Welcome!

Welcome to my little Peace Corps blog! I’ve always wanted to have a blog of some sort and it seemed fun, but what would I write about? Now that I’m about to leave for the Peace Corps in Guatemala, I decided that this is a good place to start.

At  the end of February I’ll be moving from Boston to Guatemala to serve as a Maternal and Child Health Volunteer and as I’m starting to prepare, I’m thinking through things that will help me adjust to life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. One thing I’ve always loved and incorporated into my life every day is comfort and relaxation. The apartment I share with my boyfriend is one of the coziest places possible, and ever since we moved in together, making a our place comfortable and welcoming has been one of our top priorities. Something that I’ve learned when traveling or moving from place to place is that even the smallest thing that makes you happy can make a world of difference in making a new place feel like home. Lately, a notebook to doodle in and a bunch of candles make me feel cozy, relaxed, and happy. While I won’t be bringing any pillar candles to Guatemala, I hope to find ways to integrate little pieces of my home into my Guatemalan life.

I realize I won’t have Target and all of the usual amenities around the corner from my house in rural Guatemala, so finding creative ways to incorporate comfort and a personal touch into my new life will be a bit of an adventure. I’m so excited to see what develops. So that’s what this blog is going to be about — finding comfort outside my comfort zone and adjusting to life in Guatemala (with a sprinkle of global health, obviously!).

I want to use this space to talk about adjusting to life as a Peace Corps volunteer, integrating into a new community and way of life, and creating a home-away-from-home. This blog will hopefully serve as a connection point for family and friends back home, but also for other volunteers either coming to Guatemala or embarking on their Peace Corps journey in other countries. Thanks for checking in 🙂