So long, farewell...

"Home is where one starts from." -T.S. Eliot

Togo is only one week away! Wow! As my Uncle Michael would say, “Ready?” My response: “Well, I’d better be!” The last few months have seemed like a whirlwind. I graduated from college in May, went on vacation to Turkey, shopped, packed, and said lots of goodbyes. Time has been flying, but now I want to drag out this next week for as long as I can. Next Wednesday I will be driving from Philadelphia to New York City, where our group of Togo Peace Corps trainees will be departing the U.S. for Lome. It’s weird to think about not being in the U.S. for two years, and the things I will miss. While at the same time, it’s exciting to think about all the new people I will meet and the experiences we will share together during our time in Togo. My feelings right now are the definition of mixed emotions. 

This past week a friend from the East Coast came for a visit, and I had the chance to explore the beautiful Puget Sound area through the eyes of a tourist. I experienced all my favorite places again with her, and even did some new things, like going to the top of the Space Needle! This was a nice distraction from all the packing and organizing my mom and I have been consumed with for the last few months. Time to sit back, relax, and just enjoy family, friends, and life's simple pleasures. There will undoubtedly be days when I feel discouraged over the next two years. I will tack these pictures from home up on my wall to remind me how lucky I am and what I have to come back to. Hopefully, I will be able to add entries to this blog when I am in Togo, but I cannot guarantee that it will be often. Once a month might be possible, but expect my updates to be sporadic.