Good bye Alaska...

My bags are packed, I’ve said my good byes and now I am sitting in Stevens International Airport waiting for my flight to Philly. By some ounce of luck my bags were within the weight limit (the ounce was my mom who drove me to the airport…she took an armful of random things home…THANK YOU). My big bag was 48lbs while my smaller bag was 32lbs coming out to an even 80 :D I sacrificed some hand sanitizer and some coffee :( but in hindsight those things are not essential and I don’t think I will really miss them…okay, I will miss the coffee.
The whole drive to the airport I had a major case of the stomach butterflies. I spent so many hours packing and repacking that when it was finally time to go I felt disorganized! But after I checked in, got 6 (?) pieces of ticket sized paper for 2 actual tickets, said my final good byes to my mom (who waited until I was out of sight and would manically smile if I turned to look at her), got through security with no carry on trouble (awesome) and sat down, the butterflies are gone…for the time being.
In a half hour I will board my plane a fly 5 LONG hours to Minnesota and then straight on to Philadelphia! I arrive around 10 and will head straight to the hotel. I have orientation at 1 and will be busy, busy, busy all day! My only anxiety is that I forgot something essential in the place of something trivial. Hopefully not!

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Oh! Liberia is the place I will go in approximately 3 weeks. I will be serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching science to middle and high school kids. Liberia is located in West Africa a few (~6) degrees above the equator and by association is hot and humid.

In contrast I live in Eagle River, Alaska which is a few (~5)degrees below the arctic circle and is predominantly cold and dry. I bet if Alaska had an opposite it would be Liberia;)