The Final Countdown

So, this is it... Today is February 1st, which means that there are 11 days until I to meet my fellow Peace Corps Trainees in DC and 12 days until we head out to Guatemala to begin our adventure.  If there was ever a time to back out, this would be it....

And, yet, I feel incredibly calm.  My good friend, Dana, even remarked the other night that I was too calm and it was freaking her out.  If anybody were to know about my fears or misgivings, it would be Dana, so it must be weirdly and remarkably true that I am calm.

I've tried to find the source of my calmness in hopes that I can bottle it and reuse it during my first bucket bath or attempt at having a meaningful conversation in Spanish.  I have been doing lots of yoga and getting a full night's sleep, but the most important reason I've come up with is this: I am calm because I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing at this exact point in my life.  The Peace Corps is a perfect reflection of who I am at this moment.  I am altruistic.  I am naive.  I am a citizen of the world and I want to get my hands dirty doing work that matters.

At it's conception, Sargent Shriver explained the Peace Corps to the Foreign Policy Association,
Our volunteers do not go overseas as the salesmen of a particular political theory, or economic system, or religious creed.  They go to work with people, not to employ them, use them or advise them.  They do what they country they go to wants them to do, not what we think is best.  They live among the people, sharing their homes, eating their food, talking their language, living under their laws, not in special compounds with special privileges.

Sargent Shriver later described a Peace Corps Volunteer,
That girl worked there to bring peace on earth.  Not the abstract kind of peace that politicians talk about, but the peace that men feel in their bones when they are loved, or fed, or clothed, or housed.

I am excited to be a part of such a noble cause.  If I want the world to be a peaceful place, than I have to be willing to help create the peace.  Now, if I had to report to a nine to five office job in a week and a half, well that would freak me out...

Sure there's pragmatic things that I'm worried about... like how am I supposed to pack, in 100 lbs, the supplies I'll need for a new job and what essentially amounts to a two-year camping trip to a foreign country.  Plus, I'm trying to brush-up on my Spanish and learn everything I can about the country of Guatemala.  I know I will leave the States with a knowledge that is sub-par, by my own standard.

Adjusting to Guatemala will be difficult, particularly while I get a grasp on the Spanish language, but I am confident in my decision to spend the next twenty-seven months of my life there.  The Peace Corps will give me the opportunity to meet many people, to teach, to live humbly - and I couldn't imagine I better use of my education or my time.

I would be amiss if I did not mention the sub-title of my blog.  Service and travel are a given - they're both in the Peace Corps job description - but how do I know that there will be blessings?  The answer is simple: I already have so many blessings.  The amount of support shown to me has been remarkable - from friends in Delaware, from family across the country, and from my hometown of Northborough, MA.  (I'm talking about you St. Rose of Lima Parish.)  So many people have provided well wishes, prayers for my safety, and - most importantly - shown genuine interest in the people I will be serving.

I am very excited to use this blog to tell you about my own work and to provide you with a personal look at the lives of Guatemalans.  So please, keep reading and be sure to contact me with any questions you have about Guatemala or the Peace Corps.

P.S. During my first nine weeks in Guatemala I will be in pretty intense training.  So, I may not be able to blog or otherwise communicate frequently.  I'm setting expectations low for blogging at the beginning, but hopefully I'll be able to work out a routine once I get to my site.  In the meantime, know that I am thinking of you, that I am grateful for your love, and that I am amassing some great stories to share with you shortly!