Taking Leave and Getting Ready

I knew I would be stressed out about leaving, but I never realized quite how much. Preparing to leave for two years requires a lot of time and effort and preparation and I feel like I have too much to do and too little time to do it. I know I'll get most of it done, but things definitely feel a little overwhelming.

In addition, saying goodbye to so many people is beginning to add up, and there's still so many more goodbyes to be said over the next few days. And the hardest ones to say are yet to come. In 5 days I'll be saying goodbye to my family and my closest friends, and to my farm. Thinking of not being here after having been here the last 4 years is kinda scary. I know I'm doing what I need to do for me, but it's still hard to leave everything and everyone behind, and know that while I'm away and changing, things will be changing here as well. That's always one of the hardest things to remember when you're away from home. That life keeps moving forward everywhere for everyone. It doesn't just stop because you're gone.

This entry is starting to sound very depressing, and that's not all that I'm feeling. I'm very excited about where I'm going and what I'm going to be learning and doing. I'm looking forward tremendously to meeting my group, meeting my host family, and starting training. I can't wait to see what the Dominican Republic is really like, what being a Peace Corps Trainee is like, and what the next two years will bring for me.

All right, back to my list of things to do before I go!