Here we go...

I did it.  I managed to fit my whole life into a rolly duffle bag, a small suitcase, and a backpack.  It was surprisingly easier than I anticipated!  I even fit my rain boots!  The past 31 days did go by fast.  So fast.  After two years of applications, essays, paperwork, blood work, dental exams, dental xray's, eye exams, vaccines, chest xrays, background checks, in person interviews, finger prints, over the phone interviews, personal statements, more xray's and more paperwork, I am finally waiting at the gate eating an everything bagel and drinking a black iced coffee having absolutely no idea what the next two years hold for me.  This is the feeling I've always been drawn to, what I've always loved, that feeling of not knowing what's next.  That feeling of excitement and anticipation and just jumping in without expectations.  But this time, it was a completely different experience than backpacking or studying abroad.  I've had moments over the past 31 days where I completely freaked out.  Sitting with a ginormous knot in my stomach asking myself what the heck am I doing!?  Joining the Peace Corps was always this dream, this distant goal that I wanted to achieve, and surprisingly to me, when it became reality I became completely terrified.  I've gone from pure excitement to absolute fear and basically every emotion in between.  I didn't expect to have such a roller coaster of feelings but now as I sit here in the airport I am completely relaxed and ready to go.  I have no idea what the next 27 months will bring but I believe I am as ready as I will ever be!

The schedule:
Fly to D.C. today to meet with 30 other Pre-Service Trainees (PST) who are either in the small business advising program with me or in the agriculture program.  We will be meeting for a quick run down before we travel to Nicaragua as a group in the morning.  We arrive in Nicaragua at 11:30 am May 9th.  May 9th - 12th we will be in a hotel in Managua (with internet and hot water!) for orientation, more shots, language interviews and training placement.  On Saturday afternoon we will be split up into groups of 3-4 PST.  The 4 of us with similar language skills will live in the same community with different host families.  Starting on Monday morning my group and I will meet with a language teacher for 6 hours a day to study Spanish.  We will also have culture and technical training.  From what I've heard, training is tough work with long hours.    This is what we will be doing for 11 weeks.  If all goes well, Nica 59 (my training group) will be sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) on July 27th, 2012 and sent to our sites where we will live and work for the next two years.  

  Hasta Luego!