asked me about it over the past several months know!), but since I have arrived in Philadelphia for orientation, I think it's safe to say that the journey has begun. Time to blog!

I had every intention of chronicling the entire packing process (mostly because I appreciated when other bloggers did the same thing!), but time got away from me. All I have to show for the long and painful packing process is my desperate attempt to pack my niece and nephew to take with me:

While they would fit under my 80 lb weight limit, there might be some trouble getting through customs, so I thought it was best to leave them home :(

The trip to orientation: well, it was early and long. I had a 6:30 am, 5.5 hour flight from San Diego to Philadelphia. The good news: it was WAY shorter than the trip we'll be taking to Uganda on Tuesday!

We're staying in a hotel about 7 miles outside of the city, but I'm meeting a college friend for dinner, so I should get to see some some of Philly before I leave!

As for staging itself, this is the schedule we got a few weeks ago:

Monday

12:30 pm: Registration, turn in completed forms

2:30 - 4:25: Who we are, what's expected of you

4:25-4:45: Break

4:45-7:00: What you expect, what's next, closing

Tuesday

2:30 am: Check out of hotel

3:00: Depart for JFK

11:15: Flight departs for Uganda

It's a pretty vague schedule, so I'll post more once I know what it's all about. Now: off to explore Philly!

ttfn - ta ta for now!