Ode to CIT

Expectations are everywhere. I expected to post to this blog more than once a month. I expect someone to read it. If our expectations are too high, we get disappointed. If they are too low we may avoid doing something worthwhile. Managing our expectations is important. The last month or so we went through a cross cultural training program. When we first arrived, we were not sure what awaited us. Initially I felt there was a good chance we would not get along with many of the people there. I had been to places like this before. An obscure organization like this in the middle of no where, not far from the filming location of The Hunger Games. The chances of finding people that like us could be hard. That first night we settled in and resigned ourselves to only having to be there for four weeks, then we could continue on with our road trip. That first day everyone seemed to have already made friends. Well, it took a while but we finally broke in. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that most everyone there was awesome and just like us. They were moving away from everything and everyone they had ever known to live in place that they don't know or understand. They wanted to understand it, they wanted to know it. And that is why they were all there.
This is the moment where my expectations were exceeded. Over the next six weeks (we extended our stay by two weeks) our friendships deepened. The classes were great, thanks to great facilitators and our classmates' enthusiasm for the topics. Most nights were spent sharing meals together, playing games, and just getting to know each other. As they say, all things must pass. And so did this. The last day saying good bye was sad. So in the end, we loved it. What did you expect? Thankfully, there's Facebook!

These are those peeps. Some are not pictured, such as A.J., Chessy, Erica, the Espositos, Carneys and some others. But, yeah, this is most of them.