Words for the new folks.

I found this posted on my friend Joe's page. (http://pcvmicrojoe.blogspot.com/) If you get a minute check out his page, it's got lots of great pictures from Yap and Ulithi.
Near the end of our Peace Corps service we were all asked to write letters to the incoming group of volunteers. Here is what I wrote, I still kinda like some of the advice. Feeding the pigs is fun.

Dear New Volunteer,
It's probably best to just accept the fact that you are going to do everything wrong and feel really stupid all the time. It’s okay, it's not your fault. And since this is going to happen anyway, try all of the things you’re afraid you might be bad at. In fact, while you’re at it, try all of the things that seem really stupid and boring too. The worst thing that could happen is that you get bored for a little while. But you never know; it might turn out that you really like singing at church, feeding pigs, or preparing for a funeral.
Spend at least a half an hour every day sitting with your host parents. Even if you don’t say anything and can’t understand a word, it will help your relationship.
Make sure you learn to dive.
Everyone will tell you not to worry too much about your work project. They’re right. Don’t worry too much about your work project. If you spend time in the beginning getting to know your co-workers instead of focusing on bigger goals, you’ll be surprised how much easier it is to accomplish those goals later on with their help and support.
Church and rice are the same thing. Just learn to accept that they’re always going to be a part of everything in your life. You will not change this, just shrug your shoulders, roll your eyes, and stop worrying about it.
Keep a journal.
If your friends stop sending you letters in the mail it's not because they don’t miss you or don’t care, they’re just idiots. They can’t possibly understand what this is like for you.
I think that I’ve run out of platitudes for now. Good luck. You’ll be okay. It's all worth it.
Adam, Kosrae PCV