On the eve of my departure for the Peace Corps, I wish I had more profound thoughts to write about. As normal, I've procrastinated packing until the last second, and spent most of the day getting my life for the next 2 years together, first on my mother's living room floor, and now crammed into my trusty backpack and large Peruvian-lady market bag.

I can scarcely imagine what the next 2 years will hold in store. The adventures, challenges, and rewards; the sights, sounds, tastes and smells; the things I will see and experiences I will have; my daily routines and the infinite details which will enter my consciousness. I'm looking forward to the newness and change, but also for the opportunity to “settle in” somewhere, at least relatively speaking (2 years will be the longest I'll have stayed in one place for quite a while now) What I am most anticipating, however, is the people I will encounter and work with—my fellow volunteers, Guatemalan teachers, community members, schools kids, as well as my host family. The people who, hopefully, will have profound impacts on my life in the coming years are now just blank faces in my imagination. Likewise, my villages (I'll work in as many as 4), my house, the yard and future garden are all mysteries in my dreams (ahh, I can't forget the hammock where I'll read and watch the sunset—that's a must).

I was adding up all the time I've been abroad, and realized that all the international travel I've done in my life adds up to a bit less than 2 years. All the adventures I've had and friends I've made, as well as the homesickness and loneliness combined, is less than what I'm about to do all in one shot! It's an exciting and terrifying prospect, yet I feel calmer than I was expecting, aside from the occasional flash of anxiety. I feel that my past experiences have prepared me for what's ahead, most of all by preparing me to expect the unexpected. I know that things will get tough, yet I have more confidence knowing that I've been through some pretty tough times in the past. I will surely have setbacks and difficulties, yet they'll more than likely be things I haven't even thought about yet, so what good will it do to worry now about things I can't even imagine?

The last few weeks have been really great. I spent the last 3 weeks of December out in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, getting in my last ski days for the next 3 years. I stayed with my friends Brett and Brian, and saw lots of old friends—top of the list were Aaron and Aneta, who are getting married this summer, as well as my many friends at the preschool (who keep on growing!) and countless other friends from ski school and around town. I had a great time saying goodbye and telling everyone about my plans (being in the Peace Corps makes a great conversation starter!) and felt so fortunate to be able to attend my pre-school's annual Christmas play. And of course there was some unforgettable ski days. I was able to get hooked up with an employee ski pass, but only ended up working 8 days and freeskiing 11 (I skied all 19 days straight when I was there—a new personal record!) I was only daring to hope for 1 good powder day, but was rewarded by phenomenal powder from the first week and a few truly epic days. I had a great time ripping up my mountain, exploring my favorite places and running into friends on the slopes. It's a lifestyle I'll miss a lot. One day during Christmas week it snowed over 24 inches in 24 hours! I was working that day but got some great turns in before and after work (and during my class when I wasn't picking up kids). I had one unforgettable back-country run into Fishcreek Canyon with Aaron and Aneta (despite Aneta's protests!) and got to jump some 20 cliffs into waist-deep champagne powder. Incredible! I made new friends and worked hard to get my share of happy hours at the bars in for the whole year by the time I left. I also taught ski classes for 8 days—enough to pay for the trip and leave a good taste in my mouth before the craziness of the holiday rush kicked into full swing. I couldn't help chuckle when I thought of how in some ways the kids I teach skiing to are so different from the kids I'll work with in Guatemala, but in the end kids are kids and like to have fun! I left feeling energized, refreshed, and optimistic--all in all I couldn't have asked for a better way to prepare for the next 2 years.

Last Saturday my mom hosted a wonderful going away party at her house in New Hartford, Connecticut. Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins from both sides, as well as friends from High School and College came from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and even as far as Pennsylvania to say goodbye. I said a few words about how when my mom first offered to throw me the party, my biggest worry was that nobody would show up up, and how much it meant to me that everyone came to support me. In all, about 50 people came and it was a really memorable experience (the last time I can remember seeing so much of my family together from both sides was on my 10^th birthday party!) Thanks again, Mom!

From here I head to Washington D.C. for Peace Corps staging tomorrow afternoon, then on to Guatemala the day after. I'll have 3 months of training in a small town between Guatemala City and Antigua before beginning my actual project. I'm not sure how frequent my Internet access will be, but I should be able to write and post pics periodically.