29 days to go...

So much time has passed and so much has happened since Josh and I first received and accepted our invitation to Cape Verde. Unbelievably, we're leaving in less than a month. In between selling all our worldly possessions, buying a new wardrobe for Cape Verde (I bum around in short shorts and strappy tanks all summer, and that's not exactly appropriate), ensuring all our electronic stuff will work over seas, turning 29 (that'd be me), spending time with friends and family, learning Portuguese, starting guitar lessons (me as well), worrying about packing too much, worrying about not packing enough...blogging just wasn't high on the priority list :o) I know no one is reading this yet, but we'll try to be better once we actually get to Africa.

The more time that passes the more nervous I am getting (I can't speak for Josh). I know it's "only" two years, but it's been very difficult to start to say goodbye to friends and family. We're both very close with our families and have the best group of friends ever. With everything going on we haven't had nearly enough time to spend with them, and that has been hard. I do feel bad sometimes that we're neglecting people, but I guess our main priority now is getting everything we need ready to go, and everything else needs to come second. It sometimes feels like people don't quite get that, and that makes it worse. I wish there was more time in the day or there were two of me.

Peace Corps has kept us pretty busy too. I guess we thought after the whole application process and invitation was accepted we'd be off the hook. No such luck. We had to send in updated resumes tailored to our job titles, aspiration statements, community volunteer questionnaires, other random surveys...and we keep getting email reminders to stick with the Portuguese. Believe me, we are!

I've been trying to keep on top of my soon-to-be co-volunteers blogs as well, which has been fun; I'm so glad that I found others blogs so that I could sort get a taste for what lies ahead. It's usually the unknown that is the scariest part, and having a bit of information has been grounding. Plus it'll be cool to finally put real faces with blogs, and to hopefully continue budding friendships.

One last thing: any hoopers out there reading this, I need hoops! Preferably collapsible hoops that I can carry in my suitcase and share with folks in Cape Verde. World Hoop Day is August 8 this year and I'd love to teach folks what it's all about.

29 days to go...
Dove