We Are Group 29!!!

On Thursday, February 19th 2009, in the early hours of the morning, I left one of the places I call home, Grapevine Texas, to officially begin my adventure with Peace Corps. I headed to Philadelphia Pennsylvania for my staging and orientation, and to meet the group that would hopefully become my new family and support for the next two years of my life in my new home of Namibia.

Staging consisted of tons of paperwork (you know the government), the standard rules and regulations, only one vaccination (way more came later), malaria medication and usage information, and of course ice breakers and bonding time. Our group, Group 29, consisted of 22 people from all over the United States and from all age groups and walks of life. We have a lot of variety, a lot of differences, and definitely some commonalities as well.

We have 5 individuals who are above the age of 50. Jane is the oldest of the group, I believe she’s in her 70’s. Betsey is in her fifties, but very sharp and strong. Diane, again in her fifties, is a very sweet and kind-hearted individual. Paul, the only male in the group older than me, has been doing Peace Corps for the past six years in 3 other countries. Debbie, who doesn’t look anywhere close to her late 50’s, is such a free spirit. She is fun, passionate, loving, and just wonderful. These 5 people are a testament that it’s never to late to pursue a dream.

There are 5 other males in the group aside from me and Paul. Clay I met on the plane ride to Philly, he was actually sitting right in front of me. He’s a really cool guy, and apart from us both living in the same area in Texas, we share a lot in common. Nick at first appears to be the typical relaxed and laid back Cali kid, but he seems very worldly and deep. Ben is straight out of college, he acts goofy, jokes a lot, but he’s a fun guy and can be serious when he needs to be. Jake is a very intense person, but he’s a really nice guy. Will is very logical and different, and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.

The 10 remaining youngsters in our group are women in their twenties. Ashely marches to the beat of her own drum which I totally respect and love. Jessica is a lot of fun to joke around with and talk to. Rachel is one of my fellow vegetarians and Texans and I love giving her a hard time. Anika is my idea of a 21st century hippie which I think is awesome, she’s just got a great energy and presence. Lindsay is a riot, she is such a comedian and I laugh almost every time I talk to her. Allison is closest to me in age and is therefore very easy to talk and relate to. Sarah actually missed most of our orientation so I hadn’t really talked to her much until lately, but she’s awesome. Peggy and I constantly give each other a hard time, but it’s all in good fun (I hope). Lashawnda is a character, she’s opinionated, loud, hilarious, and just fantastic. Kim is similar to a lot of my close friends and I can definitely see us becoming great friends.

There is so much to say about this group, so much that was left out, so much more to these individuals than the short blurbs I allotted each one. They are an incredible group. I am excited to work with and get to know each one of them over the next two years. Together we are Peace Corps Namibia’s Group 29…watch out Namibia, here we come!!!