leaving monday.

Thanks to a heaping load of Starbucks drip coffee and Aarons 20lb laptop computer, I barely just finished over 40 pages of paper writing, two 20 minute presentations, a written final, and a piano proficiency test. In three days. But now, officially, I have finished my undergraduate degree and am wasting no time. On Monday I will be flying from Portland International Airport to Tegulcigalpita, Honduras, a small city on the northern side of the country. I will be staying and volunteering at the Children's Village outside of the city. It is going to be an extremely abrasive transition from living in a small apartment with my girlfriends in college to living in "the girl's house" in the Village, speaking only spanish, and trying to learn the ropes. I'm not really sure what my time there is going to look like, but I figure, graduating from college is all a lesson in trusting and taking risks. So this is my attempt to take a risk to love. To see the world through a different set of lenses, to offer myself and my gift to be used in any way, shape, or form, and to take a step into a new setting with new people, and love as much as I can.

Every day for the past few weeks, any time I have had a spare moment to myself (which hasnt been often) I have thought, how in the world did I end up going to a place I have never been before, with people I dont know, for six weeks? I guess the same way I ended up going to Kitale, Kenya for eight weeks two years ago...prayer. Last summer, I opened a new bank account specifically for adventures, and I began depositing money from my summer earnings. Then I made my first mistake. I prayed that God would use the money to send me to a new place. Around Christmas time, I was spending the holiday with the Closner family and began translating Christmas cards that kids from the orphanage had written to Meegan, Allison and Natalie. I dont speak that much Spanish, but I speak enough to translate Christmas cards. We all sat around laughing and talking about the Village, and day dreaming about the next time the family would be able to go again, and then they invited me to tag along for their summer trip with their school. Now, the thing about inviting me on a trip is that I WILL GO. I will go anywhere if I am invited. My trip to Kenya started with an invitation similar to this, Person: "hey, I'm going to Kenya, wanna come (ha, ha)?". Me: (serious)" yes. when?"

And thats how it happens. Plain and simple. So I checked my account that I had been depositing money into, and I had enough to go. Unfortunately, the Closners were only going to 10 days, so I asked how long I was allowed to stay. And they said how would till the end of July sound? And I bought a ticket. Sorry Dad.

So now I am leaving on Monday. I haven't had a chance really to think hard on what my emotions really are about leaving. It all has happened so fast. My year has been amazing, and suddenly, we just all hit the brakes at the same time, and graduation is on Sunday. Since I leave the very next day, I wont have very much time to think about how sad I am to leave the most influential people in my life behind. Something I know confidently however, is that the people that matter in my life will be around when I get back and for years to come. And my boyfriend Aaron is going to meet me at the Village halfway through July, so that will be AMAZING. Until then I will be showing the girls in the house a picture of "mi guapo novio" and wishing he was walking by my side in my adventure story.

So, I will be writing as much as I can to update you on my travels, funny stories, if I get lice or not (that is my one fear) and how much I miss home! I will also be writing to update my dad that I am safe so that he can sleep at night. So thanks for reading my very first blog, and sorry about all of the typos. They won't stop, I am a horrible speller.

love.