Saturday, February 16, 2013

About 1 month 'til go time

March 18th Staging. March 19th departure for Albania. I just finished my last day of work on Thursday and it was a great feeling. With a month left to go I have a ton of mixed emotions with "excited" sitting at the top of the list.

2 years is a funny amount of time to think of. I lived in CT for 2 years. I lived in OH for 2 years. In CT I was maxed out, and in OH I wish I could have stayed longer. I am not sure how long my 2 years in Albania will feel. When I first received my invitation (about 6 months ago) I went into crazy research mode, but now I have definitely settled down. Even though the FB group is all set up, and people are starting to meet each other online, I feel like I am just ready to get to Albania and learn as I go. I am psyched to meet everyone in person! Yesterday I received the email giving us information on Staging and travel plans, and today I took a quick quiz on "In country safety." I have a little bit of packing left to go, but I am pretty much ready. So..what will I do with this last month?

Well, I'm not quite sure. It's important for me to spend time with my family. All my best friends live in other cities so not seeing them for 2 years doesn't really seem like such a big deal. I guess I have kind of become used to a lifestyle of "up and leaving." The people I really care about always find a way to stay in contact with me. Having a mom with cancer, however, makes me a little nervous about venturing off for 2 years, but at the same time I truly believe my mom will be just fine because she is a boss. She is also super excited for me to be going on this adventure.

Every time I buy something for the Peace Corps or meet someone new and get to explain that I'm going to Albania I feel so proud and happy. It's a great feeling to be doing something I want to do, and to have other people appreciate that. I like it when people say "do this while you're young" because I like knowing that I am taking advantage of my youth.

So 1 month out and I am feeling pumped and ready. Yeah there are some people, places, things (nouns in general) that I'm going to miss in America, but the cool thing is I can see them again in 2 years. I'll have new perspectives and stories with me as well, which will make the reunion that much better. I'm loving the rest of my time here, and looking forward to Albania.