Traveling by foot or by taxi...always an adventure here

Hello again loves! I hope all is going well with you in the US. Via facebook I have noticed that the presidential race is well under way; man am I cut off from politics here…I can’t really say I miss it too much (except maybe Stewart/Colbert’s version of it) Anyway I have not been doing all that much.  I work quite a bit; slowly by slowly figuring out what I can do here.  This week we started general trainings, which I came up with!  They are short and sweet little sessions to remind people of policies.  Sometimes people do things here that you would for sure get fired for in America.  For example, a sebo asked for 3 months off work.  When I inquired as to why, I was told that he is tired.  I was like that is not a real reason; in America you would get fired for asking stupid questions.  Apparently it is fairly common for the men to come to the production supervisor, Vincent and request to leave early because they are tried.  Well stop drinking all night and get enough sleep…duh.  The country is only re-affirming my belief that women are the superior gender; the women never pull shit like that.  If they are late/absent it is due to planting their farms to make extra money for their children’s school fees or something equally admirable.  There are plenty of men that just sit in large groups around town all day.  They are drunk by 9am and sit by their bodas all day harassing passer-by.  They especially like to harass mzungu and unfortunately especially mzungu women.  Some of the disgusting things I have had yelled at me: “My size” (my new response for this one is going to be “eh! But sebo you are too small for me”), “I need you” to which I responded “*sigh* ahabwenki (why?)”  and “for your figure” was the drunk response I got.  Real classy dude (do these actually work on anyone?!)  Us women often get “I love yous,”  “marry mes,” “I love your skin color”, “take me back to America,” “have my children” and many more.  It’s getting quite old actually, but can you do?  American men are disgusting too, they just have had more women yell at them about it so its toned down.  Get them drunk and they become just as lame and gross.  Not saying their aren’t good men in this country and the world at large; just that in women are obviously the better gender.   Here many of them work all day, come home to cook and clean, and take care of the children by themselves.  Many of them sit around all day (some work) and come home to sit more, waiting for their woman to serve them.  SICK.  Anyway enough of this rant…I have met some good men in this country.  All of our trainers were great and my supervisor is wonderful.  All the men I work with are super nice to me and not at all disgusting, just lazy sometimes.  They are youths though, so that could be part of it.  Most of the gross men are randos on the street (or boda drivers), who are probably drunk anyway.

This week I did my first health talk at a secondary school with Kendra and Tara.  It went pretty well; we discussed HIV mostly and then a bit of nutrition and hygiene.  It was the first thing any of us have done like this, so we kind of just set it up like a discussion with them.  We asked them what they knew and had them ask us questions as well.  That was the best part: the questions they asked.   My favorite of the day = “I heard that syphilis started when the US dropped the atomic bomb on Japan; is this true?” The three of us just looked at each other for a minute like “wtf mate?” Honestly I had no response to that; where did he even hear that? So after a minute of complete shock, I calmly stated that as far as I know syphilis is very old, dating back to like the middle ages.  The atomic bomb did cause many serious illnesses, but syphilis was not one of them.   Another good one: “Can you tell me the similarities between HIV and gonorrhea?” Again wtf? We just said they are both sexually transmitted, but they are completely different diseases.  OO children you are crazy crazy.  At least they were interested enough to ask questions right! It went pretty well overall; the headmaster was happy with it.  He gave me pen as a thank you; it is actually a pretty nice pen, which is rare in this country. 

                This talk was in Omungari, Kendra’s site, so Tara and I made our way back after and we saw some interesting things on the way.  As always public transport is a treat.  Two bodas passed us with animals on them: one with 2 goats and one with 3 sheeps.  These animals were alive mind you; just strapped on tight with a sebo on the back.  Then we were waiting for the taxi to fill in Ibanda and I started being the conductor.  We have done this before as a group and it usually cracks them up.  The driver drives around while you yell at innocent pedestrians on the street your destination.  I pointed at people screaming “Mbarara Mbarara!” and “Noza nkahi? MBARARA!”  out the window.  Ugandans find this hilarious.  Finally we filled up and we were off.  Filled up = five people and a child in the backseat (intended for 3 people), Tara and I in the passenger seat (me sitting more on the stick shift…o yes it was a manual car) and a guy sitting with the driver in his seat.  And we are off! About halfway through this trip, the driver stops and gets out.  He is talking to some sebo in runyankole so fast Tara and I can’t understand, but my leg is asleep so I get out to stretch.  At this point I walk to the back of the car trying to wake up my leg and I see the sebo walking up with like 15 chickens; alive chickens.  Oo of course that’s why we stopped to fill the trunk with chickens!  Get back in and head out again; I actually forgot about the chickens.  Until we are almost to Mbarara, then all of a sudden the chickens start getting rowdy in the trunk; idk what they are doing back there but they scared the shit out me.

                That is about it; made it to Mbarara safely if not comfortably, bought food, checked the post office (still no letters, for those of you that said you sent them), and headed back to sit.  Oo Uganda never a boring travel day here.

Ooo Uganda!

I figure it is about time for a new blog post (because I know you are all eagerly awaiting to hear about my life).  New developments:

I got robbed, which is super annoying, but for some reason not at all scary to me really.  It wasn’t a big confrontation or anything; I didn’t even know it had happened until I looked in my bag and oo shit my stuff is gone.  Oo well they are just things and that isn’t really enough to make me hate Uganda or anything.  Plus it could easily happen in the US (probably more violently) and I think most PCVs have gotten at least some things stolen from them.  More recently (a separate event) I did a TON of laundry: My own, Matt Murphy’s (I was doing Murph’s for him because we had been traveling, so he had no clean clothes and he did something to his back and could barely walk so he was staying at my house until he got cleared to go to Kampala for medical– I don’t need a smelly kid living at my house) and my bedspread.  Well lucky for me it rained shortly after I finished so these items did not dry that same day.  Not even thinking about it I left all my laundry outside overnight; hoping to soak up the most sun without having wake up early to re hang them all outside.  Usually this is not a problem; I live in a gated compound with people I work with – not too worried about them stealing my stuff.  Because of the sheer amount of laundry, I had to hang on of the sheets on a bush; this bush is the border between my compound and the outside world.  I wake up in the morning and EH! My blue sheet is gone! Everything else was there perfectly fine, but my Target bedsheet has been stolen.  Someone must have reached over the bush and grabbed it and ran off.  They better not let me see it; I will know it is mine. There are no Targets here, so one quick look at the tag and I will steal it back.  Also most Ugandan sheets have some kind of floral design on them – idk what it is but the sheets are flowered and many of the blankets look straight out of the 70s with the big flowers and terrible brown color.  Awesome. A plain blue sheet will stick out

Around this same time I also got pretty severely sunburnt.  We went to a pool for a bit (yes there are pools here…no water slides though) and I forgot my sunscreen.  Does this mean that I was extra cautious and stayed in the shade?  Nope.  Perhaps I borrowed some from the people I went with? Nope I am just not that logical I guess (Uganda rubbing off on me…) I just hang out all day under the equatorial sun letting my skin fry.  The result = probably the worst sunburn I have ever had (yes Nickie even worse than that time we were up north together and I was taking Accutane)…also did I mention my malaria meds make me more susceptible to sunburn?  All in all not the most genius thing I have done in my life.  No big deal; go home put on some aloe vera and call it a day.  Not a chance – I didn’t bring any with me (packing last minute strikes again!), PC Medical doesn’t provide it (Should they? Well as Andrew says “put a bunch of pale people on the equator and see what happens”), and since most Ugandans don’t know what sunburn is really they don’t sell it anywhere.  I spent that night rubbing cold water bottles over my body while we were out and trying to balance beer drinking with water drinking to prevent dehydration but still get drunk enough to not feel the pain of sunburn.  Actually though it was a good night.  Bone shaking to my heart’s content followed by 3am chili and caramel = always awesome.  That Monday I get back to site and all the Ugandans are like “Ah! Brittan! Your skin has changed color!”  Lucky for me this was the week the amazing nutritionist from Kenya came to visit.  She has her own company that uses natural products to make a variety of things, including skin care products.  She gave me some sweet oil to run on my sunburn and it helped quite a bit.  Although I did peel (which has never happened to me before) all over, the most painful being when the skin between my boobs peeled to a raw tender level that I complained about for days.  Ask anyone I talked to at All-vol; they probably heard about it.  Anyway lesson learned sunscreen may not be super necessary in Wisconsin (although should probably still put a base coat on during the summer), but at the equator I should probably throw some on before laying around in the sun all day.  

The Kenyan nutritionist was great! She was really outgoing and funny; I learned quite a bit.  Not always stuff I didn’t know, but often put into a context that is unfamiliar to me.  One of the things I was struggling with is how to transfer my nutrition knowledge from America to here.  Food, culture, and really everything is extremely different here.  You have the older generations trying to hold onto their foods and the younger generations adapting Western foods (but only the ones that are super terrible for you and typically they are not as good of quality).  These are two separate issues to be dealt with.  She also helped put into context how to apply nutrition to helping Numa succeed as a company—value adding to products and talking to people about nutrition under the title of Numa’s nutritionist.  This way I am getting the message out there and promoting Numa.  The last two nights she was here (right before All-Vol) we had dinner together.  First night was at my supervisors’ house.  They made us Ugandan food, but it was much better than the Ugandan food you will get in a restaurant.  My supervisor, who is always saying I don’t eat enough, got to see me eat seconds for once.  Those of you that know me back home will no doubt be shocked to hear I am not eating much --- well I tend to only eat a ton of food that actually tastes good.  You try matooke/posho and let me know how much of it you want to eat.  The next day they all came to my house and I made spaghetti with eggplant and peppers and other veggies.  My supervisor also thinks I don’t like meat.  Another shock to those of you back home? Well meat here is different.  It may be raised better than in America, but the way it is most often prepared makes it extremely chewy.  I don’t know what it is, some have said simply how the meat is raised is the difference.  That’s not true because I have had good meat in this country.  Maybe how they just chop it up arbitrarily rather than by parts of the animal (no different cuts of steak here folks!) is the problem.  I think it is probably just the way most of them cook it – many are still using charcoal/wood burning stoves with little to no control over the heat levels.  Plus most are scared that if they don’t cook stuff well enough they will kill the Muzungu (me), so it is often overcooked.  I’d rather get food poisoning that eat a well done steak any day (to calm my mother I am just not eating steak in this country instead of risking food poisoning) Anyway, surprisingly they all seemed to enjoy it! Not only did they say they liked it -- they ate it all.  Apparently my house is entertaining to them: one I have pictures of back home all over the wall, two I have certain things that Ugandans don’t know/think of around, three it’s just interesting to see how other cultures live. I probably would be more interested in Ugandan houses had I not lived in one for a month and explored many others during that time.   We had a great conversation about yoga stemming from my yoga mat being out that led to a suggestion of Numa-wide yoga sessions and ended with the Kenyan professor in her white pant suit doing sit ups on my floor.  They were also pretty impressed with my chalkboard I painted on the wall and my use of a conga (usually a wrap for after showering) for decoration.  Schools here just use chalkboard paint to make boards in their classrooms so you can buy the paint anywhere.  They thought I was very creative (when in fact I stole that idea from Tara).

Other than that not too much new has been happening.  Just working during the week – trying to establish what exactly I am supposed to be doing.  Wandering around town after work to make myself known – although the guys near my house have started calling me Celine Dion; maybe I should just tell them my real name.  Everyone else still calls me Muzungu – I’m too lazy to correct them and it really doesn’t bother me that much.  My supervisor is extremely nice --- although sometimes a little too eager and expects a little too much from me.  Contrary to popular belief, I’m trying to get the idea across that Americans do not know everything and everything white people do is not necessarily correct/good.  Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but sometimes I think technology here isn’t always a good thing.  They seem to adopt American ways/technology readily without understanding how/why they are doing it.  Sometimes this is fine and works out well, but other times it is an expensive waste of time.  Some American ways of doing things simply do not work in Africa.  Also I am getting a kitten soon –name ideas? With love, from Africa -- Brittan

So I went walking through Kabwohe...

So today I went for a walk through Kabwohe after work.  I didn't want to go into town town because I didn't need anything and when you walk through town here you have to interact with sooo many people.  It's like a daily one person parade and you are it.  Every child knows I'm coming long before I get there (I don't know if they have a signal or something) and everyone stares.  I find this kind of akward so I make it a point to greet most people.  So I just walk down the street looking goofy and saying "Agandi" and "Musibre Muta" to every group of people I pass.  The children chant my name as I pass, which by that I mean "Muzungu"  and now they are more used to me.  This means some of them will run up to me and wrap themselves around my legs and repeatedly ask "How are you? How are you?"  I answer maybe once or twice and then keep on keeping on.  All this just to get some food for dinner geesh.  Anyway like I said I didn't have to go into town today for anything, so I decided to go up into the hills where there are less people.  Plus I don't go up there so often, but I want to know the whole area and it seems like people with less money live up there; people that I hopefully can help more.  Some points of interest on the walk: First I went up this hill I have been wondering about for some time.  Well that didn't lead anywhere.  I got up it and there was a house with a lady doing housework.  Then it sloped back down to like 6 feet from the orginal path.  OO well...so I found another path, where I come upon a man and two boys (presumably his sons/nephews).  I am stared at a usual; no big deal.  Continuing my journey I come across a group of men drinking and I think playing cards.  I wasn't planning on greeting this particular group but I kind of stand out so they greeted me first in English and I respond in Runyankore.  Then they are pointing at their beers and yelling "IJA" (you come).  Well I'm not a fool, that seems like a bad situation.  So I say no I am going for a walk and continue on my way.  Then I come to a large hole in the ground that someone has kindly laid some pieces of wood across as a bridge.  Good I don't need to be falling in any holes (actually one of my biggest fears in country; holes are everywhere and I am clumsy).  So finally I get to a more built up dirt road; one where cars and bodas go.  But I don't want to turn back yet, so I head up it facing traffic.  Yes facing traffic, I need to see these maniacs in order to avoid them.  Bodas of course could swerve anywhere on the road, but they zoom past like 6 inches from where you are walking.  There are a few people I greet on my way up, but I walk much faster than Ugandans.  This may be surprising to some of my super fast walking friends (*cough* Erik and Fen) But I'm not saying that I speed walk by any means, but everyone here moves more at a meander or a leisurely stroll.   Then I see this awesome Nyabo (woman) trucking up this hill.  She has a jerry can of water in each hand and is balancing her groceries on her head.  And she looks like it doesn't take much effort or concentration at all.  I suppose when you do it your whole life it must just get easy.  She must have pretty great posture though.  Maybe I will make my kids carry stuff on their heads.  I get back off the main road into the plaintain farms.  At this point I'm fairly sure I have looped back around towards home, but its all plaintain trees so I cannot be sure.  I keep going onward.  Nothing to exciting happens.   Just greeting the couple people I meet and singing to myself.  Then more children spot me.  One kid follows me whistling for a bit (signaling other of my approach?).   I keep going a ways and there is a whole group of them.  These children aren't as used to me as the ones on the way to the market, so they are shy.  I greet them first and then they get all excited.  I walk down the hill and I faintly hear "Muzungu!" for about 10 minutes after that.  They follow me for a bit, although a a great distance behind me.   Then I get to like the main main road and realize it is time to turn back.  This is the Mbarara road that is paved and people aren't good drivers here.  So I turn back and right before I turn to get to my road, I am spotted again.  Same group of kids.  They follow me for a bit yelling Muzungu some more.  No biggie. So far I find this fancination amusing more than anything, but talk to me in a year or so I suppose.  

I also went to Kabale this weekend, way down south by the Rwandan border.  We were there for Youth Day Celebration.  We were supposed to be meeting Museveni again, but he couldn't come so the VP was there instead.  I do not remember his name.  We got there saturday night.  We went via Matatu, which as always is a treat.  We get in one that's like a station wagon type deal.  Tara, Claire, and I are all squished in the back, no big deal.  There is a crying baby who seemed sick if you ask me in front of us, okay annoying put in the headphones.  And there are no windows in the back seat.  Which means that all the windows are in the hands of Ugandans, which means they stay closed through most of the trip.  Okay I can deal.  About an hour and a half in the guy stops and people start getting out.  We don't know what's going on, we just know we aren't in Kabale yet.  So we stay put along with a woman who is feeding her child.  The taxi guy comes up to us and tells us we have to get out and we say okay, but the seat needs to be put up for us to get out.  So instead of asking the lady to move, he just yanks the seat up and smacks her and her child right out of the way.  Very nice; Tara yelled at him.  Then we get shoved in with 22 others in a van built for 14.  The conductor is basically sitting on my lap.  Pleasant, how long left of our trip?  Oo about 2 hours.  Except that the roads were the worst (they are all dirt roads under construction) and taxis stop every 10 minutes or so to load and unload people.  So we got to Kabale by 5; we left at 1.  It was worth it.  It was a very fun weekend.  We stayed at a hostel.  The first night we just kinda hung out and had some drinks at dinner. We got to see Angela and Fred which was great! The next day was youth day, which was long and had a lot of speeches.  But I had a good breakfast and had brought a book with me.  That night we hung out and drank and watched the closing ceremonies to the olympics.  We met a super cool med student from the UK.  OO Candy and Tara convinced the kitchen to let us cook for ourselves and they made mac n' cheese for us.  It was glorious.  Although that hostel had some quality American food.  Great cheeseburgers and quesadillas.  Bacon wasn't bad either. All in all it was a chill, but super fun trip.  Monday we hung out for a bit in the morning and had breakfast.  Then it was time go.  The taxi back was faster, but just as cramped.  This time I got to sit up front (in the driver's seat with the driver), which is great because then I can see my death by head on collision coming.  Traveling in this country makes me appreciate getting to my destination.

Alright I'm hungry so I'm out for now.  Hope you enjoy my ramblings.

Starting my real life here...maybe?

One foot in each: Good bye northern hemisphere!

Yea its green pretty much everywhere in the SW

 Hello again my loves! A lot has happened since I last posted, but I don't know how much time I have left (uploading pics takes FOR-EV-ER).  Still adjusting to Ugandan life:  cramming 10+ people into a Toyota Corolla sized car, eating 3 starches per meal, everyone stares and yells "Muzungu!" as I walk down the street; you know the usual! Let's see where do I begin...well training is officially over.  I am a volunteer now.  

Even Ugandan children rock the Argyle! Awesome

I have been placed at Numa Feeds in Kabwohe.  It's a pretty good location and my house is pretty nice.  I'll post some pictures when I figure out how to work facebook here and when I get all my furniture from the carpenter.  That's right I used a carpenter to get my furniture.  Anyway...I will be a nutritionist doing fortification work and product improvement.  At least that is what I am told.  They also have a corporate responsibility program so I can get some public health work in there as well.  So far I have not been doing too much, just research of my choosing and meeting people. 

We found pizza and a trampoline...awesome combo!

The first three months of site should be just getting to know everything, so that's what I'm trying to do; although my supervisor is very eager to get started now.  Everyone is still really nice, although sometimes too nice.  They don't want me doing much on my own, but I'm getting them used to the idea that I can do stuff.  I need to learn this anyway you know.  I'm doing really well.  Learning slowly slowly (mpora mpora) how to do things and where to go to get good food and certain things to keep my sanity in tact. Mbarara has a lot  and it's only like 20 mins from me. Also other volunteers are only like 20 mins too!


There is a awesome Indian place there and we found a pizza place pretty close as well.  There are also some good pork joints around, which is great because no way am I going to a butcher to get my meat.  It just hangs there until someone wants to buy some and then they just cut a chunk of that bad boy off.  Every day is getting used to the surprises.  The other day we were in a taxi just heading to eat and we heard this terrible sound coming from the back seat only to realize that a goat was shoved up under the back seat! I'll give it the Ugandans they do know how to pack stuff into a car/taxi. 


I have indeed gotten sick a couple times, though not nearly as bad as some people.  (one of us may have ebola...) The worst was after future site visit.  We were on a bus to get back to the Kampala area, which is like a 5 to 6 hour journey. (Could be waaay less, but the roads here are the worst) I seriously felt like I was going to either vomit or shit my pants at any moment.  And the bus just keeps stopping for no reason at all, even though the conductor said when we got on "Kampala nonstop"  I don't think they understand that concept too well.  Another thing about the public transport: always get a window seat.  Otherwise Ugandans will keep it closed for the ENTIRE ride; even when the sun is beating down on you and you feel like you might suffocate, they look comfortable as ever just relaxing!  But beware: open windows invite random street people to try to shove stuff they are selling at you through the window or simply just poke you in the face (as my friend Robyn found out one day).  


Okay I'm out for now!! Hope to be able to post soon my dears.  Enjoy that heat back in the states I wear yoga pants and flannel here, except in the afternoon when the sun is real hot. Yea that's right I can wear yoga pants to work again! I'm destined to wear yoga pants for life. Its usually 70s or maybe 80s mid day.  It is supposed to be the dry season, but so far its still been raining quite a bit. 
Love you all tons!

Heading down Southwest way

Hello my loves! So as many of you may know I have arrived safe and sound in Uganda.  We are staying at an organic farm, kind of not near anything.  It is a nice bonding time because we don't have anything to do but hang out with one another.  Thursday I move to my homestay for 4 weeks. Homestay is where I stay with a local family to be more immersed in the culture and language.  At that time I also have "satellite training" with other people in my region.  That means we go to a common spot each day to formally learn the language.  Mine is Runyakore...(I think that is spelled right).  I have heard it is one of the easier ones, so I think if I study and commit I will be fine.   I have gotten placed in the southwest, which seems to be a pretty good spot.  70s all the time, by the mountains and zebras, lions, and gorillas seem to be in abundance over there!  It seems to be the general conclusion that training is the hardest part.  We get sworn in on July 27th and then we are actually volunteers!!  Barring me falling down and breaking something I suppose...yes I have already fallen down at least 5 times.  We have mostly just been doing lessons and hanging out with each other.  We learned some organic gardening techniques which was really cool. Other than that we mostly have learned practical, culture, and a little bit of our different areas of expertise.  I've tried bucket bathing a couple times, but my hands aren't big enough to rinse out my hair so I've got to buy a cup! Also handwashing clothes has occurred, but most of the Ugandans say we aren't that good at it yet.  

Kampala is the capital city (where I am at the moment).  It's very cool, but the taxi (matatu) parks can be a little terrifying.  Traffic in general here is kind of scary.  Like anything else it just takes some getting used to.  I will be moving away from Kampala and in my area there is  Post bus, which means that I won't have to deal with the taxis as much as everyone else might.  Taxis here don't go when you get there; they go when they are full.  Which means that at least 11 people need to be in the taxi before you.  Pictures probably won't happen for me until I get to my site and set up my own internet connection, but don't worry I am taking plenty.  We are going to go get some American food because we miss it so much.  The food here really isn't very good. Very bland and soooo many carbs! I think I'm losing weight simply because I don't want to eat as much.  Again it will be better once I can move in on my own.  I'm super excited to paint and decorate my own place.  Have my own little space where I can keep my sanity in those times where I may just lose it.  No stomach problems yet...but I hear it's inevitable.  

Well I only have 4 minutes left, so I'm going to wrap this up!  I love you all much (I think...I don't know who is all reading this)  And I will update as much as possible, but that may not be until I get to my own site and set up my own internet!! 
 

See all the boxes!

 So I decided to post about where I'm living now, because I find it kind of funny (oh and I'm bored; my parents go to bed kinda early).  So to save some money I decided to move home with my parents just for May (which I will be gone for a good portion of; in Madison, crashing at friend's houses, you know). So my dad redid the attic for my room, which was nice because it was like my own little space and I am short anyway.  However, once I left it was turned into a storage space (which includes much of my storage) because they needed it and I'm not planning on living here again really.  So totally reasonable on their part.

Nest for one; but it so much more fun to nest with others

 So I also decided not to bring any of my furniture because when I get back I plan to go to grad school somewhere that isn't close enough for me to want to take more than a car.  So I gave Jenna my bed. (and Bobby Beatz all my other furniture) Also like I said, I don't plan on being here that much, so why go through all the hassle!  However, if I sleep on the couch my parents wake up earlier than I care too (esp now that I have quit my two jobs) and my dog will stare at me in the middle of the night like a creep.  I wake up and my dogs face is like right in front of mine.  Not even like she's cuddling with me, she is standing there staring at me.  I love her, but what a creep.  So I am sleeping in my old room, on a pile of blankets with an area that would be nightstand but really is just the floor next to my blanket pile (my own little nest I suppose). 


So that is my life for the moment.  Not terrible: there is good munch and a furry dog to spoon.  Also good to see my parents a bit before I go.  Cannot wait to go to Madison for a week though! and see some people I haven't seen in awhile and who I may not see for a long time.  It'll be glorious nesting with you instead of alone!  This may turn out to be my favorite month thus far...

Hello All! I thought I would get this started off today as I quit both of my jobs and have moved in with my parents for the month of May.  So stuff is really changing for me.  I'm super excited loves, but also very very nervous.  At this point I'm just excited to celebrate and see all of you before I head out on the biggest adventure of my life thus far.  It will definitely be an experience, but I'm trying not to get too many expectations in my mind about what it could be like.  Everyone who has done it before me has said to try to expect nothing (that way I won't be surprised right?)  I thought it would be fitting to kick off this celebration month with a trip to my favorite city, Madison (hence the picture).  Mifflin, my favorite people in the world, my favorite restaurants in the world; what could be better?! Soo if you have any advice, encouraging words, or anything that may be helpful don't hesitate to throw it out there for me.  At the very least help my anxious waiting period to go faster by taking my mind off the nervousness...(or do I want it to go slower so I'm with the people I love more...)