Finally finished up all the paperwork for my passport and aspiration statement this past week. The passport was the biggest hassle because I had to go to an acceptance facility - I may be traveling internationally before I leave for the Peace Corps and I don't want to be without my personal passport in case that happens. I finally got it in and mailed. I know they say to do it immediately, but considering my leave date isn't until late February, they will forgive it being a week later than it should have been. With my work schedule, it was just too difficult for me to get there the first week after everything.
I am still working on processing everything. I am getting really excited about everything, but I still have the days where I freak out. Sometimes I worry about being separated from my family for that long of a period, and I certainly have a lot of worries about my Spanish (started to study it today for the first time in a few months, and it was really unfortunate). But then I think about it, and how I can make a difference in my community and really get out in the field and I know it is what I want to do, and more importantly, what I need to do during these two years.
I've started to read some of the Honduras blogs as preparation for my time there. It's nice to get some first hand knowledge of life there and what volunteers are experiencing in Honduras. It also will help when planning my packing! The only problem is I have absolutely no idea what kind of environment I will be packing for. Parts are cooler, like up in the mountains, while other parts get as hot as 100 F! It's also interesting to hear about living conditions, because my group will be the second group in Honduras to be required to live with a host family for all 2 years. I look forward to hearing how this first group deals with the lodging so I can be prepared!
So I did some exciting shopping for some Peace Corps things today! I went to the mall to look for a few new shirts, since I'm still gonna be in the states for another 6 months, and I found some great skirts to take with me! From what I've read, its very important in Honduras to keep covered with long skirts below the knee. I found some great skirts and got 4 - two that are short, just below the knee, and two that are down to the ankle. I stuck to gray and black for colors - they also had white, but I figure that there is no way that it could stay clean in Honduras. Especially with hand washing my clothing - it would be exhausting and dirt would get so worked in that it would be impossible to clean after a few months. I am very pleased with my purchases. They are thick enough cotton to not be see through, but are also thin enough and breezy enough to keep me cool if I am in a hot climate! And they were on sale! Yay! I don't want to do too much shopping until closer to my date of departure, but when I see a good deal, I am definitely going to jump on it!
Other than that, it's been pretty basic. Work has been a bit slow, but it's supposed to pick up later this month, so I should start getting some significant overtime then! I am also working on planning a few trips. As of now, I am almost for sure going to go to NYC and Hawaii. Other possibilities include a cruise with my mom and grandma or another trip over to Europe - I really want to see Spain before I go. And of course, the Chile trip is still a possibility, though I have no idea when I will find out if it could happen or what it might cost me. I'm excited to hopefully book some of these trips to go places and see people I want to see before I leave for two years!
Also still waiting on those Honduras volunteers to come out of the shadows... Any of you out there?
