PLACE Welcome Orientation

Another catch-up post:

In April, I went to orientation for PLACE Corps.  I am very excited to start the program, but also really nervous.  There are 28 people in my cohort (C11) – 21 girls and 7 boys, which is actually a pretty good ratio compared to other cohorts.  I knew one of the other girls from an immersion group that came to DMS from Santa Clara University, but otherwise I knew no one.  I know quite a few of the graduates of the program and current members because of DMS connection.  It felt a little like high school again, since I went into St. T. knowing (or at least knowing of) a bunch of upperclassmen because of Annie, but not knowing a lot in my class other than those from Lourdes.  They had a packed schedule for us, including lunch with our principals, barbeque with people from all past and present cohorts, bowling with the current cohorts (I’m still awful), a formal dinner with our principals and the Dean of LMU, mass, staying with one of the communities, learning about the program, going through our massive binder (3 inches, and FULL) of information about our next two years, signing up for classes, meeting each other, and signing our life away for the next two years.  Literally.  We received our calendar for the summer and it is so full of social events, classes, observations, etc.  I’m excited, and after the orientation, I was roaring to just start then and there, but it’s starting to sink in that I am leaving JVC really soon.  

The people in the program were a fun mix of people from all over, a lot from California, but not all.  I’m the first person to ever do PLACE from SLU which is cool.  I’ll have to go back and talk it up.  We got to stay in the PLACE Corps communities for the weekend and I was placed at Maria Regina in Gardena, where Mr. DeJesus, the science and Spanish teacher for DMS lives.  All the communities are about 9 people and are in former convents.  The rooms are really small and the closets are itty bitty.  As Diana, the coordinator of PLACE put it, nuns only needed 2 pairs of shoes and 3 outfits, so that’s the closet space they received.  The common areas were really big though, with a massive kitchen, living room and dining room, plus, there is a chapel complete with confessionals in case I need one at the last second.  Too bad I don’t have a 1-800 number to have a priest for these emergencies as well.   

 

At the barbeque, I was completely ambushed by some FJVs who had done PLACE Corps and heard that I was a JV.  It was amazing realizing that I am becoming part of a network of such inspirational, dedicated, and enthusiastic people by doing JVC and now PLACE.  

My Cohort, C11, in our "professional best":

 

 {Maybe the fuchsia dress was a little bold, but it was in the 80s all week!  I might as well take advantage...}