Bienvenidos!

Saludos todos and welcome to my Peace Corps blog! As many of you know, last February I began the application process to become a volunteer in the Peace Corps. After a lot of forms and some ups and downs, I received my invitation on August 14th to serve as a Business Advisor in Honduras. And I have been dreaming of my new adventure ever since. I guess my Nana was right when she told me that good things come to those who wait because I really feel like Honduras and the business program are going to be the best fit for me. More than anything I was afraid that I would be assigned to a program about which I knew very little, like beekeeping perhaps :) , and that I would let a community down. Now, not only will I be able to actually use those degrees I paid all that money for but, I will be able to live and work within a culture that has fascinated me for so long. I am especially excited about going to Honduras because I know so little about it. In fact, for as long as I have studied Latin American culture, very little has ever been mentioned about Honduras despite its history with the U.S. Luckily, the Peace Corps has been in Honduras since 1962 and is currently one of the largest programs in the world so I will be able to work in an established program which makes my mom feel a little bit better.

So what will I actually be doing during my service? Well, my role will evolve the longer I am in my community but my primary goal will be to develop sustainable business projects that will increase economic opportunities for Hondurans by improving their business skills and helping strengthen organizations that serve their communities. Some examples of projects that other volunteers in my program have done include develop business plans for micro-enterprises, train community members in basic accounting, inventory and quality control techniques, teach computer skills, etc. In addition, all volunteers are encouraged to work on secondary projects outside of their respective programs that help improve the community. These projects include things like HIV/AIDS awareness sessions, youth groups or teaching English classes. More than anything I am excited to work as a project manager and get things going! I just hope I am as busy as this all sounds.

So finally, after all that waiting, my departure is coming up quick! I leave for orientation in D.C. on February 24th and then leave for Honduras early on February 25th. Then, I will begin my 11 week pre-service training on February 25th until May 15th when I will be officially sworn-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer (assuming everything goes as it should!). After that, I will begin my actual service on May 16th 2009 until May 13th 2011! As you can imagine, a lot goes into preparing to move out of the country for 27 months and after almost 6 months of waiting, I am feeling overwhelmed! Just a few of things I need to do over the next couple weeks are finish filling out all my forms, defer my loans, brush up on my Spanish, shop and pack!, oh and visit with everyone I love!

In an effort to stay in contact with loved ones and keep everyone updated on all my adventures in Honduras, I've decided to create this blog. It is my intention to use this as a means of discussing the culture and work atmosphere as I experience it, instead of as a public diary. But don't worry, with me crazy stories are always abundant and I am sure this will end up being far from boring to read! So stay tuned and thanks for cyber stalking me! haha

~Katie Ann~