The Final Countdown!

so, we're into the final countdown until Cameroon. We will be boarding our flight to Cameroon, via Paris in exactly one week. In just 4 short days we will be on a flight to Philadelphia for staging - the Peace Corps' cryptic term for briefing, paperwork & shots. We will be spending our last few days stateside down the street from the Liberty Bell and all those reminders of how America came to be, apt I suppose. We'll be filling out papers, getting briefed on what's going to be happening and meeting all the fellow volunteers who will be heading to Cameroon with us. And then, of course there will be the shots, neither of us are terribly worried about shots in general, the only anxiety comes from the strategic planning of the shots immediately prior to our boarding an international flight. If one of those shots doesn’t sit too well, that 8 hour flight will likely be more than unpleasant, and only to be followed by another 8 hour flight down to Cameroon. Not to mention that apparently Charles de Gaulle is pretty much the worst airport for losing luggage, and we wouldn't be the first volunteers to arrive in our new country without all the things we've been SO meticulously shopping for and packing. Oh well, if that's what happens such is life, I have a feeling the PC will allow us many opportunities to shake our heads and smile at our misfortune and find some unique way to make do and come out with a good story. Like that time we got stuck in the elevator in Hawaii…

And really, going as a couple allows us not only the convenience of a built in companion, but also the ability to cheat while packing. While everyone going alone has to bring all those random essentials by themselves in the allotted 80 lbs, we get to split it up between us. Being married is great :) Though, I must say, the closer we get to leaving the more respect I have for the people heading off into this adventure without someone to hold their hand. Kudos to you all.

We've pretty much tied up all our loose ends in the U.S., gotten to see most of our close family & friends before we go (including a lovely breakfast this morning with our PC recruiter Brady & his wife), got all our banking in order, and sold the vast majority of our possessions. Including.... our cars!!! We have no house keys & no car keys, nothing on our key rings except for a bottle opener. Quite odd, but also a bit freeing, makes you feel liquid, like those people who live on their boats. On Tuesday, we said goodbye to Chris' Nissan pickup - in which we road on our first date btw - and we're already saving the world. The new owner is benefiting from not only about 8 extra MPG, but also about 5 less sets of brakes to be replaced, EVERY YEAR! That's significant : )

And yes my friends, the bug is gone. My first and only car, which I’ve had for over 10 years, is in someone else's hands. Probably pulled apart for parts & getting a new frame, it will be reborn into something else entirely, clean and shiny. A little sad, but really I'm looking forward to coming back and getting something a bit more reliable... praying the US will wise up and start importing Smart Cars (hopefully hybrid or electric) in the next 2 years.

This transition point is a funny place to find yourself, you have all the basics you need, but are also mentally preparing the leave it all behind for something new & absolutely different. There may be things we will miss (warm water comes to mind), but we can't help but be excited for the chance to shake things up, do something meaningful & challenging, and leave the ridiculous things that we already dislike about the ‘developed world’ behind (like the MTV awards on last night, Fox News, silly sweatpants with writing on the bum, and those giant sunglasses!) at least for a while. Maybe we will return refreshed and better able to appreciate all we do have, or maybe we will realize that all our time and energy is going to fabrications of the media, and we are so much happier living a simpler life, making real contact with people and not wasting our time playing games. Come to think of it living on a boat doesn't sound so bad.... did anyone see that news story about the new Crusoe who is building his own island out of sand covered barges floating on top of used water bottles? He's gonna go float off to sea by himself with his garden, fruit trees & a couple chickens, sounds pretty sweet actually.
Aloha.