A North Carolina Recap: On the flight from Denver, Warren and Chris "classed it up" by hooking me up with First Class seating. I felt "G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S" (minus the champagne, which came later). The Wake Forest game was the ultimate football experience. It was at night, it was cold and there was a trashy fight in the stands (wtb, baby, wtb). Chapel Hill is a beautiful town despite the fact that most people look as if they just stepped out of an advertisement for Ralph Lauren. Della is officially the cutest Carolina fan of all time. Too bad her first game was not the Gamecocks finest football hour as we barely squeaked out a win over the Tarheels. Welcome to Gamecock Football, you never know what you are gonna get. I just hope she missed the Vandy game. Anyway, I also spent some time with Dawn and Mandy, who are long lost favorite cousins of mine. I loved getting to know Dawn and Jon's little ones Lucy and Harris, and I am certain Ford will fit right in with this new batch of Greene young ones. I hope the three of them can have as many fond memories as I have of my time with Dawn and Mandy. Can you recall the lip-sync contests, the easy bake oven, or fighting over who got to comb Mandy’s amazing locks of blonde hair.
Since my return from the Dirrty South, I have been negotiating many firsts and lasts. Today was likely my final sub job at Casey Middle School, which is my favorite place in Boulder (and where I taught). I did not have the chance to say goodbe to everyone I wanted to, but I managed to get some of my students from last year to record video clips to show to my future students in Africa. Of course, this assumes I have the capability to show the clips to them. In addition, I am thrilled that my favorite teacher (the 8th grade LA teacher at Casey) agreed to correspond with me through a program the Peace Corps offers called the Correspondence Match Program. It will be a nice lifeline to a place that is incredibly special to me, and I will miss terribly.
In other news, the reality of what is happening in a few short days is rapidly setting in, and I find that my life is already far removed from the status quo that defined life pre-Peace Corps. As the snow begins to collect in the mountains, my focus would normally shift from mountain biking to shredding some powder on my snowboard. However, this year I sold both of my bikes and packed away the snowboard gear. Hibernation for my winter outdoor goodies is one of the only things that is certain as I prepare for the uncertainties that await. Instead of a season pass, I made some high quantity toiletry purchases at Target that seem odd when taken out of context. Who else can say they bought six boxes of tampons and a mess of razor blades? I am curious what MacGyver might craft from those two purchases. Any thoughts?
Anyway, the tricky part is trying to crack the how-to-pack-for-two-years code. My first round of packing was an exercise in futility. It is fortunate I have wasted many hours mastering Tetris, because it will take some advanced skill to make it all fit by Sunday. Kidding aside, packing has forced me to consider how much I really need in life. There is something liberating about making the decision to let go. I appreciate the challenge of shedding material possessions and replacing it with a more simplistic vision of life. Perhaps it is one of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps.
2 comments:
"It is fortunate I have wasted many hours mastering Tetris, because it will take some advanced skill to make it all fit by Sunday."
This is quite possibly the funniest (and most true) this I've read.
At least we're all facing similar challenges as we prepare to depart. As for shedding material possessions in favor of two-years worth of tampons--well--it's a good thing, because as it turns out, they take up more room than I thought :)
WOW Tina! So great to read all of what you have to say. Keep it coming. Good luck...and enjoy being alive...
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