* not with ink

It is raining this morning as I wait in the hotel lobby for our class' stragglers. I hear Swahili all around me. Smooth flying this far, and we are headed back to the airport for flight #3. Then a three hour drive, then we are HOME. 

Today's to-do list: - take my anti-malarial pill (with a hearty breakfast) - fold & put away laundry (done) - pay credit card bill - pay phone bill - set up email auto-responder - put packing pile into hiking backpack & carry ons (aka PACK.) - write a goodbye (for now) note - shower - drink a beer on the deck (weather permitting) - go to the airport - get on a plane to Tanzania, via Amsterdam. No big deal, right? I won't have internet while I'm away, so this little space will be silent for a month (big surprise, after a nearly-silent spring). This has been a very full season for me. A good one, with lots going on internally & externally. I have been feeling private and protective of my solitude, but when I'm back, I am sure that there will be plenty to process and share. Can't wait to reconnect with all of you! And if you're the praying sort, my two main goals are to make it back without any parasites, and to avoid cancer-causing s

FRIENDS! Friends! Friends! One week from now, I will be IN TANZANIA. This reality is finally sinking in. I am getting a little bit excited. I'm also nervous. Scare-cited, if you will. There are a few more errands to run - money from the bank, and something else I can't remember right now. But all the things I need to pack (minus a few pieces of dirty laundry) are currently on my bed. I have a floppy sun hat that makes me happy, and some light cotton pants that might be the comfiest thing I've ever owned. I think I'm almost ready. It's been a crazy spring, and despite my resistance to the idea, my friends may be right - this trip will be good for me. I don't know what to expect, but I'm quite sure it will change me.