Vida

I'm getting ready to leave for my flight to San Antonio, Texas on Sunday. I'll be there for training until the 25th or 26th (they'll tell us once we get there). That's when I'll depart for Mexico City! I had quite a week in the big MO Monday I jumped right in to the doctors appointments & shots for preparation. I felt like I was 10 at the dentist because the person cleaning my teeth said i had beautiful teeth and i was the easiest clean she had all morning. I told her I would tell my mom. I did. And she was proud =) I went over to Jess & Jarritt's to help bake zucchini bread (in heart molds) for their reception. I got in some drive time on county roads with LOUD music =) Then I watched as the sun set over rolling hills of fields full of cows as I made my way along a gravel road on the way to their house. I made it. I left to the sound of crickets and I mean it. I walked out the door and said, "I'm not used to this sound." They both comment

What do you pack when you're leaving for 2 years? I wish I knew. I'm packing now and I had this huge pile of stuff I wanted to take with me. I decided I should at least separate it out (i'm not a good packer). When I separated from like pants, shirts, etc. I have like 3 times as many pants than shirts and 2 times as many sweatshirts as shirts. How does that happen? So yes. I am procrastinating. and frustrated. I just found out (from reviewing my suggested packing list) they have a cd player. I packed 3 cds right away. I guess I should go start over or something....

Packing was a bitch... no surprise there but Karen and I got everything to fit…barely Then we’re merging on to 55 and Karen couldn’t see anything so I was sticking my head out the window to make sure everything was clear…naturally. I was wearing my luna hat (which I got when I started as LUNA leader my junior year), it blew off my head…boo. Karen kept suggesting turning around and I actually considered it before I realized how ridiculous of an idea it was. I mourned my loss as Kanye sang Homecoming on the radio… oh life if i compare this summer to the last few i honestly think this has to be #1 or very very close 2006 summer after freshman year i moved to LA into an apartment I found on craigslist and once I got there started working background in movies and TV. A very eye opening and learning experience...to say the least. All I can say is the LA public transportation system is not good (we are very lucky in Chicago with the cta). I feel like I spent my life on buses that summer.

Good byes are so funny... I honestly felt like it was my birthday all week. I met up with so many wonderful friends and had great conversations. What I should say is: it was so wonderful, but right under the surface it was very hard and sad. Each one was different and unique and I will always remember each one! I will definitely miss how well my friends know me. Sometimes it surprises me when my friends say something about me and I have to think if I would say/do what they predicted and usually I would! Or when they say, "you would do that." It always takes me back a little bit because I hate to be predictable, but I love it at the same time. =) ... indecisive as usual Wonderful life talks, but then the end always came. I don't mean the end. See you later for longer than usual. Remember the girl scout song: "Make new friends but keep the old one is silver and the other's gold" I think they should change those words... I mean I know they rhyme, but I think al

So now that most of my goodbyes are done excitement for the future is starting to set in. There are so many things I don't know about where I will be, what I will have access to, what it will be like...I could go on. But I'm so excited for it! I'll figure it out as it comes and learn and grow! =) I have a friend who lives in Guanajuato, Mexico (about 5 hours from Mexico City). Her name is Vicki and we met at DePaul on a spring break service trip to Philly my sophomore year. I love her emails full of excitement that I will be so close to her =) I'm excited too! She says I can count on her for everything, if she doesn't know she'll get the info for me. She has family in D.F. (that's how they refer to Mexico City) too. She talks about seeing each other and I can sense her excitement and it makes me all the more excited too! I had to do a little searching for this photo, but it's some of our group in Philly (Vicki & I are on the right). At the

What do you do when you see someone having a "private moment" (I'm not sure that's the best word choice, but I'm going to go with it) in public? Whether it's a hello or goodbye. There is almost always love shown. It's like in Love Actually at the beginning when it's talking about airports "Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport...seems to me love is everywhere...love is all around" Sometimes there are tears. Sometimes just lots of hugs and smiles. Sometimes it's parents saying goodbye to their kid as they go on the bus for the day...maybe someone saying goodbye for a weekend...a week...a month... etc. I've had a lot of these lately. A fun one...Sarah drove me home from our dinner and she veered to the side of Bissell to let me out. We're saying our "stay-in-touch"es when a car comes up behind her and decides to make sure we know they're there HONK HONK.

Everyone keeps asking me where I'm living for the next 2 years.... This is how one of my future roommates, who's there right now, explained the area, " Santa Fe was once its own city but is now considered part of Mexico City (called Colonia Santa Fe). It is very far to the west and about a half hour from the nearest metro line. The brief history (google santa fe to read more) is that Santa Fe used to be the garbage dump for Mexico city. Then not too far back the gov't started a clean up project and decided to build a bunch of skyscrapers and try to make the dump into a business district. So a nice jesuit university, some resturants, a shopping mall, and a bunch of business were built where the dump used to be, thus dislocating the people that were living in small shacks there. So el PUEBLO de Santa Fe was established (this is where we live) and is filled with all the families that were forcefully removed from the dump. I'm not sure how long ago all of this happened

at the LUNA event today I heard just what I needed to hear from Anne, one of the crew members. She asked me how I was feeling about leaving. I told her what I usually say... that I don't think it's really hit me yet, etc. But then I told her something I don't usually tell everyone. I'm worried about what I'm going to miss. I know everyone's life goes on and I want my friends to grow during the next 2 years. I'm just going to miss them and the things they're going to do together...what I won't be around for. And it's not that i don't want to hear about their adventures. I DO! Anyway, I'm talking to Anne about this and she said she likes to call that "missing out syndrome." I probably won't explain this as well as she did, but I'll try. She said I will miss things that are happening here, but just think of everything I would miss if I didn't go to Mexico City and all the experiences I will have there. Leading

Oh LUNA ! I worked for LUNA in different facets since Aug. 2007: from being the LUNA Leader (intern at DePaul) to working events around the Chicago region to being the crew captain and I love it all! Spreading the LUNA love! On my packing list it suggests bringing some bars to help during the transition phase. I didn't even hesitate...LUNA! Friday was my goodbye with my boss, Aliy. I couldn't have asked for a better boss. She was always patient and willing to work through everything with me...even if she had to repeat the same thing multiple times. She was always uber helpful and just an amazing person. I loved all our meetings and emails =) She never gives herself enough credit for everything she does. We had a delicious brunch Friday before she headed off to Ragbrai at Uncommon Ground which I go by all the time and I've always wanted to go there. Did you know if you ride your bike there during the week between 11-3 i think they'll give you like 15% off? So nic