Going Away Gathering and some other stuff

Hi all,

It's been a couple weeks since I posted. As my Farm Bureau career is winding down I'm focusing more on packing, moving out of my apartment and how I'm going to spend these last six weeks in the United States. As I've said before, I'd love to see all of you before I go so don't hesitate to call or email. If you don't know my phone just leave a comment here, and it will show up in my email inbox.

I will be having a casual Going Away thing probably the second weekend of February. There will be very few personal invitations sent out, so consider this an open invitation. Details are yet to be finalized, but it will likely be at my parents' home in Manito on February 10.

I'm still feeling quite excited about the opportunity ahead of me, but as I get closer and focused more on the preparation and goodbyes, I am slowly realizing how much I will miss some things. No worries, though. Two years really isn't that long -- except when you're stuck in a place full of bugs, no running water, no electricity, heat, rain, poor infrastructure, unreliable transportation, strange food, strange language where no one you. Just kidding. Kind of. Really I'm looking forward to it, though I know it will extremely difficult at time.

I have made an effort to be as well prepared as possible, though. I have been in touch with people have been in Malawi with the Peace Corps, people who are there now, people who will be going with my group, people who are/were in the Peace Corps in other countries and people who have connections to Malawi in other ways. (No, not drug dealers.) This has been incredibly helpful in terms of deciding what to pack, what experiences to expect and more. I realize part of what makes this a life-changing, unforgettable experience is the unpredictability, frustrations and learning. But I figure I can be the best prepared PCV in the history of the program and still have more of those experiences that I'll ever imagine.

That's all for now. Leave comments. Email me. Call me.