Final goodbyes

Well, the day has finally arrived- Collin and I left eastern Washington this morning and are now in Washington, DC, visiting with family here. Tomorrow, after a quick visit to some of the sites at the National Mall, we’ll be heading up to Philadelphia to see more family and to attend our staging event on Monday.

Things have been pretty busy so far- we moved out of our house in Corvallis on Tuesday and have spent the last few days packing up and organizing our lives. This included doing all the terrible adult things that you have to do once you get old, like taxes, financial planning, and other legal stuff. Not the most relaxing activities. We also had to construct a cat door in Collin’s mom’s garage for our cat, Zeus, who will be living with her for the next few years. Not the typical Peace Corps preparation activity… We managed to pack everything we need (and likely things we don’t) into our two bags, each weighing about 40 lbs each- well under the 50 lb limit.

At the Pasco airport prior to departure. #twobagstwoyears #adventure #whatdidwesignupfor

Surprisingly I’ve felt very calm the last week or two. I think I came to the realization that it doesn’t matter how prepared we are, this is happening. There are definitely things I’m nervous about or things that I know I will miss, but I’m trying not to think about any of that. Instead, I’m thinking about all the people who have supported us all the way and who are so excited for us. And the people of our future village who we will eventually love like family. And the children who will be blown away by the crazy white people who dig holes in the ground to grow fish. It’s easy to get caught up in the uncertainties and I’m just making sure I remind myself of the big picture and the reasons why this has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember.

I think a lot of people think that Peace Corps volunteers do it because they have nothing better going on in their life and, while I do think there are a lot of people for which this is the case, it’s not true for me. I’m leaving a job that has been incredibly fulfilling  and I think that I have really grown as a biologist. Leaving in the middle of a project is hard, especially when you have multiple manuscripts under review and no guarantee of internet access, but I just wanted to give a public shout out to my amazing co-worker, Luke. Luke is taking over all of my projects while I’m gone and there is no one else I would trust more. Thanks buddy for everything and I know the project is in good hands.

Luke and I looking our best out in the field. #lampreycrewlove #besties #weloveeminem

We’ll be leaving Tuesday morning and not sure when I’ll get to post again but feel free to send us letters or emails and we’ll hopefully be able to update people once we get there.