Minus Day One

I'm sitting at the Holiday in Lobby with a Corona in my hand and I just realized that tomorrow is my first official day as a Peace Corps volunteer. I can't help but think "how the hell did I get here"? Well that is a long complicated answer that would be great to tell at bed time, so instead I offer the simple reasons: I can't stay in one spot for more than a couple months, I love to travel, I love to help people less fortunate than most, and most of all, I needed a change.

7 months ago I was trapped in a relationship I personally firebombed and it was eating my soul. I had applied for the Peace Corps 2 years prior and failed the medical evaluation due to a faulty heart and was ready for a second chance. The Peace Corps sure as hell sounded better than living another year with someone that pretty much hated everything I did. So I applied again and we decided to go our separate ways. To tell you the truth, I never thought I would actually see this day come. I went through so much to get to this point that I really didn't think I was actually going until I was on the plane. I was fully prepared to get to the check in desk here and hear nothing but the sour taste of betrayal from the reservation desk. This would have been the point at which I would have painted myself red white and blue and ran into the street naked. I'm in Virginia anyways, got to do something worth while here.

So here I am. I got about no hours of sleep last night, took a 7 hour plane ride across the country and I start orientation tomorrow to be an Economic Development Consultant in the Peace Corps in Panama. A journey that will take a total of 27 months granted I don't ef up in the first 3 months and get sent home. I've literally spent the last 3 years of my life to get to this point and its so surreal that still can't believe it is happening. The crazy thing is that I could not have seen this go any other way. Up until a week ago I wasn't absolutely positive I was ready to leave the states yet and today I'm fully prepared to bail. I really needed that 7 months to get all the last craziness out of me I had been harboring for so long. It took a lot of late nights, night swims, and hanging out with new and old friends to make it happen.

I hope to keep this journal updated as much as possible with the thoughts, accounts, and experiences I will be gaining during this epic journey. This journal will serve as a way for others close to me and maybe some that are not, to follow what I'm "up to", but the greatest beneficiary will most likely be me. I would love to look back two years from now and recount how it all began. That is to say I don't fall into a jaguar trap, get struck by a pit viper, or infested with Bot flys.

Til my next post....