I'm typing this from my hotel room in Philadelphia, getting ready for a second exhausting day of orientation, called staging. My 48 fellow trainees and I have another full day of icebreakers and breakout sessions today before our final night in the States. We're all cramming in as much last-minute American food as we can, and my roommate and I have been soaking in an embarrassing amount of reality TV to keep us laughing in the coming weeks.
I've been so occupied with packing anxiety and some very emotional goodbyes over the last few weeks, that I've hardly had time to be excited or nervous about this adventure. Even now, when it's so close at hand, the imminent newness of my life is almost impossible to imagine. I'm sure stepping on the plane on Wednesday will bring that all up, but because it feels so unreal, it's hard to write about.
Packing anxiety, though, there's something real! Each of us was given a hard limit of two checked pieces of luggage, neither more than 50 pounds. How do you pack your life into two tiny bags? I found myself making some weird choices - leave the blue jeans, but cram in that six pound bag of trail mix.
Here's the highlight reel of some things I thought were essential to schlep across the Atlantic:
Combination Coffee Mug/French Press, because I couldn't bring myself to kick caffeine.
My buddy Blue Kitty who was the easiest of my friends to pack.
A headlamp. "So you don't fall in." (Thanks, Aunt Amy!)
And, surprise, last-minute addition: a collection of letters from all you wonderful people to open over the next few years. What a blast this was to get! I am so, so excited to have these - they will, hands down, be my most valued possessions in Togo (though don't quote me on that when the mosquitoes attack). Thank you all!! (And an especially giant thank you to my extremely sweet boyfriend, Kyle, for orchestrating this whole surprise. Thank you, thank you!!)
The rest of the limit is filled with clothes, soaps, and other weird miscellany. I'm sure in the coming months, my life will expand far out of these suitcases - it always does. But in the meantime, it feels comforting to know I can carry my whole existence with two hands.
Keep in touch!
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