Orientation

Ok, so since I'm such a last minute person, I spent my last night in Ohio packing and transfering music files and such to my computer to take to Cambodia, so I literally got no sleep that night. As I'm writing this I've realized that I've been up for at least 36 hours and running solely the anxiety of finally meeting all the people I'll be working with for the next two years and then leaving the country. To my surprise, the group was much larger than I thought with about 60 volunteers- a very young crowd of mostly the 22 to 26 year-old-range. Everyone seems pretty nice from what I can tell, but we were all so exhausted after 8 hours of registration and orientation classes that the energy and personality with which we so eagerly greeted one another since we found one another at the airport (we are a pretty recognizable breed: from our overpacking, to the hiking packs and Teva sandals, Peace Corps volunteers can be spotted a mile away) quickly faded after the hours of group activities that were meant to establish our expectations of ourselves, Peace Corps and our living situations.
Ironically enough, our hotel is near Chinatown so we had to walk a few blocks to find something to eat for dinner other than Asian food. San Fran was a cool 53 degrees and felt more like fall than summer, which was a bit of a blessing to get a taste of the varying seasons and weather before we ship off to a strictly Dry Season- Wet Season humid climate such as Cambodia's.
I'm leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow and then to Phnom Penh the next day to start the 9-week training. I was told that the first few days I will have internet access but after that it will be much more difficult to stay in contact via the web with anyone until early September. I didn't cry at all today, but I think it was because I got all my tears out the day before, after saying goodbye to Grant, seeing one of my best friend's wedding dresses as she's getting married next August, and hanging out with my family and Threshold friends for a final time.
I know I'm going to miss a lot of American foods and people, but I really am excited to start this journey and see where it takes me. I'm hitting the hay now- I've been up way, waaaay too long. Night, world!