Eight AM on Tuesday morning is rapidly approaching. What have I done to prepare? Somewhere in between a whole lot and not too much. I have already been lacking in diligence to updating this blog and I haven't even left yet. In an effort to get comfortable with being alone with my thoughts for the next two years (what some say is the most challenging part of Peace Corps and definitely what I'm looking forward to and dreading simultaneously) I'm going to quickly lump together the past month or so since accepting my invitation as an exercise in organizing my thoughts for "publication" again / act of good faith to my readers that I won't leave you hanging after hitting the tarmac. Besides, if I try to go to sleep now, I'll just think of how I need to clean my car out or update my iPod or something seemingly monumental to me right now ("you're leaving for two years and you haven't cleaned your car out?!?!") which is really only tedious and silly at this point.
I stayed in Nashville for about two weeks after accepting my invitation. More necessary paperwork to be completed in getting a visa, government passport, as well as writing some essays and updating my resume to send to the director in Paraguay since that was the first information they would be receiving to learn about who would be arriving in February. Also I recently sent out some information about a press release (at Peace Corps' urging. I'm really not narcissistic enough to think, "Hmmm, the press should be alerted to this!)so if you read The Palm Beach Post, The Alligator, The Tennessean, or the UF Alumni Magazine, be on the lookout for an article about yours truly and save one to send to my parents if you can.
During this time I started ordering some camping supplies off my packing list. I'm so ready to attempt another stretch on Appalachian Trail again with all my awesome gear. Also I read some books on Paraguay from the Vanderbilt library, but everything was so outdated, I ended up relying on just Peace Corps provided material and the Internet. I found this video made by Peace Corps people about how their life is in Paraguay that you might find interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZA78xUzwTA
Also I met with a return Peace Corps volunteer, also from Nashville, who had come back from Paraguay fairly recently. He brought a package of photos to share with me and was kind enough to answer any question I could come up with for two hours at Flying Saucer. Meeting with him and seeing that he survived unscathed and had a blast really comforted me and made me excited to get over there and get started. And to start my life where I have toucans in my backyard. Don't know if they're worth living without plumbing, but in an attempt to see every dark cloud has a tropical bird lining...
One of my last nights in Nashville, my parents ended up throwing me a last minute pizza party for all my extended family to come by my brother's house and bid me adieu. My family gave me a journey blessing ring that says "life is a journey, not a destination," as well as another charm with Romans 8:28 inscribed on it: "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord." To that I added my most favorite charm, a miniature globe, that my granny gave me sometime back for Christmas. Along with my sports watch, my accessories are now set until 2012.
Two goodbyes for me were particularly hard, the first being my nephews and brother. I woke up with them on that Thursday morning early to see them off for school. A rather unassuming day really. Fixed them some toast with honey. Noah threw a fit about not wanting to put his shoes on yet. When they headed for the door I tried super hard to keep my composure not wanting to scare them with a bawling aunt on their way to school, but ultimately failing. I have a paper clipped bundle of all the artwork they made for me the past couple months to decorate my (insert type of structure here) walls.
Another goodbye that was hard was with my granny. She's 82, living with Alzheimer's and dementia. As I tucked her in after bringing her home from my party, I wondered if this would be the last time that I would see her alive. Realistically, everyone should be wondering this every time people part ways,(attempting a full life while being prepared for the sky to fall?) but with her age and failing health, I couldn't help but morosely wonder. If so, it will be a good memory. She patted my hand and said "I love you. Always have, always will."
After rolling out of Middle Tennessee, I started on my self-proclaimed "Farewell Fun Machine" tour, while my tour bus (dodge neon) made stops in Atlanta, Gainesville, Orlando and West Palm, with a jaunt down to Pompano to see Olgie with A. Glenn yesterday to wrap everything up. If my tour got canceled in your area, my apologies. :) (I decide to give myself a tour, so inevitably it went to my head.) Many thanks to the friends who housed, fed, danced, and laughed with my along the way. If I didn't see you, the Christmas reunion tour is just around the corner. Really though, goodbyes are overrated and for someone who'd much prefer to leave in the middle of the night and then update it to Facebook later, saying goodbye over and over and over really isn't my cup of tea. Just know you're missed.
A quick note, I got to suspend my phone number for the two years and will be able to use it while I'm home for Christmas and such, so don't delete me out of your contacts yet! It will be the same number when I come back.
That's about all I can think of for now. If you want to be added to a mass mailing list make sure that I have your email and home address for any postcards.
To end on a funny note, Olgie and I figured out last night that if an average season of Survivor goes through 39 days, my time in the Peace Corps is equivalent to being on about 19 consecutive seasons of Survivor. You hear that CBS? In 2012, I'm coming for your money.
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