“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting."

Today I received (and promptly accepted!) my official invitation to Peace Corps Guatemala...it sounds so simple, and yet it was so very complicated. I'm not talking about the mountains of paperwork- that was nothing. Volunteering and gaining work experience was the easy part- the rough aspect was the waiting. It has been almost a year since I submitted my application, and I was hoping to leave in September 2010. Of course, you can't always get what you want, and my medical review took a little longer than expected (who knew I was susceptible to the chicken pox all these years?) Anyhow, it was definitely a lesson in patience...something I'll be needing in PC Guatemala, from everything I've read during my copious research on the PC over the last few months. I will be acting as a "Health Promoter" with the Healthy Homes program- among the list of my responsibilities are training local health professionals and rural families in healthy habits, advocating and helping build sanitary infrastructures in rural homes, and many other duties related to the health of rural communities. I will also have the flexibility to pursue other projects like English classes, participating in local committees, working on community libraries, and really anything else that catches my fancy and helps out my future community!

As time goes on and my departure approaches, I'll be doing lots of research on Guatemala, and will hopefully share a bit for those interested. Hopes? Dreams? Expectations? I know I'm supposed to address them at this point, but at the moment, I am slightly overwhelmed, very excited, and...lacking words. Don't lose faith! I'm sure I will find my words in order to fully reflect during the three months leading up to my service departure.

Something that Volunteer Kathryn Griffin wrote in a welcome letter for Guatemala really resonated with me. To make up for the failure of my own words, I will borrow hers. "Serving as a Volunteer will both test and strengthen you. It is frustrating and gratifying, exciting and boring, complicated and simplistic, trying and relaxing, convivial and lonely. Peace Corps is life magnified."