Traveler, Writer, Aquarius, Peace Corps Volunteer
The evidence
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It's 10pm Monday night, the Bears are playing the Packers at the renovated Soldier Field, and I'm leaving for Chicago in 12 hours. I just got home from a wonderful goodbye dinner with Aunt Ann, Uncle Steve, and my dad at 20 Manning. They hooked us up with a wonderful dessert tray of chocolate fondue and assorted cheeses thanks to my aunt and uncle's "celebrity" status in Philly. Ann and Steve also hooked me up with a phatty Paul Smith full-length raincoat with removable lining. I know I'm taking too much, but it's not that much to drag around.
I also got a number of emails and i.m.'s today of people saying goodbye and wishing me well. I'm truly blessed with the most amazing family, friends, and colleagues anyone could have -- and I'm not just saying that because they're the folks who'll be reading this. I'm really lucky.
Now, as far as emotional state goes, I'm pretty mellow but very excited about tomorrow. I get the occasional pangs of incredulity, but they're ephemeral. Kind of like remembering something embarrasing you did and feeling a slight wince, but then it goes. Also, I'm not a "get psyched up" kind of guy. These things tend to get way overblown. Sure, this is a milestone in my life and a momentous event, but it's gonna happen whether I stay up all night and dwell on it or get a good night's sleep. You just take these things in stride and make the most of the opportunity.
I'm supposed to meet up with a few other folks at the airport in Chicago and share a cab back to the hotel. This chick RaeJean from Hartford, this dude Adam from Nashville, and this chick Elizabeth from wherever. I'm only writing this just in case I end up becoming good friends with any of them and I'd hate for the irony to be lost.
Once I check in, I've got registration from 1 - 3 and then orientation begins at 3 or 4. Wednesday is a full-day, and then we take off at 11 on Thursday. Only things I really want to make sure happen while I'm there are watching the Cubs - Braves series Tuesday night and the Paradise Hotel finale Wednesday. God forgive me for getting sucked into that crap... but I hope Charla and Dave get kicked to the curb ;)
I was with mom and Marc this weekend. They're actually excited for me and thinking about doing Peace Corps themselves when they retire. I think it would be great for them. We spent all day Saturday at Rehoboth Beach -- probably my last time in the sun for eight months. Glad I made the most of it.
Emailed a bunch of organizations as well -- the Soros Foundation, the U.N. in Ukraine, the US - Ukraine Foundation, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which I'm fairly certain isn't Hasidics passing out spliffs to hippie Ukrainians (although that would be a cool gig). Hopefully I'll be able to get involved in some other NGOs while I'm there. Also heard from Joy today about our HUM project, which I'm very excited about. I think it'll be a great match between my non-profit volunteering and submitting human interest pieces to HUM. Gotta keep the momentum going.
Of course, the novel is still sleeping on the blank page and waiting for me to wake it up. I've got a number of themes and stories ready to go. Just have to organize the thoughts and start to structure the story. Also have the other screenplay to get going. I think it'll be an homage to south Florida, which was the screenplay I was going to do with Ariana way back when. But this is my story, so there will be no collaboration. I was thinking about doing it as a book, but it just fits well into the screenplay format. We'll see...
So that's it. All packed, the clothes are laid out, and all that's left is showering in the morning, packing the backpack, and hitting the airport. Hopefully dad won't cry and make this a tearful goodbye, but I'm expecting it. I keep saying don't dwell on the two years away but plan on the next vacation to visit. Don't think it's working.
Had a great call with Juan Carlos on Saturday night. He gave me lots of insight as to what to expect. I think the best advice of all is to spend the first few months observing and learning the culture and gaining the trust of the people. The worst thing to do is earn the "stupid American" reputation. Stay low-key and try to fit in. The rest will come naturally. He also warned me that some of the girls in the bars that look like supermodels and act sophisticated are only 15. I don't plan on carding anyone, but I'll try to be judicious with my dating habits.
The next time I write will either be from Chicago or Ukraine. Here's to the future, baby. And as George Clinton so poetically put it in Chocolate City, "to each his reach and if I don't cop it ain't mine to have, but I'll be reachin' for ya."
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