Gina writes:

PFC (Preparing for Change) training was this past weekend in Ottawa. Given the sub-zero temperatures during our assessment day in January, we really appreciated Ottawa's summer beauty!

It was intense, four full days of lectures, role plays, discussions, and just about every other kind of group learning that you can think of. It wasn't boring or tedious at all, though. The people in the group and the instructors were great and the material was so relevant and valuable, the time passed so quickly.

It was such an incredible feeling to be surrounded by 20 people all preparing for the same adventure as us. The diversity of the volunteers was impressive -- people of all ages, professions, races. Their placements were all over the world -- Namibia, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Peru, Sri Lanka, Mongolia.

Some of the logistic information that we learned:

• Health care when overseas; the role of the VSO doctor
  
• Fundraising ideas

Some of the other sessions focused on how to be happy, effective, and safe in the situations that we're likely to encounter. We talked about:

• Overcoming loneliness
• Cultural sensitivity
• Advantages and disadvantages of serving as a couple

We also learned about VSO's approach to development. The organization and execution of the training reaffirmed my decision to pursue this opportunity. I'm so glad that I found VSO and that VSO chose us!