Going home...

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for your prayers and support of Jessica and I and all that we have done here. This trip would not have been possible without all the efforts of everyone involved. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have had this experience. It wasn't entirely what I expected, but some how it all worked out. I have learned a lot about myself and about other people from this trip.

Going home is going to be a good thing. I get to see my family for one--something I've wanted since Spring Break. I get to travel to Michigan with them and see all of my family up there--something I have not done in years. After that, I will be traveling to Tennessee to stay with my grandparents there, which is pretty exciting. And then, I will be back in time for RA training at school. One of the things that I had been worried about is that I would only have three days before classes start to get my hall decorated, things moved into my room, and to prepare myself mentally, emotionally and physically for the school year and to being an RA. This is my last semester of college, and I really don't want to start it off on a bad foot/really stressed out. I'll have time to relax before the school year starts. And, I will also be there for the training with my fellow RAs, which is good because I remember how much I bonded with my old staff last year. It was helpful because I knew what the others were capable of and how they could help me. I knew I could count on them.

The decision to leave was a difficult one, but now that it is made, I feel satisfied and content with the decision.

My flight leaves out on Tuesday, July 14th at 7:10 am. I fly from Managua to Miami to Dallas and then to Alexandria, LA. I should be getting in around 9 pm.

We will be traveling down to Managua on Monday and picking up Tara at the airport and then (hopefully!) will be staying with Rodney down there. I am disappointed that I will be missing time with Tara, but I (selfishly) need to do what's best for me in this situation.

These next few days will be filled with packing and trying to find gifts for everyone around here. Today we will be going to a friend's house who makes flags. I also try to get a flag from every country that I've been too, and hopefully Nicaragua won't be the exception. I hope this finds you all well. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment on this blog.

~paz