All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go

I leave tomorrow.

I leave tomorrow.

I leave tomorrow.

I swear my mind can't stop repeating that phrase. I almost don't believe it. It is hard to make your mind believe that you are going to a place that you cannot picture. I have seen pictures, but I cannot even start to realistically imagine what my life is going to look like, or feel like for the next 27 months. The whole concept is still a very abstract idea in my mind. But soon, very soon, this abstract notion will be a very real reality.

All I know is that in 48 hours from now I will be stepping foot in Ethiopia. I will be scared. I will be nervous. I will be more ready than ever.

I know I will be ready partly because as I look at my packed luggage, I know I am prepared for pretty much anything. When I finally slid that last zipper closed I had a huge sense of relief accompanied by a wave of reality. There they are; my bags are full and my to-dos are all checked-off. I'm moving to Ethiopia.

I could not have a better support system watching over me though. My loving family, incredible friends and caring neighbors; I could not do this without your encouragement. I have truly had more support offered for this trip than I could imagine, and it has really shown me how blessed I am. Thank you all for the words of advice, warm hugs and deep discussions. I am forever grateful.

On the right side of my blog is my mailing address. Please write to me!

All That You Can't Leave Behind

As my departure date gets closer (just one week left now), my preparations have turned from practical to panicked. I am constantly debating which luxury items I cannot live without for 27 months. One "must-have" is music, as my ultimate tool for relaxation and coping. Luckily, with the invention of the iPod, pretty much any music I can get my hands on can be packed weight-free. So, I have decided that in order to be completely prepared, I need to download every record and CD in my house to my iPod.

The journey of unpacking my parents' old albums (LPs), and my brother's and my inaugural CD collection has been quite entertaining. And as much as I believe that my preparation for Africa is officially complete with the addition of Coolio's sophomore album to my iPod, I must soon turn procrastination into productive packing.

My most-recent CD import is the U2 album appropriately titled, "All That You Can't Leave Behind." Pondering this title has since inspired not only this post, but my packing. The hard part is fitting those things that I can't leave behind in my 80-lb allotment. Frustration sets in as I realize that simply rearranging items in my over-weight bag is not working, I must choose a few more items to unpack.

I have a feeling that I will be repacking until the morning of December 2, when I will be forced to make those final decisions.

Training Update

This week I found out a little bit more about my assignment and training. I will be leaving DC on December 3rd for Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia with my trainee group. There we will spend 3 nights in a hotel continuing with pre-training activities. Then we all travel to Ambo where we will each move in with a host family and begin our 10 weeks of intensive training.

I am very excited for this long-awaited adventure to start!

Preparing For Ethiopia

After graduating from Furman University last spring, I have decided that the Peace Corps is the right ‘next step’ for me. There have been many long discussions with close friends and sleepless nights trying to decide what to do after graduation, but all in all it seems like this organization is a perfect match for me. The Princeton Review book Best Entry-Level Jobs calls Peace Corps "the perfect job for the globe-trotting idealist in each of us." And, well, that pretty much sums up my aspirations.

About My Assignment

December 2, 2008 I leave for Ethiopia, where I will live and work for 27 months. My official job title is Community HIV/AIDS Volunteer. Upon leaving, I will have a two-day orientation in Washington D.C., and then 10 weeks of training in the town of Ambo, Ethiopia. After training, I will be sworn-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer and assigned a town/village where I will work for two years.

I currently have less than three weeks to physically pack up my life and mentally prepare myself for what I assume will be the toughest, yet most rewarding experience of my life. After backpacking through Asia last summer, I feel significantly more comfortable with my level of patience and adaptability, but I hope to build upon those lessons. I have no doubt that this experience will shape me as a person and teach me more than I could imagine.

About Ethiopia

I recently came across a paper I wrote last winter for my “Women and Health” course about the poor health conditions in Ethiopia. I do not remember researching Ethiopia specifically, but there it was, a self-written plan-for-action detailing simple solutions to Ethiopia’s health problems. If someone had told me while I was writing that paper that less than a year later I would be living in Ethiopia with the opportunity to put those solutions to work, I would be speechless.

According to the UNICEF world health statistics, over 1,500,000 people in Ethiopia are currently infected with HIV. To give you an idea of their health education, only 54% of men, and 39% of women know that a healthy-looking person can have HIV.

I get to help change those statistics. That’s cool.

About my adventures to come…

You can check back here for updates on my preparation, and adventures through Ethiopia! I will leave you with a quote about Ethiopia that both confirmed my excitement, and secured my anxiety for my upcoming adventures:

“Testing, awe-inspiring and heartbreaking – a journey you’ll never forget. You don’t explore Ethiopia for a relaxing getaway, you venture here to be moved. And moved you shall be.” –Africa Lonely Planet