Only 2 Weeks To Go

How did that happen?!

Everyone keeps asking when I'm leaving, so here's the agenda of my last few days in the US:

Fri, March 4: Drive down to DC. Meet up with AU friends. Stay over my Uncle Marty & Aunt Cindy's in VA.
Sun, March 6: Check into the Holiday Inn Georgetown, where my Staging will take place. My mom and best friend Taylor will be with me.
Mon, March 7: Register for my Staging by noon. Meetings/orientations all day.
Tues, March 8: Check out. Head to a clinic and receive a whole bunch of shots/pills. Fly out of Dulles at 5:40pm.
Weds, March 9: Arrive in Dakar at about 6:10am Senegal time.

I must say one of the nice things about being placed in Senegal is that it's so close to the US. I can take a direct flight and it'll only be about 7.5 hours. Not bad at all.

So now that that's out of the way..

I had a GREAT weekend. I got to see a lot of family and friends that I don't see too often, and it was great to catch up with everyone before I leave. A major highlight was that My Aunt Catherine flew in from TN (which I knew was happening), AND my Aunt Maureen and cousin Caroline flew in from CA and surprised me! Best surprise ever! It's great to have family together for a happy occasion, and I really appreciate everyone taking the time to get together :)

It was also awesome having all of my friends together. My amazing roommate from school, Cait, was here all weekend and was a major help. And a bunch of my friends from American drove/took trains so that we could all see each other. Thanks so much, everyone!

Another highlight of the weekend... my best friend Kyle, who is becoming quite the brewmaster, brewed a beer in honor of my upcoming voyage. It was called Saison du Senegal and it was delicious. You can check out his blog (http://hopsandcircumstance.blogspot.com/) to learn more about the recipe, etc.

And now that I'm recovering from this weekend, I'm realizing how much I have to do in these next two weeks. A lot of it is mainly logistical, like contacting my credit card company and telling them I'll be out of the US, putting a hold on my cell phone, setting up my new laptop, etc.

I think the blog posts are going to start to be much more regular now (that's for you, Billy! haha). So it won't be too long before my next one.