Last Post From Home....

To my family and friends;

                Thank you to everyone who has been supportive of me during this long process and especially during these last few weeks as the reality of leaving you all behind has started to sink in.  Many people have said “don’t go” to me during that time and I know that deep down what they’re really trying to say is “I’ll miss you”.  I know; I’ll miss you just as much and probably more. I also know that two years and ten weeks will fly by faster than any of us can imagine. August 2013 I’ll be typing in this blog that I can’t believe how fast it all went by.

                The nerves have definitely been with me as I’ve said goodbye to people I’ve known forever and those I’ve only recently gotten to know and grown to love.  Each and every one of you has a place in my heart and so even though I’ll be physically leaving you, I’ll still carry a part of you with me.  I have a photo album filled with pictures of my favorite people, places and things, a photo album over which I’m sure many tears will be cried as I miss you all. I wish I could hear your laughter and laugh too at the silly mannerisms you have that make you, you. I wish there were a way to capture the smells of home, work, cologne, shampoo, to bottle them up and reunite with them when I’m so home sick I want to quit.

                I won’t quit though, I’m too stubborn and too committed to the idea. After years of wondering what I’m going to do with myself, my education, my career, I finally have a plan and that is a wonderful feeling. At this major juncture in my life, I look back at all the people and decisions that have gotten me here. It hasn’t always been easy and to those that know the moments to which I’m referring and were there to get me through them, thank you. Thank you a thousand times over. I would never want to struggle through those times again, however, I also know that they have made me the person I am today and for that I don’t regret a single thing. I find myself 24 years old, feeling happy, loved, respected and purposeful. I will step on that plane to Africa excited for a new experience and knowing that I leave behind, at least for now, some of the best friends and the greatest family anyone could ever ask for.

                Many of you have expressed your concerns about my safety and I want you all to know three things. One, I am not naïve to the dangers of travelling as a young woman in a foreign and, in this case, third world country. I will do everything in my power to ensure my safety while I am in Kenya, of that I can promise you. Two, I truly believe that anything worth doing carries some amount of risk and this is no different. Having a baby can kill you, so can crossing the street or driving to work but we don’t let the risks of those things stop us from doing them. Finally, know that if something should happen to me I went into this with eyes wide open and I am exactly where I want to be doing exactly what I want to be doing. I am living my life to its absolute fullest and with no regrets.

                I have cried so many tears in the weeks leading up to my departure and I’m sure there will be more to follow. Thank you to everyone who has been there to wipe my tears, rub my back and tell me everything is going to be okay. Leaving everyone behind has proved to be one of the hardest things I’ve yet to do in my life. That said, this is not goodbye, its only see you later and I will. I look forward to your letters and cannot wait to see you again.

                     Love always, 

                             Lindsay