EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THE MOVIE HOTEL RWANDA..... It's one of the best movies I have ever seen and I have never been so moved by any movie EVER. My going away party this past weekend was great and I am so glad I got to see everyone who was there. It occurred to me during the party when I looked around that I actually knew EVERYONE there and they were all there to see me which was so nice. I

It can take up to a month to receive mail/ packages from what I have been told. I would very much appreciate the occasional letter from all of you at home and keep your eyes peeled for stuff from me! This will be my address just during my training for the first 3 months (until April) and then I will get a new one once I am assigned to the village I will be living in for the rest of my time there.

T MINUS TWENTY.... I depart in exactly 20 days and I am starting to get very excited/ nervous. My job at the library could not be any more boring and it seems as if time is dragging on. I need to practice packing a few times and walk down my block and see how it feels :) I wanted to remind everyone that my going away party is on Saturday Jan. 15th and I want to make sure I get to see

My luggage cannot exceed 80 pounds... that's approx. 2 bags (and I will be there over 2 years!) I must admit that my first thought regarding that 80 pound limit was " how can I take my music with me?" I have been able to remedy that problem by getting an iPod. Yes that's right...the girl who refuses to get a cell phone owns the ultra trendy iPod. It is so small and able to hold 5,000 songs. I

As I sit here watching Survivor:Vanuatu, I am realizing how long 2 years sounds as opposed to the 40 days that these crazy folks seem to be agonizing over. What the heck am I getting into here??! Ahh!! My dad just told me that he purchased a short wave radio and a headlamp for me. Both are things I never thought I would be asking for and definitely didn't think I would be excited to receive. A