This blog will no longer be updated. I will still be blogging when possible, but it will be on a private page. If you would like to follow me on it and keep up with my Malagasy experience, please send an e-mail to farhat.abe@gmail.com, and I will invite you to it.

Love and light,

Abe

Well, I pretty much finished my shopping for supplies last week (thank God). I really am not a big fan of driving around and shopping and worrying about prices, etc... Fortunately, a lot of the expense of my preparations has been taken care of (thanks mom!), which alleviates a lot of the would-be stress of the situation.

As the pile of things on the table grew, I apparently overestimated my eyeballing/estimating weight capabilities. I figured I still had at least 10 to 20 pounds of lee-weigh within my 80 pound baggage limit. However, today I sloppily threw all of the stuff that was on the table into my bags (one rolling duffel bag and one hiking backpack).

I weighed myself; 190 pounds... this is about as much as I have weighed in the last couple years, and I attribute that to my resumed carnivorous habits. I'm happy with that weight; I've been eating meat in an attempt to bulk up a little bit before I ship out. Next I threw on the backpack and stepped on. 225 lbs = 35 pounds of baggage... right on target. I then grabbed the duffel bag, threw it over my shoulder (noting that it was considerably heavier than the backpack), and stepped on. Moment of truth... 240 lbs. = 50 lbs of stuff = 85 total pounds = 5 pounds too much, and I hadn't even packed any clothes yet.

So, here I am, thinking I've done a good job of narrowing down the essentials and being conservative with what I think I need, and I'm well over what I was hoping for. Mom reminded me that I'll be carrying some of the books and stuff on, which helps with the weight, but I think I'm just gonna have to cut out a few more of the amenities. I figure I can just cut a few things out - maybe start a new pile - and rely on packages/deliveries from visitors to get the rest of my stuff over there if deemed necessary.

Not overly exciting, but it was something to write about, I guess. I've been thinking a lot about the quote from the welcome book (and another Madagascar blog I saw today) which recommends I try to adhere 80 pound baggage limit. She said that she found it difficult, but did it anyway. When she arrived at site, she discovered that she had 79 more pounds of stuff than her neighbors. Humility will be necessary.

Love and light.

I've finally taken the leap and begun blogging. I figured it was about time, as my other preparations are underway and moving along fine. It's been a little over a year since I officially started this journey with my online application. It seemed that I would never get out of here, but the last couple months it's been rushing up on me at an ever accelerating rate.

The pile of things I'll be taking with me is slowly growing, engulfing the dining room table - little by little. They say that you should not try to "pack for the entire two years," but that doesn't really help me much...

People always ask if I feel (insert emotion here), and I find that the answer is always a yes. Nervous? yes. Anxious? yes. Excited? yes. Scared? yes. Happy? yes. Sad? yes.... the list goes on. The best way to describe my emotional state now is "intensified."

I initially didn't start because I was worried that I'd have too much to say, but it seems I am ready to drop off for now. Just got to thinking about everything, and I'm kind of at a loss for words at the moment.

Thanks for reading. Love and light.