On Tuesday it will have been a month since I arrived here in Guatemala. Time feels like an anomaly right now. One one hand it feels like I’ve been here for months and on the other it feels like it was yesterday when we were exploring the Peace Corps campus for the first time.

I’m learning to be patient. Patient with myself, others, and the process. The days are long and often leave me feeling exhausted mentally and emotionally. Training is packed with literally every single piece of information we could need for the next 2 years. Learning how to compartmentalize has been my newest challenge. I’m trying to learn how to manage different emotions, feel them, and let them pass. Something I have been doing is pouring into the little things that make me happy. Whether that’s going for a walk with friends after training, getting frappes at the local cafe, having a long conversation at the dinner table (in Spanish), or seeing an amazing sunset. These are things remind me why I’m here and embarking on this journey.

Today I had one of those moments. After a challenging day, I was feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and insecure about my Spanish. But on my walk home I noticed a rainbow, the first one I’ve seen here despite the fact that it rains everyday. Once I got home I went to the roof and called my mom while watching the sunrise. It grounded me and reminded me it’s all going to work out.