It is hard to believe that the time has finally come. On the Fourth of July I report for duty for Peace Corps service. For the next 27 months I will be living in the Philippines as a Coastal Resource Management Volunteer. I will live in a coastal community to work on local capacity enhancement projects for coastal and marine habitat protection. This little corner of the internet will be a window into my activities. I will introduce friends and colleagues, share photographs of Filipino life and biodiversity, and I will do my best to capture and narrate my experience for everyone who wants to live vicariously through my life in the Peace Corps.
Amidst surprise farewells (thank you Monterey) and cross-country adventures, I have had plenty of time for reflection and am excited for this next chapter of my life. Although the future holds many challenges and huge potential, saying goodbye has been challenging. Less than a year ago, I moved to California to study at the Monterey Institute and it was the best decision I could have made. The friends I have gained are a huge inspiration and are wonderful people for whom I have deep admiration. The faculty I worked with in IEP and DPMI have been a huge help in preparing me for service.
I will keep this first post short, I need to resume packing anyway and there is not much to say quite yet. Contact information will be posted once I am in country, don’t hesitate to call me (unless you haven’t checked the time difference yet).