Twas the Night Before Staging

It was over two years ago that I first gave any thought to the Peace Corps. Good ol' John Johnstone mentioned it to me while we were having one of those deep 'What are your passions?' type of conversations (Yes John, it was you). After a year of learning about the Corps and a year of applications, interviews, and physicals it's unreal to believe that the day is finally here.

The buildup to the departure day has been crazy. It's been a summer of anticipation as I awaited each correspondence with the PC. Then came the goodbye party, the trip to Kalamazoo (where I wasn't able to see everyone, but had a nice relaxful time), and the endless goodbyes. Honestly, I can't wait to leave so I can stop saying the goodbyes. There's nothing fun in saying goodbye. And there is almost always a hint of guilt with each goodbye. You feel guilty for leaving, for wanting to have this adventure, for leaving your family for 2 years. It's hard to convey to someone why I would want to give up everything familiar and comfortable just because I want to and need to. Sometimes you just feel convicted to do something and you have the determination to see it through.

So tomorrow begins the journey, the adventure. Am I prepared? I have no idea. Probably not. Am I excited? Yes, in a laidback sort of way. We call it passive enthusiasm. Am I nervous? I probably will be. I can't wait to meet people.

The flight leaves for Philadelphia at 8:30 AM. That means we need to be in Detroit by 7:00, which means we need to leave home by 6:15, which means I'll get up at ... 6:00. Yippee.

And...

MUCH love to my family.