Four Weeks and Counting...

I've officially hit the one month mark! I got my staging package about a week ago and finally had the chance to look at it the other day. In less than four weeks, I'll be flying down to Atlanta to meet up with my fellow RIM (Republique Islamique de Mauritanie) volunteers for two days before leaving for Mauritania. I'm starting to feel genuinely excited, despite my anxieties.

On a different note, this past weekend was quite eventful. My brother had Prom Friday night, so I went with my parents to see him and his girlfriend off for pictures and such. Being in that environment again was a little surreal. It's hard to believe that my own Prom was five years ago! Everyone looked beautiful, of course. (I helped pick out the tux!)

I spent the rest of the weekend with Andrew and his family, who flew in from Seattle for his law school graduation. He had a barbeque at his place Saturday afternoon, which gave our parents a chance to meet and hang out for a little bit, which was pretty cool. There was a graduation gala at the National Building Museum Saturday night. The place was stunning. Tables were laid out in the main atrium (which is huge), along with buffet tables for food, multiple open bars, and live music. Needless to say, it was a good night (complete with dancing!), up until the part where Andrew, his sister and I left to go to the bar and I realized I had left my ID at home. Whoops.

Graduation was Sunday down on Georgetown's main campus. Very nice and actually pretty short, since they split the class up into their first year sections. One guy took his little baby up with him to receive his diploma. Adorable!

All in all, it was a pretty busy weekend. Slightly hectic at times, but I'm really glad I got the chance to meet Andrew's family (and friend) before I leave.

Things are actually going to be hectic from now on, as far as I can tell. I'm heading up to New York this weekend to say good-bye to some friends. My schedule for the next few weeks (basically up until I leave) is a little overwhelming, but at least it's all good stuff. I'm just trying to see as many of the people I care about as possible, trying to soak up every last bit of the familiar and the comfortable before I get thrown into the unknown. It's so tempting to get a little mushy here, but I'll resist. Suffice it to say that I will miss everyone here very much, and while I may not have the chance to see every last one of you before I leave (or spend as much time with you as I would like), I'm thinking about everyone and I will miss you all very much!