2004-05-18 - 10:43 a.m.

So I graduated on Saturday. It was a lot more fun than I had expected. I got to sit in the center isle where everyone walks by after shaking hands with the dean so I was able to say hi to all the people I knew, which was a surprisingly large number. My Cousin James, who I have always been very close with, came all the way from Omaha to see me. We drove back to Burlington directly after the ceremony and I got to see my 10 yr old cousin Jacob play baseball. That night all my family met at a restaurant in downtown Burlington along the Mississippi to eat. My two honors projects did get completed much to my own disbelief. Steve and I are going to try to get them published so there is still work to be done. I think there is a high likelihood of publication happening if we both keep busy.

I’ve started a trial run on bag packing for Mauritania. Things are looking okay so far, no big sacrifices on things to leave behind. All of the current and former volunteers said not to pack too many clothes because they can be made cheaply over there. I took the advice and only half of one suitcase contains clothes. The hardest part for me is the books. I wasn’t aware, but in my mind I had acquired a list of some 20+ books I wanted to take with me. I’ve currently cut it down to 8, and we’ll see if I can spare one or two more before departure.

As for nervousness, the fact that I’m leaving still hasn’t set in. As I write this e-mail I sit in my research lab where I have sat nearly everyday for the past 3 years. Maybe when I leave town I will be jarred enough to allow it to sink in. I was watching an African film the other day, set in Mali. Always before when I had seen films of the same genre I had thought to myself, “Cool, I’m going to be living in a mud hut.” Well, this last time it was more like “holy crap, I’m going to be living in a mud hut.” For the most part I’m just excited right now. I think the romantic African adventure idea in my head will probably last for some time still.

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