So I made a blog...

I can't say for sure how much I'll use this thing.  This isn't for me as much as it is for you, the reader.  One, I don't know how much computer access I'll have during my service, but my guess is here and there.  Two, this isn't really a journal, although I'll be keeping one for myself.  This is, however, the sort of medium that will let me share interesting stories from my service, let me voice an opinion from time to time, and keep in touch with everybody back home (Love you Mom).  The Peace Corps Mission Statement contains three goals: to help the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women; to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served; and to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans.  So I made a blog, in the hope that I can do my part to fulfill that mission.  

I have accepted an assignment with the Peace Corps to serve in Guatemala.  I'll be working through the Sustainable Agriculture Program as a Food Security Facilitator.  That's my official job title.  Basically, I'll be establishing school and family gardens with sustainable farming practices and environmental conservation, providing training for backyard poultry management, and educating families and communities on nutritional contents and the preparation of home-grown vegetables and other agricultural products, all in conjunction with local counterparts.  The term of service is 24 months, after the three months of in-country training of course.  I won't officially become a Volunteer until Halloweenish (feel free to dress up as your favorite Peace Corps Voluneteer).  

The departure date is not written in stone quite yet, but August 10, 2009, is when I leave for staging, somewhere in the the States, for a couple of days, before we depart to Guatemala City as a well oriented group.  I will then participate in a 12-week training program, consisting of Spanish, cross-cultural studies, and technical orientation.  The training program is hands-on, and I'm sure I'll probably mention it here and there when the time comes.  

For now, I have about two and a half months to prepare myself for my service.  I'm taking Rosetta Stone, reading and re-reading manuals and handbooks, and working on getting in somewhat better shape, as I expect to be walking/hiking everywhere I go.  In the next several weeks I'll receive more information, i.e. staging location, dates, and reporting instructions.  To be continued...