Hello everybody!
Ten days from right now I will be on my way to Philadelphia for staging before leaving the country on September 10. It feels a little bit surreal as I realize when I say good-bye to certain people, it means good-bye until Thanksgiving 2016. In my last post I talked about my parents who have helped me realize so many dreams but my outstanding friends deserve a blog post thanking them as well.
This past weekend was my going away party and if I must say so myself, it went quite well. Friends, family, and neighbors all stopped by to wish me well and get their photo taken with me. Those photos will become part of my "Peace Corps Pick Me Up Book," which I will look at as I feel homesick and wish you were all with me. Thank you for coming and making me feel oh so loved.
Second, thank you for your support. So many of you cut out the newspaper article and gave it to me (Hey look! I'm famous!). Somebody even laminated a copy of it and left it with the rest of my gifts at the party. I don't know who did that, but thank you. I have some of the most generous and considerate friends and feel genuinely blessed to call you my friends and family.
You all have waited with me through this long process, reaffirming that this adventure is something I can do and will do well. When my sector switched you all told me that I can still make a difference and do good work, even without concrete experience in the health sector. You've told me how lucky Peace Corps is to have me. You've understood how frustrating the process has been as my health has gotten in the way but not one of you has told me this was something I should give up, even though I know many of you worry about my health while I'm away. When I finally received my invite, you all rejoiced with me. Most of you have avoided looking at me like I'm completely crazy for being excited to go to a country that has unstable neighbors and a region that is currently fighting a nearly always fatal disease.
I will miss you. I will miss your hugs and smiles. I will miss going to dinner with you and volunteering with you. I'll miss joking with you and being silly with you. I hope to keep in touch with you all both online and by letters. If I see you before I leave, I expect 27 months worth of hugs. If I don't see you again, I expect 27 months worth of hugs in November 2016. <3
