Orientation and Farewell Parties

Even though I’ve been unemployed for a month now (and loving it), it’s been a busy month!  I just returned from New Jersey a couple days ago where we had orientation for all the Catholic Medical Mission Board volunteers. 

View of the Jersey shore from our retreat center.

Stella Maris Retreat Center, where we had orientation.

 I had a great time going back east.  In fact, it was my first time being in New Jersey.  Before going, multiple people kept telling me how ugly New Jersey was, so it was a pleasant surprise when I arrived and found the area where I was staying to be actually very beautiful.  I met with the other nine volunteers who will be traveling abroad, and we spent four days at a retreat center on the Atlantic shore.  It was good to meet the other volunteers; they’re a really fun group.  Most of them are veterans when it comes to doing volunteer work overseas, so I guess I was sort of the new guy in that field.  The others will be assigned to various countries throughout Africa and South America.  We spent a lot of time throughout orientation reviewing policies, safety and security procedures, etc. etc. which I won’t bore the reader with.  One item we received was a guide to tropical medicine.  It’s interesting reading, but I think it’s awakening the hypochondriac in me.  I spent some time reading the sections on snake bites.  Anyone who knows me well can guess how I felt about that; to say that I dislike snakes would be a huge understatement!

Besides reviewing policies and paperwork, we also got to hear from several former CMMB volunteers, two of whom had actually worked in Kenya before.  So I got the chance to ask about life in Kenya, about the hospitals, cultural practices, community, food, etc. (I’m looking forward to seeing what goat tastes like).

CMMB distribution center

After a couple days at the retreat center, we took the train into New York city to visit the main CMMB office where we met with the CEO and other staff members.  It took a while getting around in Manhattan, which was extra crowded due to the U.N. General Assembly meeting that week.  After a morning in Manhattan we headed out to Queens for a tour of the CMMB distribution center.  This was basically a massive warehouse filled to the brim with medical supplies and pharmaceuticals waiting to be shipped around the world.  I was really grateful for the chance to see how this distribution process works.  I had no idea how much work actually went into it.  Since all the medications and supplies are donated, CMMB has to work quickly to get them to their destination countries into the patients’ hands before they expire.  It sounds simple, but it really is quite an undertaking that takes careful planning.

For lunch that afternoon we had a BBQ in the warehouse parking lot for all the CMMB staff and volunteers.  Someone suggested starting up a game of wiffle ball: CMMB staff vs. CMMB volunteers.  It was an embarrassing 10:2 defeat, but fun nonetheless.  I think we’re all going to have to practice in our various countries over the coming months so we can have a respectable rematch next year.

Making a run for 1st base!  I don't think having half our team in high heels helped our performance.

On my last morning in New Jersey I went for a run along the beach and even took a few minutes to go down to the water.  I think that was the first time I’ve ever touched the Atlantic Ocean.  A few hours later I was back in L.A. and went to the beach yet again (two oceans in one day!). 

Aside from orientation, it’s also been a busy month of goodbye parties and excessive eating.

My coworkers from the hospital threw a farewell party for me recently.  I haven’t really had the chance to see anyone from work over the past month, so it was a great chance to catch up, and one of the few times we’ve ever been able to enjoy time together without the stress of work.  They had prepared quite a feast, and I ate way too much food!

My high school and college friends also threw a surprise farewell party for me only a couple hours after I had returned from the east coast.  I was picked up from the airport by a friend and immediately driven to the beach, believing that the two of us were only going out for a quiet dinner. I was surprised to find a crowd of my closest friends all waiting there.  With the jet lag, it was a long day, but well worth it.  We spent an evening sitting around a bonfire, exploring caves along the beach, and again eating way too much food!

Fun with glow sticks at the beach.  This took half an hour to spell 6 letters.  Good thing I'm not going to South America.

Farewell party at the beach.

Less than 24 hours later I found myself at yet another party!  This time with all my family to celebrate both my departure for Africa and my birthday.  And yes, I once again ate too much food!

I don’t want it to sound like I’ve just been sitting around having parties for myself over the past month.  I should note that I’ve also been working with my local parish, Saints Felicitas and Perpetua Church, over the past few weeks.  I had the opportunity to speak with the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade classes at our parish school about the missionary work that I’ll be doing.  I’m not much of a public speaker, but I enjoyed meeting with the students and answering their questions about Africa and missionary work.  Some of the students will even be following my blog over the next year with their class (so if you’re reading, here’s a shout out to the students of SSFP!).

 

My public speaking was tested even further when I spoke to the entire parish last weekend.  Many people from church were interested in hearing about the work I’ll be doing.  At the end of Mass I received a blessing from the priest and the entire congregation.  It’s really a huge comfort to me to know that I’ll have the prayers and support of my church community while I am abroad.

Receiving a blessing from the pastor and congregation at my home parish.

 Only two more weeks until departure!  I still have a lot of prepping and packing to do.  Look for more entries soon.  And please continue to pray for me.