Hello everyone! So I'm jumping on the blog bandwagon (because apparently thats what you do when you become an expat). I have to admit, this is probably the easiest way to share my experiences with all the people I'll miss, since Sprint tells me my cell phone won't work in Guatemala City, hehe.

For those of you who might not have had the pleasure of listening to me go on and on for hours about this experience, here are the details. On May 25 I'll be leaving the US to live and study in Guatemala City for 8 weeks, and do an additional 4 weeks of service (hopefully in Honduras). Although I'm traveling on my own, I'm studying through a Mennonite program called Central American Study and Serve, or CASAS. It's a well established program that serves mainly American college students, and it came very highly recommended by several friends here in Denver. I'll be studying with 8 other American students, and I'm looking forward to the small class size. Four hours each morning will be spent in small group language instruction, while the afternoons will include visits to peace and justice organizations, women's cooperatives, cultural and historical sites, etc. Although I'm not expecting to be 100% fluent by the time I leave, I hope to be well on my way.

As of today I have 8 work days left, 10 days til my subletter moves in, 12 days until I leave Denver for a whirlwind Midwest visit, and 18 days until I'm officially living in Guatemala! My ticket is bought, my apartment is in shambles as I attempt to pack up all my prized possessions, and my mind is in a constant frenzy of things I have to get done before I leave. I actually love life at this velocity, anticipation is probably just as wonderful as the experience itself. It's still kind of amazing to think that in only a few weeks I'll have an adopted Guatemalan family and will be speaking Spanish on a daily basis. The epicurean in me is also dying to try new foods, and hopefully bring home some new recipes and native Guatemalan spices. Hopefully my host family will indulge me!

I can already feel myself starting to fall in love with this country that I haven't even met yet! I can almost see the life I'll be living soon in my head. I know a book can't compare to an actual, tangible experience, but studying the history and culture of Guatemala has been both painful and wonderful. Honestly I knew very little about the country and people before I committed myself to this adventure. Once I became aware of the opportunity, and realized how little was actually keeping me from diving in, I just dove. Now, as I learn more, I'm certain this is the right direction to be heading. Guatemala, in many ways, is initimidating. From what I have read and learned, the people of Guatemala have been mercilessly exploited for centuries and have only recently regained stability. As a result, Guatemala City is still one of the most violent and dangerous parts of Central America. This made me very uneasy at first, but I still feel this is the place I need to be going. Rest assured I've done my research and taken all the warnings and precautions to heart.

Now I just need to keep myself organized and grounded enough to get through the next few weeks, which I know will be a challenge. Seeing this trip just over the horizon for weeks now has been very distracting. In many ways, I've already checked out of life here in Denver (which has made studying for finals next to impossible). I'm sure I'll be posting much more in the days to come!