Ready or not

It's hard to believe that I leave for Peru on Monday!  August was a whirlwind of road trips to Wyoming and Winnipeg, and I arrived back in Waterloo last weekend with a mile-long to-do list.  But ready or not, on Monday I'll be rolling out of bed before sunrise to catch an early morning flight to Lima, Peru.

At times this week, my feelings about the placement have definitely been mixed - in the tossing and turning, stomach-churning sense of the word.  There's just so much that is unknown about the next 8 months, it sometimes feels like there's nothing tangible to grab onto and get excited about. But in the last few days, as I've begun to wrap up my preparations and spend more time with friends and family, I've finally come to terms with my departure and have begun to be really excited about the coming adventure. Many of the relatives that I've seen in the last few weeks are involved in international development work themselves, and have been really encouraging of my interests and goals.  And on Thursday night, some friends threw a wonderful going-away party that reminded me of all the supportive people back in Waterloo who will be sending kind thoughts my way.  Although I'm excited to be on my own in Lima, it's nice to know that they're only a phone call away.

So tonight I'm enjoying some quality time with my family, and the rest of my packing will have to wait until tomorrow. It will all get done, right? :)

Laura