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When I realized that Queen was singing “bismillah” in Bohemian Rhapsody…

Influx and Exodus

“Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.”

Today we all received and email from our Country Desk Officer with information about staging and PST (Pre Service Training). It’s some of the first solid information we’ve had, regarding actual dates and times for training and departure. It also included a link to a Facebook group that was set up by a fellow volunteer, specifically for our staging group. I joined, and within 15 minutes I’d received numerous friend requests from people who will be sharing this crazy life change with me. 

It’s funny to see a photo of someone and think, “I don’t know you, but we have so much in common.” These people have been going through a lot, if not all, of the ups and downs I’ve been experiencing over the last year. It’s nice to see their faces. As I’m starting to say goodbye to my closest friends here, I catch myself wondering who I will share the next part of this journey with. And now I’m starting to get some idea of who they are. These are the people who will be going through what I am, with me, for the next 27 months. We don’t know each other yet, but soon I expect we’ll know more about each other than we ever bargained for. 

I feel like I’m starting to see my departure as a pivot point. My life will be different when I return, and so will the lives of everyone I know back home. I had a conversation with a friend about this a few nights ago. I was trying to explain that I feel like the people I’ve met here in Virginia haven’t known me long enough for our friendships to withstand a 2-year hiatus. I didn’t mean for it to sound sad or depressing. I feel very close to the friends I've made in the last year. I truly hope that I can keep in touch with everyone I’ll miss once I leave. And as for my friends in New York and Vermont, I’ve been away form New York for about a year and a half, and I haven’t lived in Vermont for at least 6 years. Funny how that happens. In the grand scheme of things, 2 years really isn’t that long once you’re on the other side of it.

29 Days until departure!

On a side note, if you want to talk to me while I’m there, get my email address. Preferably my me.com address, because: