9/13/2004

So, in six days I'm about to set out on what is without a doubt the biggest adventure I've ever had in my life. I'm sitting in the kitchen at my mom's house writing this, and it really is funny just how quickly this has crept up on me. As the days have gotten closer, more and more I find myself feeling a combination of incredible excitement, and sheer terror. The excitement seems to be winning though, at least for the moment.

I've been traveling around quite a bit the past few weeks, as I wrapped up my life in the US for awhile. After finishing up at the temp job where I was working in San Francisco, I had a very nice goodbye party (thanks to all of you who showed up), and left for Florida the next day.

I spent 10 days in Sarasota and Tampa, arriving just in time for Hurricane Frances (which was relatively minor fortunately, although we did have a tree crush our fence at my dad's house.) It was so nice to see Dad & Ellen, Hannah, Livvy, Gamma, Nonna, Grandma, Heidi, Sam, Maria and Emily, Jane, Brad and the girls. The goodbyes seemed much more melancholy this time around– it just feels strange to say, "I'll see you in a few years..."

I had one more morning to spend with Alex before I left, and I was really surprised at how hard it was to say goodbye.... I don't consider myself the type to be overly emotional, but really, it was tough.

It's a little bizarre to think about how much people will change over the next few years. When I come back Julian will be going on 15, Alex will have completed culinary school and could be a sous chef somewhere, Hannah and Livvy will be 13 & 12... And I suppose there's me too- I've joked that I'll come back darker, multilingual, and thinner- but beyond that, how will I have changed? I don't suppose there's any way to really know until it happens. I'd like to think I'm a pretty tolerant, open-minded person now- I wonder how more than two years in Africa will enhance that.

Either way, I'm looking forward to the future, whatever it may hold. For now, I'm going to enjoy my last few days at home, try to get the last little bits of bureaucracy taken care of and prepare to set off.

I'll write again soon....


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