Five more days in the US!

After years of contemplation, a year of planning, and almost a year of applying and waiting, I am finally leaving for Peace Corps! On Saturday I leave for DC and I'll get to spend time with my friends there and say goodbye to them and say goodbye again to my campus and apartment. I'm really happy I'm leaving out of DC. On Monday Peace Corps staging begins at a nice hotel in DC. We go over various orientation things Mon and Tues and then leave early Wed morning for Miami, and then on to Honduras. I'm very excited to meet the other volunteers.

I think I'm finally good on packing. I have everything I need, I got it all to fit in the bags, and the bags aren't overweight! The Peace Corps sent guidelines for packing, and my 2 checked bags have a combined weight limit of 80 pounds. So it's been difficult deciding what to bring.

For the training period, July 11- Sep. 27, we will be in Santa Lucia, which is in the mountains, so it's chilly. There are about 50 volunteers in my program, and we will have training together. We each live with a host family during this time, and have classes together during the day. The Spanish classes are broken into groups of about 3, and are pretty intense. There is also a field-based training during this time.

After training, we swear in as official volunteers, and all of us get spread out across the country. I think I will have some say in choosing my site, like how big of a town I want to be in, what part of the country, etc., but ultimately, the coordinators choose it for you. This also makes it difficult to pack, since some areas of Honduras are very hot all the time, while others are cooler. I will probably be the only volunteer in my community, but there's a chance someone else will be stationed with me. For the first 2 or 3 months of service, we're required to live with a host family to get settled in the community, but after that, we can decide where to live.

So, I have a few days left. It's been hard saying goodbye to so many people, but all the good thoughts and wishes mean a lot to me. I will stay in touch as much as a can. Christmas of 2008 I will come back to visit, if not sooner. Please email me with any questions. I'll miss you all!

Honduras, here I come!