All my bags are packed...

Hey everybody,

My bags aren't actually packed yet--in fact I still need to go get a duffel bag to put all my stuff in.  I am, however, very much ready to go and have been for quite a while now.  I've gotten a couple of new toys that I will be bringing with me--a nylon pack hammock, a wind up flash light, and a fancy new waterproof digital camera.  I've also found out just about everything that the wonderful and all-knowing internet has to say about Micronesia, which if you wondering is not very much.

More than physically having everything I need, I am emotionally ready to go.  As much fun as it is to tell people about what I'm about to go do, it can get a little frustrating.  There are so many questions that I can't answer yet and it gets a little old saying "I don't know" to everyone.  What language will you be speaking?  I don't know.  Will you have phone or internet service?  I don't know.  What will you wear?  I don't know.  What age group will you be teaching?  I don't know.  I pretty much won't know anything for sure until I get there.

Here's an update as to what I do know.  I know that I will be on Pohmpei until the middle of October for Phase 1 of training, so the address you see on the right will be good until then (hint, hint...).  If and when it changes, I will be sure to update it.  (A quick note on mail: if you send a postcard, put it in an envelope or else it may end up on the wall of the Micronesian post office.  If you send a package, it's more likely to actually make it to me if it's in a padded envelope as opposed to a box.  I'm not really sure why, but that's what they say.)  In mid-October, I will move on to Phase 2 of training, which will happen at my permanent service site.  (Where?  I don't know!)

I've had a couple of interesting conversations about my upcoming Peace Corps service.  A few people have thanked me for my service, which is bit strange to me.  While I guess I am technically "serving," I see it much more as a personal experience where I can hopefully teach some English and help out a few people along the way.  Thank military personal if it makes you feel good, but don't thank me.  I've also had a few people tell me to "enjoy your trip."  This one kind of bugs me.  I'm not going on a "trip" or a "vacation," I'm moving to a new country for the next two years.  The word "trip" implies that I am already thinking about my return back to my "real life" or "normalcy."  I am a big comics fan, and there's a quote from Calvin and Hobbes that really strikes a chord with me.

"We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are."

One of my goal for this experience is not to think about what comes next.  My real life is happening in Micronesia for the next two years; I'm not gonna miss out on it worrying about what's next.

One week to go...

Lots of love,
Ben