So, here I am, preparing for a trip I've dreamed about for the last five years. I found out about the Peace Corps at a career fair for "post-high school alternatives". I picked up info about the Peace Corps and about a theatre group offering one-year stints to travel the world. I was really excited about the theatre group back then, but somehow my enthusiam dissolved, unnoticed. I really just wanted to get on with college - get out of NYC and my life there.

The Peace Corps wasn't yet a clear part of my future, but it seemed like a great idea. In the end, I went straight to college and I am glad that I did. How useless I would have been if I had gone to the Peace Corps as only a high school graduate? All of the qualifications I have that make me eligible for this assignment are from opportunities I sought out during college. I probably wouldn't have been selected or I would've gotten the crappiest assignment. Either way, it doesn't matter, because I've come to this adventure now.

I am so excited to go. This experience means so much to me (and I'm not even there yet!). I know I'll be leaving so much behind and, only now, five weeks before I leave, has that thought struck a nervous chord. There is so much to sort out here and hold on to for when I'm gone. But, on the other hand, I know that I am going to grow, learn and absorb so much in the next two years.

I just have to pace myself and enjoy my fleeting time here at home. Remeber to breathe and take it all in, because when I get to Burkina Faso, it's gonna be a long time before I have my feet on the ground again. A long time with a lot of learning and patience.

Baby steps.