saying goodbye is hard

Goodbyes are never easy, but at least this is only a 'see you later' (in 2012). My family and friends have been absolutely amazing though. I will miss everyone, but you all have made it easier by giving me so many good memories over the past month to think about. I had a fantastic going away party, complete with a performance by one of my favorite bands. And more lunches, dinners and dessert dates than I deserved or needed. I will gain enough weight from eating SPAM over the next 2 years.

Here are pictures of some of the wonderful people that I will be missing:

My family at the going away party.

My party planners and best friends with Micronesia blue drinks


Fordham girls

Long Island Friends

And perhaps most of all, my nieces and nephew... Julianna, Ethan and Leah will be so big when I get back!!

write to me

Internet access will be sparse in my new home so I am going to have to rely on snail mail for communication purposes. Please send me letters over the next 2 years because I will have more than enough downtime in the evening (no tv) to write back to you. Write to me about anything. Little tidbits about important news will be greatly appreciated. (What's Barack doing? Who's winning the late night ratings battle? Did Britney shave her head again?)

My address during training will be:

Erica Dunn, Peace Corps Trainee
Peace Corps/Micronesia
PO Box 9
Kolonia, Pohnpei, FM 96941

I will have a new address beginning in November which I will post then. It will take 2-4 weeks for mail to get to me. If anything arrives at this address after I have moved to my post, it will be forwarded to me. Please feel free to begin sending things now as the first month away from home will surely be tough!

5 more days until departure!!

Packing

Just over 2 weeks to go! I am done with work now and focusing on packing and other preparations. Things are going okay packing wise... I occasionally freak out that I have nothing and won't be prepared but remind myself that I don't need much. And there are post offices in Micronesia so if I forget anything it is not the end of the world. I ordered a watch off Amazon and it is in Russian... mishaps like this are not helping my stress level. I also don't know what my living situation will be like exactly so it is difficult to pack in some ways. (Will I have electricity? Will I have plumbing? etc.)

My family and friends are throwing me a going away party this Saturday which I am very excited about! Friends from high school, college, and study abroad are coming so it should be a great time. I can't wait to see everyone.

Oh, and fun new realization about my flight there.... on the 10 1/2 hour flight from Honolulu to Pohnpei there are 3 stops. I think I will probably be able to stay on the plane and they are just dropping off passengers on other islands, but still, that is a lot of take-offs and landings!

September 2nd!!!

I am now leaving for LA on September 2nd! And our Staging will only be one session that afternoon... then off to Hawaii on the 3rd and Micronesia on the 4th. I will arrive in Pohnpei on September 5th. Sounds like a pretty fun 4 days of flying. Who's ready to come visit?

Some people have been asking me if I need anything before I go so I have made a Wish List on Amazon. I do not need much in Micronesia, but unfortunately just about nothing I own for my NYC life will be useful there. The link is:

http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/UW7U1ZQW6AQQ