The beginning of something good :)

Hello Family and Friends!

I am about to embark on a new stage in my life. I graduated from college with an early childhood education degree and I have enough energy to take on the world! So, I joined

the Peace Corps. I really want to make a difference by sharing what I learned from college with the people I meet and I am also excited to learn from them as well.

I originally expressed interest in the Caribbean and South American region of the

world because I took Spanish in high school and I also went to volunteer in the Dominican Republic (where they speak Spanish). I was thinking that it wo

uld be beneficial for me to come back to the states with a good grasp on Spanish so that I could get my masters degree in ESL (English as a second language). But, my Peace Corps recruiter said that there was a great need in Eastern Europe for early childhood education, so she signed me up for Eastern Europe that was set to leave in March. A month or two ago I was called again and a Peace Corps recruiter said that all the spots for the Eastern Europe trip were closed, and they asked, "How soon would you be willing to leave?" I said, "March?" They asked, "How about mid February?...to South America/Caribbean?" I was so excited.

So, my destination is Guyana in South America. Although they do not speak Spanish, I know that this adventure will still be amazing! I believe everything happens for a reason...so I think there is a reason why I am going south instead of east!

A little bit about Guyana...

Guyana means, "Land of many waters." It is considered to be the Caribbean of South America. According to my Peace Corps Welcome Book: "Guyana is a tropical country on the northern shoulder of South America. Its area is about 83,000 square miles--the combined size of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Guyana is bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname, and the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of 751,000 (Census, 2002) largely confined to a narrow coastal strip." The capital of Guyana is Georgetown. 90% of the population resides near the coast of Guyana. Another interesting fact about Guyana is that is has the largest single drop waterfall in the whole world (Kaieteur Falls)! It is about 5 times higher than Niagra Falls! I hope that I will be able to travel there! If you are interested in seeing more sights in Guyana go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iagR5_3ySQY It is actually really cool!

So long for now...

But later this week I will put some pictures from my "Last Bash Before I Leave the States" party where I got to spend time with my friends and family before my adventure begins!