Staging in "the city that loves you back!"

The trip to Philadelphia could not have gone more smoothly. Everything was on time, luggage arrived safely, and people were helpful and friendly the whole way. I've gotten a chance to see quite a bit of the city, have dinner with Emmanuelle (friend from Gonzaga, now Peace Corps - Togo) and her roommates, and spend some time with my staging roommate, Barbara, from Texas. I've decided that if I ever had to, I could definitely live in Philly and be happy here (but Seattle is still 1st place). One of Emmanuelle's friends who I met last night had spent 6 months in Mali and just loved it. She had only good things to say about the country and it's people, so that's reassuring:) Well, I've got to get back to the hotel before our orientation begins today. Thanks for all your prayers and emails!