Ok, first post, new blog, here we go. April 28th, 2015. I had just finished my Chipotle burrito and was feeling a nap when the phone rang. It was a 202 number and I felt my lunch turn in my stomach. This was it. The moment. I often see this cheesy quote either put in picture frames above kitchen doors or on a girl's Instagram page with a caption reading something like "This is so my life," or something along those lines. It goes, "Life is not about the amount of breaths we take, but the moments that take your breath away." And somehow, someone always writes "breathes" instead of breaths and I read it as such and cringe inwardly. But looking on the moment, my breath was choking on rice and trying to get my act together to sound pleasant, like I didn't just engulf 1200 calories while falling asleep to SVU.
The call was a good one, though. There was an opening in the health program leaving for Uganda with the Peace Corps and, "Is that something I'd still be interested in?" I almost asked if I could call the placement officer back in 5 to think it over. But I knew I'd talk myself out of it. So hell yes, I'm interested.
"Great! I'll send you the follow-up email and you'll receive more information by the end of the week."
I hung up the phone and immediately began weeping. Like slipping off the couch weeping. Called Mom. Called Dan. Called Linda. Called Mel. Called Linda's Dad (thanks for the hat, Papa K). Called almost everyone that I thought would care. All while weeping. In the bible the shortest verse is "Jesus wept." And I'm not comparing myself to Jesus or anything, but man did I weep. All the happy tears. It finally happened. After waiting over a year to be accepted into the Peace Corps, and being transferred from program to program, and hearing nothing for months in between, it happened. It's happening.
So, fellow blog readers (if you exist, I'm not sure if you're still out there after my French excursion), here we are on a new adventure. From the Pearl of France in Menton to the Pearl of Africa in Uganda, my adventure begins again. Before I go, though, there are some things that must be taken care of. Like food. All the advice I've received is just to eat. So I've gone to Meadows almost every night. Ice cream is my favorite. Tonight was fajita night! Tomorrow, pierogis at the buccos game. And cotton candy. And hotdogs. And beer. And popcorn. And beer. It'll be a long time in between yuenglings.
I'm driving across the state with mom to arrive at staging on the 30th, and I officially fly out June 2nd to commit to a 27 month service. If you're curious as to what I'm doing, eating, or exploring, follow along. If not, at least you know I'm out of your hair for 2 years. I'll update when I can, depending on my internet and electricity availability.
That's all for now, I'll most likely write before I fly out, so you'll hear from me then. I'm so excited to start this new adventure!
Still weeping,
Kelly
