Pockets Full of Flexibility

The morning I left Atlanta I could not believe I was actually embarking on this grand adventure.  It felt more like the "trip" my mom preferred calling it, than the “move” it actually was.  Nevertheless, I held back tears saying goodbye to my parents. It may have only felt like a trip that morning, but somewhere inside, my tear ducts knew what was really happening.  As I stood in the security line I realized this was the third time I have flown away for a significant period of time; Australia, Asia, and now Africa, but for over five times as long as any time before.
 
The plane ride went smoothly to DC and before I knew it, Jonathan was meeting me at my gate to help me with my 80-something pounds of luggage.  We loaded his car full and headed to have lunch with my wonderful friend Maizie at my favorite restaurant Nando's in Chinatown.  Yep, a Portuguese meal in Chinatown before departing for Africa.  I'm so worldly.
 
Nervousness for all the many unknowns in my very near future set in.  And even though I was unable to settle any of my favorite food, the company showed me the love and support I needed to settle my nerves.  Before saying goodbyes to Maizie after lunch my tear ducts once again reminded me of the upcoming reality.  She reassured me with her whispered cheer of "No Whammies. No Whammies. No Whammies."  Those words ran through my head many times that afternoon.
 
I don't think I have ever hit so many traffic lights on a car trip, but eventually, after what seemed like forever, Jonathan dropped me off at my hotel in Georgetown.  I confidently carried (and rolled) my overweight bags into the lobby and checked-in.  The immediate sight of fellow overweight-bag-bearers calmed my racing heart.  What was I so afraid of anyway?  A half-hour later I joined my 39 soon-to-be friends in signing registration forms which made us all officially Peace Corps Trainees!

Six hours of ice-breakers, information sessions and Ethiopia preparation; I have found my place.  Overlapping dreams, topped with an unbelievable amount of passion and desire to help others led to fast friends.  We are a fairly young group of forty volunteers with an impressive amount of experience ready to spend the next couple of years in Ethiopia.  What more in common do you need? I am so excited about the upcoming adventure.