Guest Entry: Anne Schier

Hey guys. So, apparently some of you are clamoring for an update. Since he’s busy doing important Peace Corps stuff, Eric has given me (Anne) the honor of a guest update. Complaints may be directed towards Eric. None will be accepted from Victor.

We’re in Philadelphia for Eric’s staging, which actually officially started ten minutes ago. Getting to Philly was quite an adventure – we both flew out from Sacramento Monday morning, but on different flights – mine had a layover in Vegas, and his was non-stop, so he was meant to get to the East Coast 2 hours before me. However. As my plane approached Philadelphia, the captain informed us that there was a holding pattern over the airport, and we didn’t have enough fuel to fly for another 30 minutes – so we were diverted to Baltimore, which was supposed to be another ten or fifteen minutes in the air. Fifteen minutes later, we learn that we are being diverted again, this time to Norfolk, Virginia, which is much further away. So some of you may be aware that I am not a huge fan of flying. At this point, I’m mentally calculating how much fuel we have left, and staring out the window thinking: “Descend! Descend! Why aren’t we descending?!?” At last, on our (I’m positive) last few drops of fuel, we land. So all this time I’m worrying about Eric waiting in the airport, doing a crossword or killing aliens on his iPod and impatiently checking his fancy new Peace Corps-appropriate watch and thinking that I am just not worth the trouble. I call him. “Hey, I’m in Virginia, so you might as well head to the hotel… wait, what? You’re where?” Yep, Eric was in Pittsburgh, and had been for the past 3 hours. Not happy. Turns out bad weather over Philly had resulted in a huge backup of planes at the airport, a “gridlock” as our kindly airport employee told us. In fact, he felt the need to define “gridlock” multiple times. Such as: “Think of cars going through the tunnels here during rush hour. When they’re all stopped. That’s gridlock.” And a few minutes later: “Think of New York City during rush hour. When there’s lots of traffic. And nobody can move. That’s what’s going on over in Philly.” I gave the guy what may have been an unintentional death stare and muttered “I know what gridlock is, I live in LA,” under my breath, and the people around me laughed. Anyway, to make an already long story a bit shorter, we took off two hours later to much cheering and applause. Never has the phrase “This might be a rough flight, folks, so keep your seatbelts buckled” sounded so sweet. Eric and I ended up arriving ten minutes apart, ironically extremely convenient.

So, Philly. I like it here. We both like it. It feels very European, especially since I’m used to LA, and have no real previous experience of the East Coast. There are some awesome public squares, you know, the good old-fashioned green kind with a fountain or statue in the middle, plenty of benches, frolicking children and squirrels, etc. Not something you find in Los Angeles. Eric says the city gives him a good vibe, and that he likes the historical significance of the place, and I agree. We did some classic Philly things – ate some great sandwiches (hoagies?) including a cheesesteak, saw the Liberty Bell, and the oldest residential street in America. Pretty cool. We also sweated a lot in the humidity, which is another classic summer Philly experience, but it’s OK – it’s a great excuse to take multiple showers per day. One exchange: “So is this what the humidity will be like in Africa? “No, it’ll be this hot, but with twice the humidity” “Ah.” Bon chance, Monsieur Newton.

I’m sitting in the hotel now, having sized up his new Peace Corps companions, the ones he will be getting to know verrrry well over the next three months of training. I’m not quite sure what I expected to see, but most of them look… pretty normal. Did I expect bell-bottoms and peace sign t-shirts? Nahh, I couldn’t possibly be that shallow. Or maybe it’s just the “business casual” dress code that’s keeping them hidden. Maybe I was expecting to see a lot more zip-off pants – the ones that were really popular in middle school, remember? No offense to any of you who wear them still, I am sure they are very convenient in unpredictable weather or for the indecisive among us. Anyway, the point is, they look cool (the people, not the pants), and pretty attractive as well for the most part. I wonder what they think of me, if they’ve thought anything at all. I’m guessing it would be something like “Who’s that girl sitting next to that super hot guy? When is she gonna leave so I can introduce myself? And is that the girl who just threw up in the bathroom? Gross.” Patience, girls and guys. You get him all to yourself very soon. And yes, that was me.

Aaaaand now, back to your regularly scheduled program (Eric). Enjoy.