Sleepless in...Baton Rouge?

11 days. So much to do, so little time. I have successfully kept myself wide awake most nights for the past week. Last night was by far the worst. I kept thinking about moving away from my family and friends, the lack of Romanian I have acquired, living with a family that I will barely be able to communicate with, etc. People ask, quite often, if I'm scared, and with it comes the honest response "Hell yes I am!". But I think that is what is making it all the more exciting. I won't bore anyone with my "To Do" list before I leave, but trust me, it's long. Now if I could only somehow have a goodnights sleep. My thoughts have been keeping me up way too late at night, and are causing me to wake up entirely too early in the morning.

Counting down

The time has come to say goodbye to my college years. Everyone says that college is the best time of their lives, and yes it certainly has been. However, that isn't going to deter myself from trying to change that. In exactly thirteen days I'll be boarding a plane to take me on the greatest journey of my life. Someplace warm. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talking about a little place called Moldova. No, not Moldovia, Moldavia (well at least not anymore), Molvida, or any other fictitious names that people have used in conversation with me. It is a small, agrarian country sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. Formerly a part of the USSR, it has become its own Republic and is the poorest country in Europe.

When I first became interested in applying to the Peace Corps I spent a lot of time reading other volunteers' blogs from across the globe. The stories captivated me like a good novel. I read about fish farmers in Asia to English teachers in Ecuador. Their blogs are full of adventure, excitement, boredom, frustrations, and accomplishments. I hope that my blog provides as much entertainment and intrigue as the ones I've come across. Please feel free to comment on my posts, or if you would like to drop a line or two in an email it would be much appreciated!