One Week to Go...

Today is the 17th. Michele and I leave for Philadelphia in one week. Michele and I are both with our families, she in Georgia, me in Florida. We will meet up in Atlanta on Sunday to stay near the airport to catch our 9am flight.

It is really beginning to hit me now. I have one week left. If stuff doesn't get done this week, then it isn't going to get done. I plan to at least get started packing tonight just to get a good idea as to how much I'll be able to fit in my bags since we are only allowed to bring 80 pounds for the next 2 years.

Here is what they recommend:
-at least a week's worth of clothes: 2 pairs of jeans, 3-5 cotton shirts, non-white socks, sweatpants and sweatshirt (for cold nights), rain jacket (for the rainy season), bandannas, baseball cap, swimsuit, clothes to sleep in, two-week supply of underwear, dressy outfit with tie, 2 pairs of shorts -- check.

-shoes: 1 pair of sneakers or running/hiking shoes, 1 pair sandals, 1 pair of dressier shoes (for formal occasions) -- half check - I still need sandals.

-portable music system: -- check, I've got my iPod and solar recharger.

-portable mosquito net tent and bug spray -- check (because man, do I hate mosquitos and malaria)

-jump drive -- check

-good kitchen knife -- check -just need to figure out which sizes and how many.

-books: here is the real problem. I want to take a lot more books than I know I will have room for. I have guide books for Mali and West Africa,. I have African and Malian history books, maps, folklore, etc. I also have French/English dictionaries. And there are books for pleasure reading: Hemingway and Soyinka for their knowledge of Africa, a Qu'ran (since Mali in 90% Muslim), and plenty of others. I also have several blank books to write journals and draw pictures in. I figure I will fill my bags with stuff I need and fill all the leftover space with books. I only wish books weren't so heavy.

-I still have to figure out how much shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste etc. to bring. They say I can most likely get a lot of this stuff over there and that the Peace Corps will begin to provide me with some after the first 3 months.
I am bringing my digital camera with me, the problem here is that I won't have any way to recharge it will in Mali other than with a wall plug. It doesn't take standard AA batteries and I can't seem to get my Solio solar panel to work with it. I plan on speaking with some people at Best Buy or someplace to ask an expert.

I also plan on bringing a flashlight, 2 pairs of glasses, frying pan, maybe one of those wind-up emergency radios, etc. I can't think of much else, but I know that I will remember once I start packing.

I'm beginning to get really nervous about a lot of this but I know I still very much want to do this. The Peace Corps is a once in a lifetime type of experience and I feel that I am better capable of accomplishing whatever needs to be done at this point in my life than any that will ever come. I am nervous now because things are coming into the 'no-turning-back' phase. I quit my job with Dougherty Schroeder Architects, I moved out of my apartment, and I have one week left with my friends and family until I take one of the most dramatic steps in my life I have ever had the opportunity to take.