5/20 - [Not] Goodbyes

Less than two weeks until I depart for PC. Twelve days, not that I'm counting.

The past few weeks have been full of transitions and preparations. I moved back to my parents' house in Delaware. They're being kind enough to house my belongings while I'm in Armenia. Turns out I have a lot more belongings than I thought. The first three days I was back here were spent unpacking, organizing, and throwing out at least half a dozen garbage bags of nonsense. I also managed to recycle at least four academic years worth of notebooks, tests, and papers. (Let's be honest, I was never going to look at those AP Chemistry notes ever again).

Last Saturday (5/14), we hosted a little going away shindig at the house.
The weather was miserable (rain on the verge of monsoon), but it worked out anyway. To be blunt, my friends are AMAZING.  I was so shocked and impressed that so many of them made the trek--some from over 400 miles away--out to Delaware to see me. It turned out to probably be one of the best days ever, simply because so many of my favorite people were all in one place. Towson friends, camp friends, a few CRHS grads, and neighbors all mingled together beautifully. Seriously: Best. Day. Ever.








Chrysta, Flax, & Ben. I just love that I captured Flax's emphatic expalanation of something (per usual) and the facial reactions to whatever he was discussing.



Just an odd moment...

  
 

Left to Right: Kelly, Will, Doug, Pat, (Ricky), Bethany, Ryan, Chrysta, Lizzie

 

Since Saturday, I've tried to go into overdrive preparing for June 1st. I've started packing (or at least setting clothes aside that I want to take). I'm also finishing up paperwork, notifying banks of my travel, and in a few minutes I'll be going to sign a power of attorney form. FUN STUFF.

I've also been talking a lot to current PCVs in Armenia. Their advice has been great so far. One of the biggest suggestions across the board is to enjoy spending time with family & friends as much as possible during this remaining time. Finding that balance between getting everything ready and taking advantage of my time here is tricky. But, I try not dwell too much on it because, after all, it's not "goodbye," it's "see you later!"