Three Weeks to Go & The Packing Starts!

In almost exactly three weeks, I will be signing in at my Peace Corps staging event in Philadelphia! I have begun the packing process and have stocked up on enough toiletries to at least last me the first six months to a year. Of course with my limited packing space, I am having to prioritize what makes the cut and what I can do without. So what is it that I want to bring enough of more than anything? Dove soap. Dove soap makes me feel at home because I grew up using it, and that feeling of home might turn out to be really nice while I'm very possibly taking bucket baths.

Heading Home Before I Leave Again

I'm at the Burlington, VT airport and am heading home after a great vacation on the East Coast with Devin. Last Sunday was Nadya's wedding (my best friend from childhood) and it was absolutely wonderful. I was able to both enjoy Vermont (we stayed in a beautiful cabin in the woods) as well as all of the wedding festivities leading up to the big day. Devin's favorite part (and very possibly mine as well) was the pig roast for the rehearsal dinner!

After the wedding, Devin and I headed up to Quebec. We stayed two nights in Quebec City at a charming little B&B and one night in Montreal. Both cities were much fun and we both enjoyed sprucing up on our French before we head off to the French-speaking world (he is going to France around the same time I am heading to Cameroon).

On the Peace Corps front, I received my flight!!! I will be leaving on September 14th at 8:30 AM for Philadelphia where my group's 2-day staging will occur (think orientation + a lot of shots). Both receiving my flight details as well as suffering quite the tears after saying goodbye to my best friend has made me realize how near my departure really is.

The Closing of a Great Chapter

This week has been quite eventful:

1) On Sunday night I picked Devin up from the airport (he just returned from a 6-week trip to Kenya)
2) I had my last day of work on Wednesday - I am now officially unemployed
3) I packed up my life in Bellingham and said goodbye to the city that has been home for the last 6 years

As excited as I am for my upcoming adventure, closing this chapter of my life in preparation was harder than I had originally thought. And as often as I move around, I tend to also get attached to the places and people I meet along the way, thus making it harder to leave. The goodbyes never tend to get easier, but they always end up being worth it once I get to my next destination.

I'm back in Olympia - my other home - and will be heading to Vermont on Monday for Nadya's wedding. I'm excited for some quality time with family and friends before I board the plane to Cameroon in less than 6 weeks!