The Mockingbird has left the nest

I arrived in Los Angeles without incidence and eagerly awaited the beginning of staging.  The first person I met was my roommate for the evening, Laura.  She is from Wisconsin.  At 6:00 pm on Thursday we went down to the the Peace Corps registration area and turned in paperwork.  I found out that there are 29 of us going to Vanuatu.  Friday morning and afternoon was filled with sessions with my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV).  I was selected as 1 of 4 group leaders for the travel portion.  My responsibilities were to make sure everyone checkout out of their hotel room at noon and had their luggage stored.  When the bus arrived to pick us up to go to the airport I was responsible for making sure all the luggage was loaded on the bus and my 7 people and I got on the bus.  My seat assignment is 59J, window seat, yea!!

 I'm about to the board my 13 hour flight to Auckland, New Zealand.  We only have a hour layover in Auckland so I hope our flights on time.  The flight to Port Vila is 3 1/2 hours.   Will update whenever I get internet again!!

Old -> New

    Picture Party! If you don’t know what this trendy thing is, I’ll give you the steps. Step 1: Invite really fun friends over. Step 2: Look, decorate, or just reminisce of old times past. Fun… yes, I know. I have the best set of friends, and my picture party was a success- if I don’t say so myself. As I begin a new chapter in my life, it is refreshing to look back at memories, both flattering and non-flattering, throughout the past that have helped lead me/us to the paths that we’re at today. It’s amazing to see how pictures impact people, and the side-effects memories can have on a group of friends, especially girls.  A photo can be remembered a million different ways, depending on the person(s), while also being remarkable the same, as well. Photos are special; I don’t care that the world is going digital, I still like my hard copy, film prints.
    Okay, it's officially 4 days until I leave. Everything is packed, everything is weighed, everything is almost done. I seem to be making lists, scratching off lists, making new lists, and scratching off lists; I'm pretty sure this process is going to keep on continuing until Thursday morning. I already new that I was a perpetual list maker to begin with, but I'm starting to think this is my way of keeping myself super focused since I haven't had a 'freak out' session yet. The count down has begun...