So...I'm not in Costa Rica yet.

Well...Hola!  This is the first post of what will hopefully be a very enjoyable blog for everyone who is trying to follow my adventures as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.
Not that I'm there, yet.  Nope, first I will be a trainee, beginning in Washington D.C. and then going to different parts of Costa Rica over the course of three months to learn the skills and knowledge I will need to be an effective Volunteer.
And actually I'm not there yet, either.  Right now I'm sitting at home in South Eastern Pennsylvania, trying to cross things off my pre-departure "to do" list.  One of those things was start a blog which was the easiest thing to take care of.  Making copies/organizing all the important and necessary papers in my life for my mom...not so much an appealing task while the Super Bowl is on.  That's what the eleventh hour is for anyway, right?
As I'm looking forward to the first step in this process, the two day training in Washington D.C., for sure there are a couple of things on my mind, and all of them have to do with how lucky I am.
First, I am overwhelmed with how supportive my friends and family are.  Thank you so much to everyone who listened to me complain about the application process, encouraged me when I needed it and watched awkwardly while I performed totally inept victory dances.  Thanks to everyone who has been interested in what I'll be doing and about my preparations (and helping me to prepare!).
Second, thanks *especially* to the naysayers.  I mean, it was kind of a bummer to listen to you rain on my life-changing, adventurous parade.  But it made me think more about what it was that I was committing to do despite the dangers, and now I'm even more firm in my convictions.  So even though I was telepathically telling you to shut the heck up, it's cool you didn't.
Finally, I'm grateful for this opportunity and to the Peace Corps.  This organization has provided me with a chance to do what I have discovered I feel called to do - help people.  It sounds simple and I could do it anywhere, but Peace Corps offers me such a unique way to serve, and I feel like I've been unknowingly preparing for this for years.  I went to a Rotary Youth Exchange assembly in high school because I forgot to do my homework for third period Government and then I went to Bolivia.  I hesitatingly filled out a BCA Ecuador application until some things happened at college that made me think getting out wouldn't be so bad.  I went to prom with a guy from my youth group and his mom ended up giving me a job that has taught me more about service than I ever could have learned otherwise.  These are major events that have shaped who I am, and there are a thousand other small ones that are just as random.  I believe that I'm uniquely created, even if I am a small part of a big machine.  And so I hope that who I am and my hard work can serve the people of Costa Rica and the Peace Corps.
I know that not everything will be butterflies and rainbows and that I'm going to get frustrated and angry sometimes.  Or often, I'm not sure yet, haha.  But it's go time.  I feel lucky thus far for this opportunity, like I said, but I'm also going to work hard to see this through.  There is nothing else I'd rather pursue right now.

So thanks again to everyone and thanks for reading :)  I can't wait to post actual news from Costa Rica!










oof...I gotta find THIS place.