Freaking out, kids, and the ocean!

   6 days until staging and here is where my life is at...

    This morning I had the second of two small freak outs of this past week. I started to panic that I was going to show up in Botswana with all of the wrong clothes, and I felt very unprepared and scared about going for the first time. Thanks to some helpful advice from volunteers already in Botswana and some time spent away from my luggage, I'm feeling much better about everything now. I've decided that I am not even going to bother to pack anything else until Monday or Tuesday. I know this may sound crazy since I leave on Thursday.  However, I have a basic plan, and if I keep over analyzing my packing I'm going to go insane. I'm letting it go for now and trusting that it will work out just fine.
   I got in contact with the local middle school today, and I'm going to be corresponding with a 7th grade social studies classroom here when I'm in Botswana! I'm very excited about this! The plan is for me to meet the class on Wednesday and talk with them a little about what I'll be doing ( this will be pretty general of course since I do not know all of the details of what I will be doing yet myself). I can't wait! I wasn't very much older than them when I began to think about the Peace Corps as something I may want to be involved in someday, so the idea of being able to share my experiences with some kids from rural Maine when I'm in Botswana is something that I'm in love with! I've also heard great things about this particular teacher's interactive lesson plans so I feel honored to be able to help out with something for her classroom in particular.
   This afternoon was supposed to be snowy, and I had been disappointed because I was supposed to go to Bar Harbor for the day with a good friend of mine. Then the clouds cleared away, and the sun came out!  It was cold, but we still had fun walking around by the water, getting dinner, and eating ice cream. Bar Harbor holds a special place in my heart because of past time spent there with friends and family so being able to go there once more before leaving for Botswana was a huge deal to me. Even though it is pretty empty there this time of year, it was very peaceful and exactly what I needed today.

So grateful for everything
~KShep