Happy New Year everyone!! This past month has been such a whirlwind for me. I went back to the states for Christmas and New Years and got to spend some quality time with the fam in Florida. I got to relax for 2 weeks in Florida while visiting my grandma and catching up with the rents and my brothers. It was so much fun!!! I warned everyone before I got to the states that I was going to eat everything in sight… and that is exactly what I did. It was amazing!! It was so nice being back in the states in a comfy house and hot shower. Oh the little things in life! At the end of 2 weeks I was definitely ready to get back to Guatemala and start work.

I came back on the 9^th and unfortunately shortly after got sick with a cold, cough, and some sort of other respiratory thing going on so it was not exactly the way I wanted to start out my year. Also, there are a lot of changes going on with PC Guatemala right now, which includes people being sent home early and other volunteers having to move sites even if they only have a few months left in their service. The main reason for all the changes is to reduce security risks and to centralize volunteers around our 2 main offices. That’s basically the gist of what’s going on although it’s a lot more complicated than that. Due to all the changes my sitemate Megan will be going home in March instead of July so I’m pretty bummed about that L. To say the least this year is getting off to a rocky start. HOWEVER, I am fortunately not being affected by any of the changes regarded my site or being sent home. My site is close to one of our main offices so I don’t have to relocate. A lot of people who are being forced to change sites are opting to end their service early and head back to the states. Right now I am feeling blessed that I can remain in my site and continue my work. I would be devastated if I had to leave my community at this point in my service. I have grown so close to the family and friends that I would feel like I was abandoning them if I left. But I don’t have to think about that quite yet! Hopefully I will be able to carry out my full 2 years here in Cajolá.

Amidst all the chaos and negativity going on here in PC Guatemala, I am staying positive and looking forward to this school year. I have a lot of things planned for this year, and a lot of things that I want to accomplish, so I am trying to focus on/re-evaluate why I am here in order to make the best out of this year. It’s hard because who knows what’s going to happen next week, next month, or later down the road, so I kind of just have to plan things as I go. It’s also hard/frustrating because there are so many things I want to do in my schools… such as infrastructure projects… but I am afraid to promise anything to my schools in case I have to leave or there are other changes within PC. I made a sign for right above my stove with Matthew 6:34 - “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough worry of its own” – to remind me that tomorrow is out of my control. The only thing I can do is focus on today, the here and now, because if I am always worrying about tomorrow or next week, I am going to miss all the opportunities that present themselves TODAY. I might not be here changing the world, and I might not be building a whole new school for the kids of Cajolá, but I know that the relationships I have built and the knowledge I have shared with my schools will have some sort of impact. So I need to focus on the little things that can be accomplished TODAY, and tomorrow will take care of itself.