The Big News!

Hello folks! The big day finally came: after over two months of training and waiting for the verdict of where I'd be spending the next two years of my life, the Peace Corps has officially (finally) decided to send me to serve for two years in the province of Totonicapan! I know that doesn't mean much to anybody reading this email, and you might ask why it matters so much in a country the size of Ohio. Who would be waiting with bated breath to hear where in Ohio they'll be working for the next to years? Does it really matter?
Well, I'd like to submit, no offense to any Ohioans, that Guatemala has a bit more diversity to offer - in in topography, in climate, in language, in ethnic heritage, in dress, in flaura, in fauna... things change drastically every 30 kilometers or so!
That said, I am happy to report that... well, I'm really happy! I've been assigned a great site, one I've visited before, with everything I had been hoping for in a site. For anyone who's been reading the last few posts, this is in fact the site I mentioned really liking. It's funny, I was hoping I'd get it, had a dream I got it, and out of all 16 of us trainees I was placed there. What luck! or fate? ha, who knows. Coincidence or not, here are the things I'm excited about: I really liked the projects the current Volunteer has, the park is beautiful and has the biodiversity to be one of Guatemala's primier bird-watching hotspots, I'll be pretty close both to the famous Lago de Atitlan and to both the cities of Totonicapan and Quetzaltenango, and my focus will be both environmental interpretation in the park and environmental education in the village school. The point is to increase sustainable ecotourism in the community-run park, scientific study in the park, and local understanding of the resource they literally have in their backyard. Thankfully, my impression from visiting is that the people in my small Quiché pueblo really value their forested areas. And they're interested in starting up cultural tourism projects too, a big bonus for this trainee who's spent almost all of her training working in cultural tourism (Quiché is the ethnic heritage of Rigoberta Menchú, and one of about 24 in Guatemala, by the way).
Watch, I write all this now as a naive and optimistic trainee... I'll try and censor any emails in the future as things get real frustrating, as I'm sure they will. :) What's really funny is, in the dream I had about being the volunteer in El Aprisco, I also dreamed I had no idea what I was doing, and got lost in the park, and suddenly couldn't understand anyone or speak their language. So, how much do i really want this to be a "dream come true," eh? All of those things have a real possibility of happening, especially the language thing, since only about 1/2 to maybe 3/4 the population speaks Spanish - everybody speaks kiché as a first language. Bring on the extra language lessons!
I move to my new site in 2 weeks. Now it's time for last days spent with my training host family, and last opportunities to hang out with the other trainees who have become my best friends here. The luxury of having a bunch of fun Americans nearby is coming to an end, and I'm preparing for two years on my own. I mean, I guess that's exactly what I did when I was preparing to leave the states over tow months ago.. Peace Corps likes to take baby steps toward cutting you off. :) haha, kidding. I'm excited for the whole immersion experience all over again - who doesn't love making cultural faux pas, language bloopers, and laughing till your sides hurt at... yourself?
Thanks for reading, wishing you days equally filled with laughter.

p.s. my park has lodging facilities, and is near Totonicapan, which is a big city, so anybody interested in visiting Guatemala in the next two years, within easy distance of Quetzaltenango and the Lago de Atitlan, PLEASE START CONSIDERING IT!! :)