And the adventure begins...

Sunday, the day before my flight to Philly for a 2 day staging to meet my fellow Peace Corps volunteers, was comforting. I had an amazing night out on Saturday with my closest home friends. It was both comforting and difficult to leave them behind. Sunday was filled with saying my goodbyes to some close cousins, aunts, uncles, stepsister, brother, stepmother, and father. I ended the night with hanging out with my mother and spending some quality mother/daughter time with her. After my emotional send off at the airport, grasped with hugs and tearful goodbyes from my parents, I felt an overwhelming sense of support. I am more than lucky to have a big family who cares about me and loves me. I feel as though this is what I am supposed to do, and I will constantly be thinking about my support system back in America. I vow to do my best to represent those who love and support me in a positive manner while I spend the next 27 months in Zambia. I thank all of those who are thinking about me and know that I will be doing the same for them. I can't express enough how lucky I truly feel I am. I have been greeted by a friendly group of 52 Peace Corps Trainees here in Philadelphia, just like myself, and an excellent, small Peace Corps staff. I hope to pass on my excitement and positivity to those around me knowing that I am confident in my decision to take on this adventure with full force and energy.