l{m here

Thats right, i have arrived! I have absolutely no idea how to use these Guatemalan keyboards so my emails and this blog post are filled with lots of errors and strange symbols. i feel like this really describes how i feel in this new place though. My ability to speak spanish is elementary at best ( i seem to communicate quite clearly with the 5 year old who i live with, but no one else!) and also filled with errors.

Its hard to put into words how it feels to be here. I cant believe i arrived here exactly a week ago. it really feels like months. i spent my first few days living with a host family in the town where the peace corps office is located. then on saturday i moved to an adorable little town just north of antigua (wikipedia-now!) where im living with an older woman who is an amazing cook and determined to give me a good introduction to the delicious Guatemalan cuisine (poor me, right?). i am currently spending about 6 hours a day in spanish classes, which are really helping, but i still feel like a crazy person when i try to express myself. however, sign language goes a long way and im getting pretty good at making things up! fortunately, i can usually get my point across using a combination of arm flailing and english words infused with spanish endings.

Ill be living in my current town for the next 3 months while i train for my peace corps service. after i successfully test at an intermediate spanish level and show that im technically competent to perform my job, ill swear in on halloween and begin two years service to a rural Guatemalan town. im excited and nervous and homesick and ecstatic to be here all at once. i really have no idea what im getting myself into, but i think im gonna like it.