The beginning of an adventure

I guess I'll start off with a little background for those of you who don't know what I'm doing the next year. I decided to take a year break from school to volunteer. I can't believe that I'm actually doing what I said I was going to do over a year ago. I always said that I was going to volunteer for a year but I don't really know when I actually convinced myself (it was long after I started saying it).I wanted to do something that was meaningful, would change my perspective of the world, and help me grow. I decided on the Benedictine Volunteer Corps because it is run by Saint John's Abbey (my school). The program sends SJU graduates to a variety of locations around the world to live and work in host communities while living in a host monastery. Don't worry, I'm not becoming a monk. My location is Esquipulas, Guatemala and I will be going with Theo Eggermont, a fellow 2008 Johnnie Grad. Our host monastery has 18 monks. They will provide our housing and all of our meals. We will pray with them daily and work in the community they serve.

Well, here goes. I'm leaving in less than an hour for the airport to head off to Guatemala for 9 months. I don't know if it has fully hit me yet. I think it will as soon as I step off the plane tonight at about 6:20pm. Even then, I don't know if I'll be fully aware that it's not just a vacation, but my home for the next 9 months. I'm very excited, nervous, and anxious to go. I will definitely miss all of my family and friends back home (but better hear from them). I am most nervous and excited for the Spanish part of the trip. I've always wanted to speak Spanish but never learned it very well in the classroom setting. I have a background in Spanish having studied abroad in Spain for a semester almost 2 years ago, however I haven't spoken since then. I know it will come back quickly and I'll learn amazing amounts, but it's still nerve racking. The first few months will be very frustrating but I can't wait until I can speak it. My goal is to come back fluent!

This next 9 months will be an adventure full of new experiences and I'll do my best to keep everyone up to date.

Paz