Farewell for now Guyana....

Friends, family, and anyone else who reads this:

After much contemplation I have decided to end my service early as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Why might you ask? Was because it was too difficult? NO! Did you agonizingly miss your friends and family back home? I missed ya’ll, but No! I am so glad that I put all the work and effort into becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer, even if it was for only a short time. However, for me it just wasn’t the place where I can provide the most service at this point in my life. I absolutely loved the country that is Guyana and everything that comes along with it! I loved the hospitality of the nationals and the amazing Guyanese friends that I have made and will continue to be friends with for many years to come. I loved the cultural exchange I was able to be a part of and the knowledge I gained that I can bring back home and share with others. That is one of the goals of Peace Corps that I am sure I was able to achieve in my short time as a volunteer. My personal goal in joining the Peace Corps was to be able to use my experiences and skills that I had already gained and use them in capacity to help others. After having the opportunity to that in another country, other possibilities presented themselves to me. I had to reassess where it was that I could have the most affect full circle. I realized, while I could touch the lives of many in Guyana, I could have more of a direct impact with my skills on students and families who need assistance in the States at this time.
To those of you who are considering the Peace Corps, I will give you my honest opinion. First, if you are someone who has not had a great deal of world experiences it is a great opportunity to be immersed into a new culture. Second, if you are someone who has a great deal of field experience and wants to make a great impact, I might suggest looking into VSO. With that Volunteer program you are able to apply to a specific job. Overall, if you have confidence in where you go and what you want, you will be able to do any project, anywhere, no matter what organization you are apart of… you just might have to be willing to put up with some bureaucratic headaches (but that everywhere isn’t it?). No matter what, if it’s something you want to do then follow your heat. Never have any regrets!
In closing, if you are thinking about the Peace Corps or any other Volunteer service, my advice is TRY IT! If it isn’t the right place for you than you can move on to better things with all the confidence in the world! I am so happy that I followed my heart! I never wanted to be that person who said “ Peace Corps, I always wanted to do that,” I can say “Peace Corps, I did that and had a great experience, but felt I could do more service to people who need it somewhere else, so I moved on.” However, I will always carry with me the memories, experiences, adventures, friendships, and kindness that were bestowed upon me during my Peace Corps service in Guyana, South America!!! All my love to my fellow volunteers and friends in Guyana!!! I will miss you all and I will visit again soon!!!

The Randomness and Things I Love About Guyana

My maurning (not misspelled…just creolese…something you learn to love…yeah? yeah!) routine: I wake up early early early early (in creolese repeating a word is a way to demonstrate emphasis, as if to say very)! 5:30 am on a Saturday maurnin? Of course! It’s bright and sunny Guyana! I treat myself to my coffee made with the lovely powdered milk, sugar, water, and Folgers instant coffee granulates that I despised in the states, but enjoy oh so much here. Sometimes I even add in a little Milo to make it “mocha.” Then, I head out onto my veranda to lime (hang out) in my hammock and slowly wake myself up. Brilliant!

Black outs: In the states this is often a cause for distress and chaos, but not in Guyana. They are an often occurrence, happening numerous times on some days. I love when I the blackness fall on the usually bustling streets of my town at night. The normal thunderous music (and I mean thunderous… they love their speakers here!) from the shops halt and the sounds that are Guyana can be enjoyed. The lazy cow and donkey fighting in the middle of the street, the venders from the bakery behind my house gaffing (chatting/gossiping), the amazing creolese phrases that I can now attempt to decipher.

Modes of transportation:
There is nothing I love more than when I see an entire family of five travel together… all on the same bicycle…. Yes they do it… it amazes me every time I see it! The balance, the coordination, the strength of the peddler, and the sheer lack of regard for the dangerousness of carrying a 4 month old in this fashion, along with 2 other children and a wife! It is awesome! Speaking of bicycles, I also love when I am walking to school and see a student of mine riding his older, much fatter brother to school on his handlebars (obviously being forced to do so)!
OK, let’s talk minibuses! Make yourself small is the saying! Imagine a 15 passenger van with up to 30 people… no I am not exaggerating… this is common! Many volunteers refuse to take the minibuses for this reason. However, I love them! First, they less expensive than taking a cyar (car) on the street or a taxi and they are SO much more entertaining! There is always a story. Remember that traveling family of five? So just when the minibus is so full that the conductor has to ride with his butt hanging out the window (yes this IS normal) we stop… for that same family of five and they all fit in!!! Mom and all three children sitting on top of each other in one small seat! How about when my minibus was stopped at a road block and the man dressed in a military uniform told the conductor he wanted to search my bag!?! I pause and think, followed by the quick “why?.......NO!” and they say OK, go ahead!?! That would never fly back home!
Yes, I almost forgot my favorite minibuses… the “boom-boom buses.”
There was a recent law saying music can’t be played in the bus… its Guyana… like that rule will be followed! So they play all sorts of random music that skips around and is so loud you can’t think. Then the random guy behind you just starts singing and can’t carry a tune to save his life! So, what do I do? Sing along and laugh the whole time! Damn right!

Then we have those cyars I was talking about. They are a little more expensive, but very accessible. Every time Im in a cyar I think of my brother, whom when he was younger lost his license numerous times for reckless driving (sorry Jesse). They drive well over 120 KM/hr on the roads, everyone passes everyone and just get to the correct side of the road in time before a full head-on collision without a blink of an eye from the country nationals. As I, at first was pleading for my life! It doesn’t phase me now. If the swerving in and out wasn’t enough there are always animals in the middle of the road. The cyars just swerve around them too…a huge cow, the random dog, a goat with a few kids… whatever. They also use one and only one signal for all warnings…. Honking the horn! Beep “need a drop?”… beep “im passing you”…beepbeepbeep “get the hell out of my way”….beep “ hey baby” … BEEP! so I pretty much ignore all the beeps! It will be weird to come home and drive without hearing all those BEEPS!

The animals: It’s like a 24 hour petting zoo! Any animal that might be penned up back home is just free to roam the streets, but they are not strays! Oh no, someone owns them, but don’t ever ask me who because I have NO IDEA! It funny how things just become normal to you, like the other day when I was leaving school and there was a bull blocking the fence. I just pushed him out of the way not even thinking any different. A horse was drinking out of the trench in font of my house and two donkeys are getting it in on in the market. Oh and the dogs here are never nice! But they are soooo funny when they get stuck together after matting and cannot figure out how to get apart… and you can’t help them because they will bite you! YES, I said they got stuck together! I can’t even describe the hilariousness of it!

The music! It is ALWAYS loud! Guyanese love loud music. There is no such thing as a noise ordinance that’s for sure! They build walls out of speakers bigger than me for any function… or even in their homes! Religion is always talked about so I wake up every maurnin to the loud Christian gospel and fall asleep to the shop’s random mix of soca, reggae, A-kon, Celin Dion, and 80’s soft rock. My favorite is when you get in a cyar that is all pimped out and the driver looks all thug (to use American terms) and he is rocking out to Richard Marx or Shania Twain. Yeah this is common! I love the randomness of this country!!!

There are many more random acts that occur everyday. I’ll be sure to share more another time! The randomness may be my favorite part of Guyana!

I published a lot of new posts…. All written at different times of course. I was unable to upload pics, but they will come soon! A random note to friends and family: if you attempt to call anD I don’t answer, try again… my phone is a little messed up and by the time I answer it you hang up and I can’t tell who called! Sad day! Try again! Love you all!

Site Assignment!!!

I am very excited about my placement! I became a bit worried because during my interview the program managers made it sound as if they wanted to send me to a placement that nobody seemed to want. I told them that I am very adaptable and would make the best of wherever they sent me…but it worked out that I got one of my top two choices because I had stated that I wanted to be able to utilize my skills!!! Yippee!!! I can’t say exactly where I will be living or working, but I can tell you a little about them. I can no longer be called “Jungle Jenny” because I do not have a remote placement in the interior. I will be living in one of the 6 towns in the country. Therefore, I will have easier access to amenities such as food, electricity and even internet! Even though it is still a third world country, I will not be “roughing it” like you may imagine a traditional Peace Corps volunteer to be doing. I saw a picture of my house and it looks fabulous! As for my job, I was hoping to be placed somewhere that I will be pretty busy and this seems to be the perfect fit! My primary assignment actually has two assignments built into one site. I will be working fulltime at a school with nursery through secondary students. I will also be working at nonprofit NGO (nongovernmental organization) working to train and teach literacy to community members and with youth on issues including domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse and AID/HIV awareness. There is a large focus on incorporating the arts into the youth program, which should be a lot of fun! I was also told that there is a special education school in the area that needs assistance; because that is my passion I am really hoping to be able to spend a lot of time collaborating there as well! Looks like I might not have as much down time as I thought. I can’t wait to get started!

We have our swearing in ceremony this coming Thursday and I will no longer be a PCT! I will officially be a Peace Corps Volunteer! FINALLY! Then, it is off to my site bright and early Friday morning. I will try to keep everyone updated on how the move goes. Wish me luck!

Site Selection

So this week we had our site selection. In normal Peace Corps fashion, we did not get to see the possibilities until the day after they told us we would, oh well. We actually had a very good system worked out and nobody killed anyone over a chance to read a packet. The way PC Guyana has it worked out is that they put together packets of information on each possible site for the trainees to work for the next two years. There is information on our projects, counterparts, housing, village/town, amenities, etc. We get to read over all 32 packets, after which we have to write an essay on our top 5 choices and why and our bottom 3 choices and why. This is very nice as most trainees in other countries do not get a say in where they are placed. Next, we get to meet with the PM’s (program managers) for a final interview and then next week they will reveal our final destination. I hope that I did not make a mistake. I only wrote my essay for my top two choices…kinda seems like I put all my eggs in one basket, but I didn’t. The problem was that there were so many cool places that I couldn’t pick why one was better than another. I love the jobs and project possibilities of my top 2 choices, other than that I stated my abilities, placement likes and dislikes, and said to put me wherever I will be best used. I came into this with an open mind and I really think it is important to keep that! So wherever I am meant to be placed is where I will be and I will make the best of it!

Lake Capoey

Our group of education trainees took a tour (field trip) to Capoey Mission Amerindian village. We broke into groups and had a teenage guide take us around the village and tell us all about it. It was beautiful! We had an opportunity to see a woman making cassava bread, a staple food item of the Amerindians. It is quite a process to make! The cassava is a root vegetable that grows beneath the cassava tree. It is dug up and part of the tree is replanted and can be re-harvested in a year. The cassava is grated down and put into a long tube (I forget the name but it kind of looks like a huge Chinese finger trap- right?) and the liquid is squeezed out. The liquid is poisonous at this stage, it must be boiled down to a thick sauce called casareep. Casareep is used to flavor foods and as a preserving agent, most commonly used in a favorite dish called “pepper pot.” After the liquid has been removed from the cassava, it is dried and placed on an outdoor stove made of mud to make the bread. The bread is then thrown on rooftops to dry in the sun. Cassava bread is the most delicious cardboard I have ever eaten!!!

*** I have awesome pics of this but it is taking too long to upload so I will have to attempt again later... sorry***

Training

So training is very interesting….some fun….some not so fun…. But it is what it is and we are almost done!!! I feel like it had been forever, but at the same time the time just flew by. I loath the longs days of sitting in training listening to unorganized lectures, doing 5 million skits because that is supposedly more interesting than the lectures!?! And tons of group work that none of the trainers even listen to when we present…I LOVE TRAINING! So other than that fun…what is training really like? Honestly, it reminds me of the days when I was pledging my sorority. No, there is no hazing involved! Basically they give you tons of group projects to make you go crazy, then keep you in class so late that you don’t have time to work on it and you have to be in your home-stay by dark (6pm). Oh by the way, transportation stops at 6pm too. They also like to play the game “we will only tell you a day or two before you have to present the information” or “ by the way, you also have three more very meaningful assignments to do tonight that are due tomorrow morning.” Also, a lot of the projects include working with community members. This would be a good thing if we were staying here and could start something sustainable or meet with the groups again, but we are leaving soon. Therefore, they just have to be kind and let us use them to get our projects done for class. Peace Corps also loves acronyms- all PCT’s learn to adore KEEPRA and PACA. I do believe that some of the trainees really are getting a lot out of training in all honesty, especially the people who are not used to teaching or speaking to groups of people. Essentially that is what all PCV’s will be doing. I have to say I really like our Education Trainer! He is very experienced, does experiential learning activities, and provides us with a great deal of resources. I know that I complain, but overall it is a good experience I suppose. I think it is funny though, at first I was assuming that the reason they gave us so much to do was an attempt to stress us out and teach time management skills. The reality of it is that after training a big issue with volunteers is the lack of activity and how to manage a massive amount of down time. Everyone from home kept saying that I would be less stressed when I got here and it would be a nice relaxing change from the crazy classroom I had in the states. As it is definitely not stressful in the same sense here, there are different stresses. A CRAZY Peace Corps statistic that they keep reminding us is that the stress and adjustment that a PCV goes through is equal to that of going through a divorce or losing a family member….crazy right?

This week was the observation of two religious holidays in Guyana, Youman Nabi (Muslim) and Phagwah (Hindu). I celebrated Phagwah with another volunteer’s host family. Phagwah is a Hindu celebration of rebirth and spring where water is thrown on people and then they are covered in various colored powder. “Playing Phagwah” as they say is great fun, but quite a mess too! I scrubbed in the shower over and over and I am still stained orange, kinda like a fake tan! Early in the morning I went for a run and a family and group of young boys having parade, yelling and banging pots and pans, got me! They dumped buckets of water over my head before I could successfully save my ipod (don’t worry, it dried out). Then hey rubbed pink and red powder all over my face and kissed me saying “Happy Phagwah!” Then I had to run through the next village and home all phagwahed! My family laughed at me when I returned home!


On Tuesday a large group of Volunteers, families, and Peace Corps staff went to Lake Mainstay to swim in the black water. The water is actually very clean and the color of Coca-cola. The vegetation releases tannins into the water making it a dark reddish-black color and very good for you skin. It was very cool. My host mom came along with a few other moms from my village. They packed great food for us and we had a picnic. We had chicken curry with dhol pori (which is like roti- an amazing Indian flat bread but made with split peas too), channa (chickpeas cooked with onion, garlic and spices), Guyanese baked mac and cheese, chowmein (similar to Chinese), and bora (Guyanese string beans- like ours but skinny and really long!). My mom taught us how to play some games. We had a human tug-o-war (no rope) match and the girls beat the guys! HA-HA! We also played bog and bone, which is similar to steal the bacon. It was a nice day away from training that’s for sure!!!

Just Now

The Guyanese have a phase they use...."just now." That is used when they say that they are going to do something. For example, "Jenny, when will you update your blog?" "Oh! Just now." Just now can mean 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5years. So, now my answer to people's questions back home about when something will occur here will be... "Just now!" I can't beleive that I have only been with my host family for a week now, It seems like forever. They are so nice! It is just me and my mom and dad, no children. However, my mom and I can sit and gaff (chat) all evening long. This is great because there isn't anything else to do right now. My living conditions are very nice. I have a nice room and my family provided me with a TV, VCR, and DVD player. I haven't used them though becuase I do not want to get accustome to using them and not have them for two years in my site. I have electricity, running water and a pretty nice shower too. The bugs aren't too bad and I only have little lizards in the house, like in Florida. The food is good too. My host mother took me to her gym...yes...her gym! It is like a little barn with a group of woman only. They have some equipment and we do a mix of aerobics and yoga....it is a lot of FUN!!! It reminds me a of home! Who would have thought I would be going to the gym three times of week in a rural village in Guyana!?! We are told that our training is in the safest region in the country. This is a great feeling for now as we adjust, I just hope that Im in a good area for my 2 year site assignment. I started work at my training school on Monday and got to go back today. The students are wonderful and VERY well behaved... but I would be too if the fear of lashes was put into me! We observed on Monday and today two other volunteers and myself gave reading assessments. The results were pretty much what I expected, a few on target, most a bit behind, and a few drastically behind. However, you will find that in the US schools too. I get to teach next week and I will try to let you know all about it. I attempted to include a video of the school students signing their school song during the morning assembly that they have every Monday and Friday, but it wasn't uploading. Hopefully I will post it soon. I haven't seen anything too crazy, except for all the farm animals all over the roads. When I find something crazy... I will post it!:)

IN GUYANA!!!

Hello Everyone! I am now officially a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) and here in Guyana. It is absolutely beautiful. It sure has been a whirlwind! Our staging in Philly was quick, but fun. I got to meet all the 33 members of my groups Guy21. They are all exactly what I expected and more than I could hope for… a great new family! When we arrived in Guyana we were greeted by Peace Corps Staff and current volunteers from Guy19 and Guy20. They immediately gave us bottled water, a coconut with a straw to drink from, and a necklace with either a Guyanese flag or “I love Guyana” on it (I got the Flag), what a great welcome! We checked into our hotel and had a full and long day of introductions and training. Today we had more training and got to tour Georgetown and the Peace Corps office. It was beautiful! We had dinner and limed (hung out) on the seawall. We are going to meet our host families tomorrow and we get to spend the whole weekend with them to integrate before training on Monday. I was excited to find out that my host family is in walking distance from the training site, this means exercise and no hassle of minibuses!!! I am both excited and anxious about meeting my host family. However, I think it will be a great experience. Oh yeah, I got my first round of shots and malaria meds. The nurse gave me the good malaria meds that don’t make you have crazy thoughts or dreams, so I am very happy about that! Other volunteers have already gotten woozy from the meds, but they are adjusting.

On another note, I will no longer be posting my address for security reasons. I know I told everyone here that you would be able to reach me that way, but NO worries! Just send me an email requesting my address and as soon as I can I will forward it on to you! Also, I will have internet cafes to go to during my 2 months of training. However, I am not sure how often I will be able to go or how expensive it will be. So I apologize if it is a long time between updates, but just keep checking! PLEASE leave comments or email and I will write back!

Guyana….OK, Freak out NOW!!!!

2 days left......ENOUGH SAID!!!!

As ready as I'll ever be

It is not what you do or what you have in your life that matters…. It is who you are and who you have to share that with!

As my time at home draws to an end and my departure to begin my journey quickly approaches, I feel truly blessed. Thankful to all of my friends and family for everything that they have done and will continue to do for me! Family, friends, and co-works that have been my little cheerleaders and freely support my crazy aspirations, however, it is at the same time that I cannot help but feel selfish. By venturing away, I leave the people who support the most me behind. Meaning I will not be there support them at work or be apart of those most important events of their lives (you know who you are!). Thank you for your giving spirits!!!

I have five days left… Are my bags packed? No. Do I feel ready? Not really. Am I prepared? No, but I have prepared myself for the fact that there is no possible way to actually be “prepared” for this adventure. I am simply prepared for “not being prepared.” Am I excited? More than words can express! Am I scared? Not at all. Am I anxious? YES!!! Mostly because of all of the unknowns…What puts me at ease? Knowing that I will be with a great group. They will feel the same way and we will all build great friendships off that horribly unprepared, but ready to help each other feeling!!! Bring it on!!!J

they grab for my hand , but touch my heart...goodbyes

Today was my last day of school. Wow! That was difficult. However, it truly hasn’t sunk in yet. As I sit here at my desk at school and type this entry, it seems like any normal evening, but then I stop and realize…I will not see my boys again. I can feel the lump in my throat and the tears well up in my eyes. Not really because I am sad, more because I am proud! I begin to reminisce about what it was like when each of them came here, some not too long ago, others it seems like forever. Nonetheless, they have all come so far! Academically, behaviorally, and socially! Each one with such distinct personality all their own… not a single one even close to another! That I love! That I will miss!!!! (tears on my keyboard…I am such a girl!) I start to wonder “will my students in Guyana be anything like my students here? Will we form the bonds and see the growth? Will I make a difference in even one child’s life? Or parent’s life for that matter?” There are so many questions that I can’t wait to seek the answers to.
The staff here is wonderful and they all threw me a little goodbye party! Thanks guys! My kids and classroom staff made me the best gifts to take. A shirt they signed with hearts on their back (because one of my students told his grandma “I give Ms. Grigsby my heart”… goodness he melts me!!! ) They framed a picture of us being silly like we always are (see below) and made me a school bag with all their hand prints so they will be my little helpers always! A special thanks to Miss. Sarah for all of her patience!!! You are a gift from god! This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make and I hope that all my dreams come true!!!



I am such a dork!

Guyanese Creole... what I know

Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America. As a teacher, I was very happy to discover that I would not have to teach in a whole new language. However, Guyanese Creole is different from American English and it can even sound like a whole separate language at times. As far as teaching goes, Guyana follows the Bristish system. Therefore, it may take some getting used to the different spellings of words. Here is what I found so far…
English taught in the schools of Guyana are based on the Queen's English (Britain) compared to the American English spelling of words; e.g. Americans spell the word as "Labor", while in the Queen's English it is spelt as "Labour".
Guyanese people speak English/Guyanese Creole while learning the English system of writing and reading in schools. It is a slightly different system of communication from the standard forms. This is the main reason why many Guyanese and outsiders say that Guyanese Creole is basically English. Words that end with er for Ex: Water, Teacher, Better, change the word er to a. Translating Guyanese language to English or the opposite way are basically the same. The vowels are a bit mixed up and as a result Guyanese Creole language was formed. Guyanese people use simple words, which they fuse with other words, this creates a faster speech rate from the original English.
*HAHA- I should fit right in as I speak extremely fast when I am excited (and sometimes when I’m not). My boss says that I am “hyper-verbal” and everyone seems to agree!
Examples of the English in daily use in the Caribbean include a different set of pronouns, typically, me, meh, or mi, you, yuh, he, she, it, we, wi or alawe, allyuh or unu, and dem or day. I, mi, my, he, she, ih, it, we, wi or alawe, allayu' or unu, and dem, den, deh for "them" with Central Americans. The so-called "dropping the 'h'" or th-stopping in th- words is common.
It is common in Guyanese Creole to repeat adjectives for emphasis (as if saying, very or extremely). For example, "Dis wata de col col" translates into "This water is very cold". "Come now now" translates into "come right now”
For a list of common phrases, check out Angie’s blog!
Here is a great link that gives some common differences between American and British spellings… however, who knows if they will be the same in Guyana!
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm

Last Will and.....WHAT???

Let me begin by saying that there is a lot of paperwork that goes into becoming a Peace Corps volunteer. For anyone who is going through it or those who may be thinking about joining, don’t let this deter you. There is a lot, but it is not stressful or difficult… just merely a lot! From your 30 page application in the beginning to your resumes, motivation and aspiration statements, to the piles of legal and medical clearances, you will be busy compiling documents for the government. Then you get invited and the fun just begins! You must get finances in order, pay off debts, get student loans deferred, set up banking (paypal, etc), get personal property insurance, shall I go on? I am not complaining, just saying that there is a lot to do. I read that it is a good idea to appoint a Power of Attorney to take care of any obligations (taxes, etc) for you while out of the country. As my dad is an Attorney, naturally he was my pick. I go over to his house last night and he hands me a stack of papers to read over. It basically stated I give him permission to take over my life! Ha-ha! As I flipped to the end of the stack, I came across a paper that read “Last Will and Testament of Jennifer L. Grigsby.” Needless to say I freak out! “What the hell is this?” My dad calmly states “Your will. Jenny, it is important to have all things in order.” So what? He thinks I might get destroyed there in Guyana? I think not! Nonetheless, I read through it and said OK. I guess father does always know best. Im sure not every 26 year old Peace Corps Volunteer writes a will before they leave (I don’t own anything of value anyway), but why not add it to my plies of papers? LOL!

Anyway, it is really getting exciting talking to all the people in my group. They all seem like they are going through the same emotional rollercoaster that I am. Woohoo! I got a phone call from the Peace Corps Guyana Director and the Director of Education. We had a 40 minute conversation about what to expect, some general information on safety and medical care, and specifics about my skill set and where I see myself living. To be honest I told them I still wasn’t sure. I can’t wait to get in country and really see what it is like. I can daydream all I want, but I will never know until I step foot on Guyana soil! We did speak about how there are some discipline problems in the schools and that teachers are struggling with ways to deal with difficult children. They said that some teachers still resort to the switch…. That might take some getting used to. However, they were very interested with my behavior management background and how we could incorporate those skills. That really got me motivated and I can’t wait for training to begin… ok I am getting a little ahead of myself. But that definitely sparked a new excitement, as I didn’t think those would be skills that I would be utilizing! I’ll never know till I get there :)

Updates

I just received my staging information and there is an excited change of plans. I had originally thought that it would be in Miami, as that was where the last staging for Guyana was. However, it is in Philly! So this has its ups and downs… It is great because I can just drive there! It’s bad because I have to do my final goodbyes at the hotel. That means whoever gets there before me might get a first impression of me as a blubbering idiot because I don’t have a whole plane ride to prepare myself and adjust… oh well! I can’t wait to meet all of the people in my Guy21. A bunch of us have already talked in a facebook group and they all seem very nice so far. Yesterday I told my students that I was leaving. It went pretty well, but there were lots of tears from one special 7 yr old and maybe a few from me too. We start to transition in my replacement Tuesday, so a little busy getting ready for that. Overall, still really excited and starting to worry that I don’t have anything ready… gotta love that wait till the last minute stuff!

Guyana! Don't freak out yet....

Hello everyone! I have decided to start this blog to keep my friends, family, and anyone who is interested updated on the crazy adventures that will be my life for the next 26 months. On February 22nd, I will be heading to Guyana (that’s in South America for you geographically challenged ones) to serve for 26 months as a US Peace Corps Volunteer. I really have no idea what to expect. I am told that I will be a Community Education Promoter. I believe that I will be teaching in primary schools, assisting/guiding teachers on good teaching practices, and working with the community to develop PTOs, extra curricular activities, and after school/ summer programs. But really, who knows? I could end up doing something completely different. It seems that I will never really know until I get there…. then it may still be a question. For any of you who know me… I like a challenge! So I guess this is the perfect path for meJ Im starting to stress with having to leave my friends, family and kiddos at work (I am a k-2 special ed teacher… I am dreading “the talk”). As well as having to get rid of half of my belongings and pack 2 years of stuff into 2 bags! The biggest issue is that I have no idea where my site of service will be until after my first two months of training. It could be in a decent town with reliable electricity, water, and even internet and TV! Or I could be in the middle of the rainforest somewhere… in a hut? Who knows? So many questions! Right now I think… go for it… opt for the hut. But after seeing some crazy huge tarantulas… I might change my mind. I guess that’s what the first two months are for.

Well, please feel free to email me or post comments! I know I would love them. I will keep you updated as my departure gets closer!