A Little Less Then a Week Left

So, as I am getting closer to leaving, the reality of me flying to a different country half way around the world is setting in. I am now doing some packing to make sure I have everything I need and it all fits, and I am actually saying some final goodbyes to people at work and some friends.

Just yesterday was my last day at work at the Mt. Hope Family Center. I have viewed my fellow co workers as family for the last 2 and a half years. I could not believe that I was saying goodbye. I will be able to see the people I work with most closely before I take off on Tuesday, but for the rest of them, it was hard and very surreal. I can't believe they actually made me turn in my keys! I was hoping I could keep those and just walk on into the building when I get back.

Up until now I have been having little going away parties. I had one for friends at my brother, Manoj, and my old room mate and very good friend, Tony's, apartment. this included a weird mix of Manoj and Tony's biomedical engineer friends that I have also become friends with, people from the bar I work in, Mex, and some people from Mt. Hope. that was tons of fun, and I was happy to have the opportunity to take a lot of pictures that I will be bringing with me.

Then, Fred, one of the PhD's and the head of research at Mt. Hope, threw a party at his house. It was really nice and decked out with tons of appetizers. I really appreciated the chance to tell them how much Mt. Hope meant to me, and to see a bunch of the employees for the last time before I left.

So, here we are. I am 6 days away from leaving. I think I am still in a bit of denial, but things are slowly becoming more real. I have been in contact with a bunch of other volunteers that i will be training with. the conversations we have had up until now have been really great, and really helpful in ensuring that I won't be forgetting anything important. there has also been a great forum to discuss our concerns with each other.

All in all, i think my greatest concerns are leaving friends and family here at home with a very limited ability to keep in contact with them (see the Mailings section of this blog) and learning the new language.

I was realizing the other day when thinking about how it will feel to leave home, that i had never actually taken an airplane alone. It was a crazy thought, but I have always been with my family, friends, or my brother on every plane trip I have ever taken. I am sure that it wil serve are a very stark reality when I am getting in the plane and realizing that I no longer have that crutch that I have always had.

As for the language, my fear is that I am just not very good at it. through my 4 years in High School that I took Spanish, I learned very little, and retained much less. My hope is that I really just lacked the motivation, and my time and amount or resources I will dedicate to learning the language will make me much more successful.

Past that, i am actually very excited about the challenges, experiences, and adventures that lay ahead. I am not at all worried about the food, climate, culture differences, living situation, or anything else like that. I know it will be hard, but i am confident in my ability to adapt in that way. I feel like I have a leg up with my duel culture being Indian American. I already know how to eat with my hands, eat exotic foods, take bucket baths, use their types of toilets, I am used to drinking warm, boiled water, etc. Most importantly I know what a completely different culture looks like, and I know not to underestimate the extent of the differences that can exist between cultures.

I will try to post at least one more time before I take off....