What have I gotten myself in to!

In just about two weeks I will be starting a major adventure in my life. I am joining the Peace Corps Ecuador and I start my 26 month service on June 16th 2009. I will be working as a Youth Entrepreneurship leader by working with youth and families. My role will be to train and advise youth, service providers, and community members in basic business concepts such as feasibility, studies, record keeping, cost analysis, book keeping, marketing, proposal writing, team building, leadership, and so on. What all of this is really going to entail...God himself only knows!

My orientation dates are June 16-17, 2009 down in Miami Florida, which basically includes finishing up paperwork before I leave the States and the first of many security lectures from the Government from what I have heard. I get the privileged of flying out of Nashville, TN at 6:15am on the 16th...thank you American Government for only using U.S companies for everything...then I will have Pre-service Training in Ecuador from June 17th - August 20th, 2009 where I will encounter intensive language training and training for my on site job in Ecuador (yes folks...I will actually put my Spanish training to use...who'd have thunk it). From June 17th to June 20th I will be staying in a Hostel with 40-50 other people in my program that will be close by to the Peace Corps Office in Quito, Ecuador's Capital. I also get the privileged of numerous final vaccinations when I first arrive into Quito. On June 20th I will move to live with my Ecuadorian host family located in the Cayambe area, about an hour and a half from Quito, until I am sworn in as an official volunteer on August 19th at 9 a.m. at the Ambassador's Residence. Finally, my actually service will begin from August 21st, 2009 - August 21st 2011.

I should have most of the basic amenities such as running water and electricity while I am there, but that all depends on where my ultimate destination will be for the two year time period. I will not know that until I am already over there after my pre-serive time period ends. Until I have my own address, I will receive mail at the Peace Corps/Ecuador's post office box:

Lesley Parker, PCV (for Volunteer, 8-20-09 to 8-20-11) or PCT (for Trainee, 6-17-09 to 8-19-09)
Cuerpo de Paz
Casilla 17-08-8624
Quito, Ecuador
South America

If you want to learn more about what I will be doing, simply visit this website which tells you all about it - http://www.peacecorps.gov/welcomebooks/ecwb518.pdf Life is a crazy thing which takes each and every one of us in different directions. And for some reason or another, my life is calling me to Peace Corps Ecuador for the next two years of my life. Now I can not promise how well I will do with this Blog thing or even how much access I will really have to the Internet, but I can definitely tell you that I will try to keep it as up-to-date as possible. I welcome any words of encouragement, prayers, or thoughts and there are some of you out there that better not lose touch with me while I am gone or else I will have to come back and hunt you down! You know who you are ;)

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson