Monday, June 14, 2010

All my bags are packed....

Alright, here we go. This is my first post ever on a blog, so bare with me. Tomorrow I am getting on a 9am flight to head down to Washington DC. where I will be for one day getting introduced to 'what is the Peace Corps?'. Then, on Wednesday, I will be starting the segment of my life that could generally be called "Ecuador". I will be training to work with at-risk youth and families for 9 weeks in or around a town in the Sierra (Highlands) of Ecuador called Cayambe. If my training goes well then I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer and assigned a post elsewhere in Ecuador for 2 years.

I have said countless goodbyes and given so many hugs and kisses that it is now time to get on the plane and start "makin' moves" (MTMIII). After packing and repacking, I ultimately have no idea what I am bringing anymore, but realize once I get on that plane it doesn't matter.

I do not intend for this blog to be solely a chronicle of my daily life, but I hope to teach readers about Ecuadorian culture and also learn from readers who comment about similar experiences they have had in the world. I want this to be an interactive blog. Now, I would like to leave you all with a quote that good friends of mine left me:

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? (Vincent Van Gogh)

Thanks to all my friends and family for your constant support. I'll see you all soon!

4 comments:

  1. Fantastic Quote!! Live it up Ben!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Having spent a fair amount of time in remote outposts of Latin America and the Canadian arctic, I know what you are in for: an exhilarating ride, punctuated by some periods of tedium and short bursts of "WTF am I doing here?". Don't beat yourself up when you have those days of nearly tearful longing for American peanut butter, or mom's chicken dish. We all experience these when we travel far from our normal orbits. You are my hero, dear Ben!

    ReplyDelete
  3. "You can be old or young, but there will always be times when you take leave of your senses." - Vincent Van Gogh

    :)

    Love you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Go Beno!!!! We are all missing you and thinking of you on your amazing journey!

    ReplyDelete