Inaugural Post

Ahh, the inaugural blog post.  The spring air is full of changes, and tonight is as good as any to begin chronicling it all.

I will soon be embarking on a new and exciting life adventure.  In mid-May, I will be moving to the Dominican Republic to gain experience in the field of peace and conflict mediation; I was offered an internship with el Instituto Dominicano de Desarrollo Integral (the Dominican Institute of Integral Development) (IDDI -- www.iddi.org) to develop a project dealing with peace programming/conflict mediation and then implement it during the three months I will be living there.  I am certain that this experience will challenge me professionally - even with four years of post-BA job experience in Washington, DC - as I am being granted complete freedom and responsibility for what I decide to do.

I'll be living near Bonao, a small city in the middle of the DR half of Hispaniola.  From what I can tell, it's a bit remote and absolutely gorgeous, nestled in green mountains.  How to prepare beyond vaccinations and malaria pills for a summer in a rural Caribbean village, I'm not quite sure, but I have a feeling that it will require shifting toward an attitude that celebrates the unknown.  Of course, this attitude will be balanced with adequate project preparation prior to my departure.

All in all, in the upcoming month, I intend to document my project-planning process and then after that, the cultural and professional adventure that follows.

And now, back to working on finals...