The Countdown is on!

In exactly one week from today I will be on an extremely early flight from Peace Corps Headquarters in DC to Miami and then on to Nicaragua’s capital Managua.  I’ve spent my last month stateside in Arizona enjoying friends, family, wine, great food, sunsets, yoga, hiking, camping and everything American.  I’m finally ready to take the plunge in to the unknown. When I say unknown I’m referring to the fact that I have no idea what part of Nica I will live in post training, who my host stay family will be or any of the individuals who will be serving alongside me for the next two years of my life.  Despite the massive amounts of research and picking the brains of current volunteers, nothing can really prepare me for what I’m about to encounter.  Sure I have my bug spray, swimsuit, trail running shoes, and every Nike dri-fit piece of clothing I own packed, but let’s get real.  After three years in a very predictable corporate America setting, it’s extremely exciting and liberating to have no idea exactly what each day will hold.  I’m told that I will be training alongside other PCVs(Peace Corps Volunteers) with the same level of Spanish and that I will be able to express my preference for which area of the country I want to live in, but I’m not holding my breathe.

Everyone has been asking if I’m ready or if I’m scared.  I’m not going to lie and pretend that my nerves aren’t kicking in right about now!  Just like everyone else there is a flicker of doubt that passes through my mind when making a major life changing decision, but I do my best to push it out of the way and focus on all the amazing things that are about to enter my life.  Just the other day I was having one of my “over analyzing moments” when your mind starts to run away with all the “what ifs” until an episode of Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods Nicaragua comes across the DirecTV menu.  My Dad and I watched in fascination as he continued to eat Caribbean fair, grilled iguana and a delicacy of soft cheese with mini maggots in it(gross I know)!  It wasn’t the food that caught my attention, but the gorgeous architecture of the city of Granada about 20 minutes outside of my training town of Masaya.  Amongst the lush greenery were massive cathedrals and plazas with splashes of vibrant yellows and corals juxtaposing the bright blue of the ocean in the distance.  This reminded me of a perfect blend between Spain and Mexico, my paradise!  You know that pure bliss of waking up in a foreign country(early of course!) with a myriad of things to explore and enrapture you?  When your sole purpose is to learn, discover and be swept away with everything new to your senses.  That feeling of adventure swept over me as a big grin widened across my face, I’m more than ready!