Feeling good!

When I first started Peace Corps I was feeling really nervous about everything.  I was worried about fitting into my community, about my Spanish skills, about being by myself, having to figure out everything on my own and actually doing successful, sustainable projects for my community.  But after attending training, visiting with current and aspiring volunteers, and working with Peace Corps staff, I feel a lot better. 

The Peace Corps staff is extremely supportive of all the Peace Corps volunteers.  Everyone is so happy that we are here in their country to help and they all are really knowledgeable in what they do.  It’s true that they don’t always get things done in the most efficient manner – we didn’t get our mosquito nets until the second week and they forget to give us a few handbooks and information every once in a while.  But considering the fact that they have a lot of things to take care of and a lot of paperwork to go through, they do a pretty good job.  They all have their hearts and minds in the right place and our safety, health and happiness is the most important thing to them.

Talking to volunteers has also made me realize that everyone figures it out as they go.  Training has given us a lot of tools and resources for us to use, but in the end we figure everything out as we go.  My boss asks us about our concerns and hopes to try to find us a good site, and I told him that although there are some things I would like, such as a soccer field, in the end I trust that he knows where I should be better than I do.  He takes into account everything we tell him, all our past experiences, and how we are during training, and I believe that he really does want us to be happy where we are.  I’m excited to find out where my site will be two weeks from now!