Heaven on Earth, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Heaven on Earth, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Saturday, July 31, 2010

One Week 'Till Takeoff!

So in an effort to fully commit to this blog (yes, I even have commitment issues to blogs...I know, I'm working on it) I decided to post at least once before I leave for my Peace Corps assignment to Guatemala (aka Hotamala)...So here goes...

Many people have asked me if I am excited to begin "the toughest job you'll ever love" or if I am ready for "the adventure of a lifetime"...in truth right now I am just scared. Scared sh*tless for lack of a better descriptor. All my life I have been preparing myself for this dream of mine--the Peace Corps. I have spent summers interning or volunteering abroad, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, challenging myself to see if I could handle it to make sure that the Peace Corps was 1) something I could actually do, and 2) something I still want to do. I've always felt confident about my decision to pick up and leave for 27 months and do something fully connected to my two passions: human rights and international development; however, now the doubts and misgivings are creeping into my mind, like a disease, growing bigger and bigger, commandeering my brain. I have all these crazy, irrational fears, and friends sending me links about giant sinkholes in Guatemala or newspaper clippings citing the ever-growing statistics of cases of violence against women there are not exactly helping to boost my confidence and ease my nerves (you know who you are, but I still love you guys!)

But this has been my dream since I was 16, and so, I am going for it. Yes, of course I am excited. But I am scared, nervous, etc., too. However, I suppose as with any big decision, these feelings are normal, and definitely warranted...or at least I am telling myself that...

Well, I'll talk to you all next post!
Until then, hasta luego!