Usale ngoxolo!

Yeah, I just said  "peace out" in isixhosa. Okay, okay, it really means "goodbye." Try and say it out loud. Right now. It's fun. You're probably not pronouncing it right hahaha. Isixhosa is the language I get to try to learn to speak...somewhat. I'll most likely just end up butchering it. Hopefully I can make a good enough impression on the locals that they take pity on this poor American girl and think my mutilation of their native tongue is cute. Fingers crossed!

T-minus 14 hours until I finally get to board my plane and get out of here! After everything (i.e. my complaining that time was going too slow, my excitement, the working 2 jobs, the preparation....well, you get it), I can't believe how quickly tomorrow has-or will- come. I've been running around all day and I still have 100 little things that I need to get done that I know I'm going to forget to do. And believe or not, I'm strangely okay with that...big surprise I know! My parents are also thrilled. But hey mom, at least I dusted my blinds right? 

I just wanted to say that as cliche as it sounds, I think I've got the best and coolest friends in the whole world. You'll find out I'm also big on cliches. I think I even wrote a poem about them once. It was pretty good. But that is a spiel for another time. Spiel. There's a word for you. Someone please tell me why there is a "sh" sound in a word that doesn't have an "s-h" anywhere in it? Anyways, my point is, my phone was ringing off the hook most of the day with phone calls and texts from everyone wishing me luck. I tried to call everyone back but I know I didn't. So if you're actually reading this and I didn't call you back, I love you, thank you, and I'm sorry we didn't get to talk. If I did call you back, you're welcome. Haha just kidding! Anyways, I will leave you with something a little more profound than my typical rantings...

Miriam Beard said, "Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the idea of living." I like that. That is exactly what I'm looking for. I know I said that I wasn't going to have any expectations for while I'm gone but this one doesn't count. I'm going to be changed, that's a given. And hopefully it's deep. And hopefully permanent.