On the Verge

After a largely successful and humorous PC two-day staging extravaganza we are about to get on our way to South Africa. I have found that the stomach is not a relatively stable organ of the body and that it seems to feel the need to change location whenever possible. I do not yet feel nervous, but know that I am, because my stomach has moved from the very bottom of my abdomen to staying in my throat for ten minutes at a time almost every hour. Or maybe it is just the absolutely delicious Indian food my roommate and I ate tonight…amazing! PC provides the volunteers with a relatively large spending allowance during staging. Maybe this is because they love us…or maybe because we might be eating some unfamiliar and perhaps less than delicious delicacies in SA. Who knows? Not me. However, I am feeling more anxious than anything else because I just want to get there and start with training and really begin the SA experience.

Being at staging is surreal. It is a sentiment that has been passed around a lot these few days. We have been waiting so long to finally get going and now the moment is finally here. It is a triumphant beginning. We waited months, some of us years, in the application process to finally step foot here…triumph. We passed the very intrusive and exhausting barrage of medical, dental, and eye tests…triumph. We wrestled with our luggage and packed and re-packed until we simply could not do it anymore….triumph. We said our tearful see-ya-laters to the friends and family that supported us enough to get us here and still managed to tear ourselves away to get on the plane…triumph. We navigated the murky waters of breaking the ice and getting to know other PC Trainees while undergoing almost 15 hours of training sessions…..triumph. We have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time and will soon conquer many more feats as the days progress.

This is it. I have waited for this and I am ready. Yesterday was tough and today was better….no, make that wonderful. I am by far the luckiest person I know to have this opportunity to serve but I am also going to miss my friends and family more than I can express. So any letters or packages would be greatly appreciated. You could be my best friend for life…well until the next letter comes from the next person and then they are my new best friend, but you can regain the BFF status by sending more packages or writing Nida and requesting such a status…you see the pattern…let’s make it happen folks. Don’t be offended when I do not respond or write back for the first few weeks. Communication back to the States is going to be difficult…at best…so I can only do so much. But I promise to keep in contact as much as I can.

On a heavier note though, if you are reading this please pray for my friend Elena and her family. They have suffered a great loss this week with the sudden death of her mother. Any and all prays will help.

Until next time…