Training Day. Should be Days but Apparently We Don't Need It

Well training went well. Imagine a classroom setting with 66 other pupils. Not hard to imagine, right? It's like a lecture hall. Ok, now imagine this class sitting at folding chairs and the same tables college kids steal from Facilities Services to use for beer pong. Now imagine 67 people sitting at folding chairs and crappy little tables in a loading dock at the back of the Red Cross building in Baltimore.

Seriously, they put us in a loading dock. Not some big room, but the freaking loading dock. I'm pretty sure we had to be out of there by 3:30 because a truck was coming in to load some supplies.
And they made it seem as if we were going to an actual room. I walk in, do the necessary paperwork to sign in and they tell me to go to the last door on the right. It's a nice hallway, a beige-ish color on the walls, lit with florescent lights and accented in white trim. Walking past doors that say things like 'Director' and 'CPR Training' and the usual Red Cross type places. All the way at the end of the hall was a sign that said 'Deployment Training' with an arrow to the right. Walk in the door and the first thing you see is the outside because the garage door on the far side was open. And 7 rows of these tables with a hodge-podge of people sitting down.

Now for this entire walk I was being followed by another person. Closely. I was very frightened. I walk to the back row, back corner. Creepy guy follows me. Sits down next to me. Starts to make conversation with me. Won't stop talking to me. I don't know what it was, but he wasn't going away. And it scared me.

But, back to training. It was a lot of me sitting watching a powerpoint presentation while some lady with big black hair was lecturing. Reminded me a lot of The Falcon's classes. But this time I didn't fall asleep, even if it was about 5 times longer than her classes.

But I did find out what happens in order for me to go down south. First, the computer picks a certain number of random people and displays it to the guy in the office. He then calls all those people at the numbers they have listed. For me they'll try my cell then the house number. Once they get ahold of me they ask if I can still go down and if I want to. I say yes and they then tell me the Deployment number. I take that number and battle about a thousand other people to get ahold of some center call in line in Falls Church (kinda like being the 15th caller for 99.1). They tell me where I am going and what I will be doing once I get there. After finding out that information I call another toll free number to set up a plane ticket. Apparently they'll have a ticket for me I just have to reserve it. First come, first serve as they always say. And that's just the first day.

The next day I go back to Red Cross and sign some papers and pick up a credit card with some money on it. This is for all expenses incurred on the trip. There is only a certain amount of funds on that card and I can't go over it. I have to keep a receipt of all purchases so they can track my every move (or at least so I don't have to pay them any money when I get back to Maryland).

And on the third day I leave. Not much time for planning, so I guess I should pack now.

But they told us they wouldn't put our names in the database until Monday, so I'm not worried.


And on the way to Baltimore this morning I witnessed a pickup truck driver fishtail off the road and end up on his side in a ditch off to the side of the road sitting in some priar patches. The kid was fine as he was able to crawl out as I pulled up, even though he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. That was a great way to start the day. He was visibly shaken as we talked, but he was coherent and standing. I waited for his boss to show up and try and pull him out before I left to try and make it to Baltimore on time. See, I am a decent human being.