The Next Step!

Hello Friends!

It's kind of late and I've got a big day ahead of me, but I wanted to write this one last post as a Peace Corps Trainee and give some of my thoughts about the past eight weeks and the next step in this grand adventure I'm undertaking.

Today I swear in to become an official Peace Corps Volunteer!  It's both exciting and intimidating at the same time.  At 12:30 pm the buses pick us up from Ciudad del Saber and take us to the Panama Canal Museum in Casco Viejo, the old historic part of Panama City.  There, at 2:00 pm, all 54 volunteers (myself included) will solidify our commitment to a full two years of service with the Peace Corps.

The past eight weeks have been a whirlwind of work, fun, friends, and new experiences.  Yesterday morning we left our training community of Santa Rita for good, saying our farewells to our host families and joining here in Ciudad del Saber on the outskirts of Panama City for the last bit of training we need before we swear in.  I had a fantastic time in Santa Rita, getting to know everything that is Panama and bonding with a variety of people with common interests:  to assist the people of Panama with various Teaching English/Environmental Conservation projects; to learn about Panamanian culture; and to share our American culture with the people of Panama.  The days were long and the information at times overwhelming, but it was all preparation for these next two years of service.

It's a very bittersweet period in my Peace Corps experience.  The people I've been seeing and hanging out with for the past 8 weeks will take the vow alongside me and commit to the official two years of service.  Thursday morning we'll leave for a beach near Fallarón and spend Thursday through Saturday having one last stretch of fun in the sun together before we leave for our respective sites throughout Panama, starting our assignments the following Monday.  During the first 3 months we're not allowed to travel outside of our provinces, and we're not to spend the night outside of our sites.  I'll be able to make day trips to hang out with Volunteers in my province of Coclé, but other than that I'm pretty much on my own, living with my new host family and becoming integrated into my community and my school.

It won't be easy, I can tell you that much right now.  Leaving all of my US friends was incredibly hard as it was, and now leaving all of my new Peace Corps Panama friends will be another great challenge.  Spending two months with these new friends of mine helped me adjust to Panamanian culture and its way of life, but now I'll be on my own.  I have no doubts about my commitment to these next three months, or the next two years in general.  I've thoroughly enjoyed myself thus far, love my new site I'll be serving in (post about that coming soon), and am very excited to start teaching in my school.  I'm a pretty flexible person, able to adapt to any situation and make the best of it while constantly maintaining a positive attitude, and that will be incredibly important in the months and years to come.

Despite all of that, tomorrow will be a scary/exciting/intimidating/emotional day, and after all is said and done I know I will be at peace with myself, sure of my decision to join the Peace Corps and fully undertake the adventure of a lifetime.  Thanks to everyone for all of the support, old US friends and new Peace Corps Panama friends alike.  It means so much to me, and I couldn't have come this far without all of you sticking by my side.  By next post's time I'll (FINALLY) be an official Peace Corps Volunteer and will being the long and winding road to a fulfilling and memorable adventure.  Wish me luck!

Much Love and Many Thanks,
Nate