Pre Service Orientation

On a rainy Monday morning I hopped on a bus heading out of Davis to the Sacramento airport, boarding a short flight south to my official Pre-Service VISTA Orientation in Los Angeles. Finally! As an avid buddy pass rider I am always a bit thrown off my game when I actually hold a ticket, lacking the slight anxiety and rush of perhaps getting turned away (sometimes for days at a time...) at the boarding counter. Not this time! I hopped in a jumper plane next to another young woman, who turned out to be my fellow VISTA partner at SFBFS. Just like Peace Corps orientation, we were surrounded by other VISTA passengers, a handful of the hundred + that would converge at the Westin Hotel that week.

Fancy Smancy hotel lobby!

After checking in to the glamorous hotel we had some time to explore, relax, and pick up our binders of orientation materials. I lucked out completely with an awesome roommate, who is serving her VISTA year in Hawaii (yeah connections!) She is working for an environmental organization that promotes eco-education in schools. Good stuff!

Beautiful succulents around LA

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't leave the hotel for 3 solid days. No need- our days were very structured and packed with sessions, meals, break-out groups, and coffee breaks. After more than 2 years of Peace Corps Albania conferences and those infamous coffee breaks I fell right back in stride... glug glug...

This month's Pacific VISTAs

Hundreds of VISTAs sign in each month all across the country, ready to begin their year of service. Each of us is assigned to work with an organization addressing poverty, and we are appropriately supposed to experience living in poverty ourselves. Hence the term 'stipend' rather than 'wage'. Good thing I'm resourceful!

Another year of unpaid work!

So its official: I'm still an underpaid idealist. On the third day we all stood up and swore an oath to serve our country, building capacity one organization at a time.

Swearing to do good, very patriotic

Kevin, Mondy, me, and Jessy

Although we didn't spend hours playing get-to-know-you-games, we did share many meals and tight quarters long enough to make friends. Its really interesting to me how widely everyone's projects vary- my roommate is currently serving a year in Hawaii, with an environmental organization.

Mondy and I celebrate with free fruit cobbler

Mondy and I exchanged our daily towel refreshment for credit at the restaurant downstairs, an effort by the hotel to go green. After all was said and done we cashed in our coupons for a giant order of fresh berry cobbler a la mode. Soooo worth it! Cheers to a good year!