And so it begins

Fhdsjkchdskfjeos!!!!! Yes. That basically describes how I feel right about now… When words hardly come close to expressing what you want to express… However, I shall do my best:

I spent the last week visiting my future site, and I am now a sound believer in the Peace Corps process—the interviews, the follow-up interviews, the pages and pages of paperwork about myself and interests…they do a really great job at matching volunteers to certain sites (at least in my case, and from what I have heard from others in regard to their site visit). I love Calobre.

At the beginning of last week, all the volunteers went to a conference in Cocle, where we met a counterpart from our community. (Oh how the nerves were flying! However, they were immediately calmed when I met my lovely counterpart. Amazing woman) We spent a couple days going over information, and getting to know our counterpart before departing for our communities. On the 16th, we left for our sites. My cheeks hurt so bad during the last leg of my bus ride into Calobre—I was in constant smile mode. Just beautiful. All the trees…all the mountains…AH! Within the first day, I met the police, the school director, the VET!, people of MIDA (ministry of agricultural development), the corregidor, all the members in the women’s group, and so on and so forth. Circling Calobre, in more rural areas, are several smaller communities, and you can walk around and see most in about two hours; I’m lucky—I have 5+ communities to work with! El Alto is where the big farms are, and I spent a couple days out there working with two different groups on two different farms; planting rice and cleaning a corn field. I met my host families for the first three months and talked to some people about beginning the construction of a little house for when I can live solo! I went to a fun recycling seminar each night (which was basically like a big arts and crafts class!), and learned to make some corn goods (thick tortillas, bollos, chicha). I also may or may not have found a four legged companion. (I tried really hard not to get attached, but when you know, you know, right?! Cutest puppy) To top it off, all the people I have met are so phenomenal.

Between helping out in two different schools, working with the farm groups, and with MIDA, there will clearly ALWAYS be something to do, so I am pretty excited. I go back the 3rd of July and from there, the two year countdown begins. Yikes.

I am now back in Santa Clara for a little over a week, and while I am excited to really start my service in Veraguas, and be done with training, I hate having to leave my current host family. I am only 4ish hours away, so I can visit, AND they have already told me they are going to come visit ME in February (for my birthday!!! So sweet!!).

The swearing in ceremony is Friday. A day we’ve been looking forward to for a long time—the aspirantes finally become REAL Peace Corps Volunteers. Yay! Training officially ends the 30th of June, so we get a couple days free until we have to be in site. May do another beach trip.

It is all really happening. Thanks to everyone for continued support! I miss you all and hope you are well.

P.S. July 3rd is also pretty special because my amazing friend Nicole (who happens to have Panamanian roots!) is getting married! Congrats to you, my dear, I wish I could be there!

P.P.S. World Cup is also going on right now, and that is pretty cool, since it isn´t that huge (at least I think..) in the U.S. You guys at home watching?! You should!