Snowed in...sort of

It snowed/iced/rained all day today, so as usual I sat indoors and didn't do much of anything. It may sound strange to say, but it's been rough not working these past few months. I'm an active person, and I like to feel like I have a purpose, and slowly getting my Peace Corps affairs in order and going to the gym are not enough to keep me from feeling damn, damn depressed sometimes.

It's under four weeks until my parents drive me to DC, and my emotions change daily. Some days I am so scared/nostalgic that I just want to huddle under my covers and hug my mommy and my puppy. I've realized that reading Peace Corps themed books (Living Poor, Nine Hills) is not a good idea at these times, as they are a bit terrifying, so I catch up on blogs instead, whose stories seem so much more loveable. Other days I am so ready to get out of here I feel like I'm jumping out of my skin, and four weeks seem too long.

I found out (unofficially) where I am going for training! Cayambe, a town in the mountains, specifically the highest mountain in Ecuador and the only place on the Equator where there is snow. We won't be up there, but apparently it can get down to 40 degrees and there is no heat. Nice.

I did my mock packing today, cramming the 80% of stuff I have ready to pack into my bags. First of all, thank God my brother had an old hiking backpack lying around, because the one Chuck gave me does not smell nice at all. (Sorry Chuck!) My second bag needs to be bigger, so in the end I think I'll be lugging the hiking backpack and one of my dad's Coast Guard sea bags, plus a military backpack as a carry on. Don't ask me how on earth I mean to transport all of it...I'll work on my upper body strength.

Despite my packing struggles, I still believe that I've packed less than most. I'm really paring down what to bring, so that my fully stuffed hiking bag weighs less than 30 pounds. Whew.

Time is moving oh so slowly and at the speed of light. I really feel like no one can understand what I'm going through unless they've gone through it themselves. I admire Gill so much for trekking off to France for a year when she was only fifteen. I admire those in the military who are sent overseas, for they are so much stronger than I am and what they are going into is so much scarier. But if you've never packed your little bags to move away from everything you love to a faraway country...then this feeling is just incomprehensible. I wake up every day and tell myself, "Sarah, you're moving to Ecuador." I still don't quite believe it.