I hear in my mind all of this music

Sitting here in the conference room on a Tuesday afternoon, jamming out to Regina Spektor. She reminds me of the late spring of 2009, shopping at the farmer's market with Camille, singing aloud, and dancing in my kitchen while I used fun ingredients like sprouts and avocados and jalapeno peppers and made delicious guacamole. We finished the nutrition and dental session earlier than was scheduled, so there is an hour to fill before lunch. This is incredibly typical of Uganda, and probably PC in general, so I'm just going to roll with it and appreciate the time I have to update (even though there's not really anything to update on) and listen to new music I acquired from another trainee yesterday. It's the rainy season, but it mostly just rains at night and early in the morning, so it's still gorgeous and sunny during the day. My hair is starting to lighten up, I may be blond again somewhat soonish.

We have 4 weeks of training left, including this one. This week we're just at the training center, getting prepared for our mock language proficiency interview (LPI) and a presentation on Thursday. Next Monday we find out our permanent sites, and get to visit them Wednesday through Saturday. The following week is paperwork and getting everything wrapped up, and then the week after that we're leaving Lweza for Kampala to tour the embassy, shop for things we'll need at our homes, and swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers. It will be pretty bad ass. We kind of all agreed yesterday that it feels like the end of the school year and we're all ready to graduate.

It is insane how fast this is all going, but at the same time how I can barely remember not knowing these people. Before PC feels like a different life. We arrived on a Friday night, and on Sunday afternoon we couldn't believe that we'd only been here for two days - it felt like this was just life and I'd always been here doing PST. I remember on the plane to Philadelphia after I left Gainesville, I was reading the handout "A Few Minor Adjustments" and it was saying how readjusting to American culture can be more difficult since you assume that "going home" will feel natural and safe, but things change and we change over here, and it's not always simple. I started crying on the plane when I read that who I was at home didn't exist anymore, not once I took the step to do this. But at the same time, the person who I'll be after Peace Corps wasn't fully formed either. I was in between identities and I felt this overwhelming temporariness, like I didn't fit in anywhere at that time. Thank God it only lasted the flight. It's so strange to be able to pinpoint specific experiences in life as you're going through them and know that it will be a seminal experience, rather than looking back later and being like "oh wow, that made all the difference." Maybe that's what makes this so amazing/terrifying.

I miss & love you all!!!!

L