2004-06-25 - 9:48 p.m.

I leave for Philadelphia tomorrow. This morning when I woke up was the first time I felt any fear. It still hasn’t really hit me what I’m about to do. On Wednesday I met another person who will be in my training class, Jennifer. She lives in Kansas City where I have been for the last week at my mom’s house. She got her masters in English at KU and will be teaching English for the next two years. She seems to be a great person and we got along quite well. I felt bad because she only got her invitation 4 weeks ago. I received mine in January and have had plenty of time to prepare. I can’t imagine having to get ready in such a short period of time. She’s doing very well in light of the situation.

I went to Fahrenheit 9/11 with my mom today. The film itself was great, but I don’t think it was the best movie to attend with my mother the day before I depart for an entirely Islamic country. One of the women in the film recounts the loss of her son during the current Iraqi war, and I know my mom was just picturing herself in the woman’s place. I myself have gotten concerned a few times, but when I read the journals of the current volunteers I realize how safe it actually is over there.

I’m really excited to meet all of the other people that will be in my training class. I have been in contact with a few people. Dara and I have been writing back and forth since February. I still have no idea what she looks like, so it will be interesting to put a name with the face. I’m really hoping to find a running buddy, at least for the training period. I’m scared that I will let the heat and sickness keep me from working out, and it would be great to have someone pushing me to stay active. I’m bringing along my climbing gear, but I’m not sure if I will be in an area with outcroppings.

Packing has been an interesting venture. I must have loaded and unloaded my bags at least 10 times. I’m trying to get the total weight under 70 pounds, the maximum for Air France flights. There is a possibility that our flight limit will be higher, but if I get it low enough I won’t have to worry about any changes. One trick that has helped is the discovery of M-bags, a US postal service. They allow you to send packages that contain only books really cheaply (i.e. 11 pounds = 16 dollars, compared to 50 dollars for any other service). Another trick I have picked up is to carry all the heavy stuff on me. The airports will weigh your bags, but they won’t weigh you. I’ll be wearing my raincoat (filled with electronics) around my waist on the flight. I’ll also be wearing pants and boots (much heavier than sandals and shorts). I figure if I get to the airport and I’m still overweight I can take items out of my bags and stuff them in my pockets.

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