Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

Tonight has been described as Peace Corps Eve by the training staff here, and honestly, it doesn't so much feel like Christmas Eve as it does like a night of terror. My life is about to change in this way that I can't even imagine, and while I'm happy, there are a lot of other things going on too. There don't seem to be words to express the combination of things that are churning in my gut. Excitement and anxiety, and all the emotions that go along with them, are rumbling around and bubbling up like a nice hot stew. Beam your happy thoughts my way because I need them!

Wow. Once I leave my house today it will be one long whirlwind. I have one more night at my parents' house, and then they are all coming to stay here tomorrow, before taking me to the airport Monday morning. There is still A LOT of cleaning to do, and a few loose ends to tie up. I'm trying to keep it together, but there is some panic creeping in. And on another note, I have a theory that one of the reasons I wasn't very daring as a kid was because I had a tendency to suffer rather ridiculous injuries. They were always minor, but the fact that it happens often prevents me from taking bigger risks to my person for fear of what would happen if I did. I'm guessing that during my time in Nicaragua, there's going to be lots of opportunity for such injury to occur. Here's the first one, which I will be dealing with for the next couple of weeks, until it heals itself. I ruptured my left eardrum. Yes, it hurts, like a dull ache all the time. I did this while bl

This is one of those posts I will continue to update over the course of my LAST month. In no particular order... 1. Virgil's Root Beer 2. my car 3. Pandora 4. my family 5. my bed (pillowtop, great pillows, and a snuggly blanket) 6. driving into Columbia at night from West Columbia. The city really is quite beautiful at night. The river in the foreground, the buildings in the background and the bridge lights connecting the two. And a question: What would you miss most?