So I am sitting in another trainee's room, enjoying these last precious moments of reliable internet access. Took my last hot shower for awhile, ate my last italian meal, and talked to my family for the last time in at least two weeks. Even though I will miss these luxuries to a certain extent, now that it is finally time to leave, in 2 hours as a matter of fact, I can definitely say I am more excited then I have been at any point leading up to this departure. I am not looking forward to the 24 hour haul, but if all goes well 44 of us will be safely in Uganda within the next day! I know I am on a high right now, as I'm sure most of us are, meeting everyone for the first time, getting excited about this new adventure and understandably quite anxious, but I am still trying to prepare myself for what I am sure will be an up and down emotional roller coaster. At this point I can't wrap my head around the fact that I am leaving for 27 moths, emotionally at least. My stomach feels tense and I can't sleep but that HOLY SHIT moment hasn't arrived (maybe on the plane...) At a point I was tepid about abandoning the familiarity of home and long friendships, missing out on events that won't happen again (Like Christa's wedding ...) But after today I realize that everyone here has those fears, but they aren't a reason not take a chance. I would be more worried about me if I didn't have my reservations about this but even in the comfort of the familiar you can't avoid all risk in life, and to me, this is a risk I feel is worth taking.
So on that note.. Wish me luck! I will miss everyone SO much you don't even know! Your support has meant so much to me and when I doubted myself you gave me my confidence back. Write me, email me, even if you think they are just mundane details of everyday life, I want to miss out on as little as I can and they won't be boring to me! I promise to write back for every letter and email I receive, you just may have to be a little patient :)
PC is taking precautions for our safety due to the elections on the 18th. Therefore I will have extremely limited communication for the first 2 weeks because we cannot travel to the city. I won't have a phone for at least 2 weeks but when I do I will put that number up with more info on how telephone communication is going to work for me while at site. I also will not have very good internet, if at all, for awhile so don't get worried if you don't see anything from me for a couple weeks. My parents will be notified upon my safe arrival in country and anymore questions you may have should be directed to them or my sister.
Peace out America!!!
Nik
Nikki, you made me tear up :( You are such a strong person and I am so proud of you for taking a chance and following your heart. If only more people in the world were as open-minded and as considerate as you, it would be a much better place! We will miss you so much here and I will make it a point to read your blog and write to you as much as I possibly can! I love you girl, stay safe and, more importantly, have fun! :)
ReplyDeleteNikki, you are brave and strong!! I can't believe you are halfway around the world. I know you will be out of touch for a while but please know our thoughts and prayers are with you!! We love you and miss you!! You will have to write a book of your experiences so journal everyday!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentines Day!! I'm glad you made it there safely, now let fun begin! I love all of the mail instructions on the side here :) I still scroll religious phrases all over the outside of any box I send out of country. It does seem strange but hey, for whatever reason it works. As my mother would say, "The Loooord is watchin' girl". I will try to save any pics of J.C. to adorn whatever I send. Let me know if there's anything you have a hankering for that I can send you; I used to love to get any candy and/or chocolate as the quality in most 3rd world countries is like licking sugared lard... nasty. Love you!
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