Filed under: Paraguay
So I’ll admit it. I’ve been one of those obsessive pre-departure Peace Corps people, reading any blog about a PCV in Paraguay I can get my hands on. And one thing that I was disappointed in was the lack of posts about STAGING!
So for you all you future PCVs dying to know what staging is really all about- this post is dedicated to you. For non-Peace Corps related people, ‘staging’ means a pre-orientation to your three months of training. All of the Peace Corps ‘trainees’ in your class meets in an area of the US for two days of getting introduced to the Peace Corps. Our ‘staging’ place was Miami, conveniently located to the airport we would fly out of to Paraguay!
So staging: definitely not as scary as it seems. I expected that Staging would be some very formal and official process, with tons of paperwork to fill out and an intensive introduction to the ‘realities’ to life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Surprisingly, staging was very laid back and ran really smoothly. We were placed in a super nice hotel within easy walking distance to restaurants. My roommate and fellow Peace Corps trainee is a cute little Southern lady who has a roaring laugh that’s infectious. She showed up with four huge pieces of luggage- this made me feel better about my two bags (usually I travel with one). It seems that almost everyone has more than two pieces of luggage, so for all of you future PCVs out there- don’t worry too much about regulations (as long as you’re willing to pay the extra fees!) I think if I had known about this, I might have stuck a few more things in my second bag.
Registration at 6 PM took less than 15 minutes- all we had to do was turn in some paperwork to our sweet and smiling coordinators (both RPCVs, one who was in Paraguay!), and we were done for the evening, free to wander around Miami. Our group chose the Latin Café across the street and spent the night getting to know each other through milkshakes and ceviche.
Today we woke up bright and early for a full day of Staging- but again, it was a very laid back experience. We had a few ‘icebreaker’ and situational routines, and a lot of breaks to hang out! In the afternoon we discussed the ‘realities’ of being a Peace Corps Volunteer and the challenges we would come across, but it was more of a discussion than a scary conference. There are only 23 of us in our training group, so I feel like I’ve had the opportunity to talk to everyone for a bit. From what I’ve experienced so far, I think that we have a great group of individuals, and I like them all a lot.
Our Peace Corps Staging Room
Some of my fellow Peace Corps Trainees! All wonderful people that I really like so far!
So all in all, Staging was a really fast yet exciting event. We now have a few hours to relax before heading over to the airport to catch our 11:00 PM flight. Off to Paraguay I go!
Much love,
Brittany
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Change Yourself...Change The World. 
I’ve been stalking everything too and am also disappointed in the lack of posts. I even broke out the Unofficial Handbook hoping to learn more and there was just a tiny paragraph. I’m thinking of submitting to them my thoughts on staging and suggesting they add more for future additions. You should too! (if you want)
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