Jason Pearce

We have all safely arrived to Guyana, luggage and all. In fact, we have very little trouble passing through security. More so, we were all pleased that our luggage passed the airlines weight restrictions. While the Peace Corps said we could only take a maximum of 80 pounds of luggage, the airline ended up accepting to bags weighing up to 70 pounds each.

The airport is about 45 minutes away from the city. So after a long ride, we checked into our air-conditioned hotel, had dinner, met some of the staff, and visited with many of the current volunteers. It was a nice welcoming.

Today, we met the rest of the Peace Corps staff, drove all around town to see their national monuments, and are currently waiting for many shots and immunizations at the Peace Corps office. By Friday, I will be assigned a host family that will house me through the rest of training.

There are plenty of folks waiting to use the computer, so it’s time for me to go.

Yesterday was another long day. I traveled to Miami; met 23 new volunteers who are all going to Guyana (six of them will be doing Information Technology like me); sat through six hours of Peace Corps rules, requirements, expectations, etc.; and visited with Sean Torres over dinner (thanks Sean for dinner).

A funny point of interest…

There is a movie (“Out of Time”) that is being shot in our hotel. We are stayed on the same floor as the cast. Densel Washington is in the movie, for I spotted him a few times walking around the hotel.

We all leave for the airport in about 20 minutes, taking a large bus. We then go through security and pray that our bags are within the airline’s weight limits. The Peace Corps says we can only carry 80 pounds total (I have about 110 pounds). Yet, when I called the airline, they said we could take two bags weighing up to 70 pounds each. I sure hope the person on the phone is right, for I won’t know what to do with my extra 40 pounds of stuff if I’m told I can’t take it.

Wish us all luck. It may be a while before you hear from me again, for our next few days will be busy. That, and I might not be able to find Internet access. But I hope to check in as often as possible.

I made it to Miami, no problem. Our meeting doesn’t start for another half hour, yet I’ve already met about five our the new volunteers. They all seem great and will be fun to work/train with. Notably, it was nice to meet Russ and Emily, for we’ve been exchanging emails every now and then.

Oh, and thanks mom and dad for all of the help you gave me in packing and preparing for this trip. You were a big help. Now I could just use someone to carry my bags, for they are so heavy.

Yesterday was a hectic day of visiting with family and packing. It started with a trip to my parent’s church, Highland United Methodist. There, I visited with a few of my friends and many of my parents’ friends: Beverly Hall, Chris Piper, Mrs. Sheets, Mrs. Racey, Mrs. Piper, and many more. It was nice to see everyone.

For lunch, grandmothers Beulah Cameron (Momsi) and Sarah Pearce (Nana), as well as my dad’s cousins David and James Pittman came over. We visited for several hours and talked much about genealogy, which is a project I have recent become interested in but has long been a hobby of Nana.

I also received several nice phone calls today from people wishing me good bye: Michael Colocado, Ruth Coble, Julie Smith, to name a few.

Then comes the project of packing two years of clothes and gear into two (now strained) suitcases. It really is amazing how much stuff I was able to cram into them. One bag is a hard case Samsonite suitcase. It, alone, weighs 65 – 70 pounds. My second bag is a large hiking backpack. Using two compression internal compression sacks, I was able to cram 45 pounds into that bag. I also have a carry-on backpack, stuffed with the normal travel gear (walkman, shades, jacket, magazines, etc.) and gifts for my host family.

The Peace Corps says I am limited to a total of 80 pounds for my luggage combined. Boy have I overshot that limit. But I have called around. My first flight from Raleigh to Miami will be in American Airlines. Their domestic weight limit is 70 pounds per bag, so I am within their limitations. The problem might occur when I board my BWIA West Indies flight from Miami to Georgetown on Tuesday. Their baggage weight within the Caribbean and South American may not exceed 20 kilos (44 pounds) per bag. So the baggage gods might screw me on Tuesday.

For those who are curious, here is my upcoming schedule:

Monday, June 3, 2002

• 5:00 am – Wake Up
• 6:00 am – Depart for RDU Airport
• 6:30 am – Get searched thoroughly by airport security
• 7:51 am – Board American Airlines Flight 707 to Miami
• 9:53 am – Arrive in Miami
• Noon – Check into Doubletree Grand, 1717 N Bayshore Drive, Miami FL 33132, (305) 372-0313
• 1:30 – 2:30 pm – PC Open Registration
• 2:30 – 4:30 pm – PC Welcome to Peace Corps & Aspirations and Anxieties
• 4:45 – 6:45 pm – PC Policies in Practice, Bridge to Pre-service Training, Nuts and Bolts, Logistics of Departure, and Closing
• 7:45 pm – Meet former Lambda Chi staff friends Sean Torres and Chris Cichoski for dinner and drinks

Tuesday, June 4, 2002

• 8:00 am – Last Hot Shower and Air-conditioned Room
• 9:00 am – Check out of hotel
• 10:00 am – Bus leaves for airport
• 2:30 pm – Board BWIA West Indies Flight 431 to Georgetown
• 7:55 pm – Arrive in Georgetown, Guyana (5 hrs 25 mins flight)

Wednesday, June 5, 2002
I don’t know much of the schedule from here. I expect that I’ll move in with a host family for the next three months of training. After training, I will be assigned a location and new housing (apartment or another host family) and begin my two years of service. I’m expected to finish my Peace Corps experience August 2004.

I’m excited and will likely have trouble sleeping the next few nights for I will be in eager anticipation of the adventure that lies before me. Once I arrive to Guyana, I’ll still likely have trouble sleeping for I will be kept up long nights complaining about how sweltering the heat is.

Thanks for all of your support. Wish me luck and stay in touch.

The Peace Corps DC office became a bit nasty on Friday regarding the content of my website. If you haven’t read the email from Rita Jimenez yet, you might consider scrolling down to my second May 30 entry.

Briefly stated, they wanted me to remove the Welcome Packet section of my site. I received two phone calls about this on Thursday and told Rita that will remove all links to this page once I a) recover from my jetlag and b) found a computer with the software that will help me do so.

Rita was hoping I’d take care of it that afternoon. I told her I’d try to remove it before I leave on Monday, but that I would be happy to take care of it in Guyana if I ran out of time before my departure.

On Friday, however, I received a call from Amber Myers of the South America desk. She, too, was interested in having me remove the Welcome Packet from my site; only she was more pressing. According to Amber, my Peace Corps invitation was in jeopardy if I didn’t remove the content right away.

I really did not appreciate her threat to revoke my invitation to serve. I’m quite frustrated that the DC office offered no compassion regarding the scarcity of my time. I still needed to unpack from my recent move from Indianapolis and my trip to Hawaii. And with only three days to go, I haven’t even begun packing for the next two years of my life.

Needless to say, I searched through all my boxes, found the required software, installed it on a machine, and spent a few hours updating pages and removing links. It’s done. But my spirit and impression of the Peace Corps sure has been tainted. I hope this is no indication of the kind of treatment volunteers and I will receive in the next few years.