Packing, packing, packing

So after a month and a half of frantic planning and list-making, I'm finally down to the last ten days at home (!!!) and so the packing has begun. I'm taking advantage of the number of bags the airline will let me take, mostly because I want room to bring things home. This still feels so unreal.

For those unaware, I threw together an application for an internship with the Coady International Institute around the end of April, not really thinking about it or expecting anything. But a week later, I had an email requesting a phone interview; the interviewed happened the next day, and two days later (May 2), I got offered a position. So now I'm getting ready to go to Rwanda!

I'll be spending four weeks in Antigonish going through orientation and training at the Coady Institute with 15 other interns... and then sometime around the 20th of July, I'll be flying into Kigali. I'm working with an organisation called ARBEF, although my specific position and duties aren't altogether clear just yet. The organisation works wth reproductive health (they're a member association of International Planned Parenthood), and it appears I'll be doing reproductive health training on a project working with returnees from Tanzania. Those who know me and know my undergrad work can likely see that this position seems like it was made for me.

I can't quite express my excitement and anxiety just yet, so I'm disguising all emotions under a lot of busywork- making sure papers are in order, packing and hoping I don't run of the things everyone keeps saying I won't find there, and tying up loose ends with my research work. I've been putting off saying goodbye so far... although clearly I won't be able to keep that up much longer. There are some people I'm just not ready to say goodbye to (and probably won't ever feel ready to say goodbye to) but I've no doubts that this is the best decision I've ever made.