Planes, Trains, and Running Shoes

1. Leavin' on a Jet Plane - So kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go. I'm leavin' on a jet plane...Thank God I do know when I'll be back again. August 21. 2 months from now. I've been out of the country for a lot longer than that before but this time it's different. I hate to say that it's not as exciting because it is but it's a lot more...scary. See, when I went to London for 5 months, I had been there before. I knew exactly what it looked like, how to get around, what to except, etc. I have absolutely no idea what to expect in Sri Lanka. And while I'm usually not one to fear the unexpected, I feel like nothing is in place for this trip. I got my placement assignment in February and I still haven't had any contact whatsoever with my Sri Lankan staff. I sent a few emails last week and haven't had any responses. So right now, the plan is to just kind of show up and umm find them? I'm excited about everything else, but all of the cloudiness surrounding Sri Lanka is really putting a damper on the rest of my trip.

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2. Tryin' to throw my arms around the world - The whole reason I'm going on this trip is because, in a way, I am "trying to throw my arms around the world." In The Netherlands, I'll be sitting in on actual trials of people who have been convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In Bosnia and Serbia, I'll be talking to survivors of war and trying to make sense of how they reconcile with the aftermath of a war that ended nearly 20 years ago but whose effects still linger today. In Sri Lanka, I'll be addressing human rights issues. When I first came across Chloe's blog about a year ago, I fell in love with it simply because of the title. I didn't realize until recently that it was named after a U2 song which really disappointed me because (sorry, Chloe) I really don't like U2 and, despite the fact that I've dedicated my life to the humanitarian cause, I have a lot of issues with Bono (but we can talk about that later). Anyway, Chloe and I hit it off from the first time we GChatted and even started our own running blog together. (Please go check it out, I promise we'll right more often!) And this Monday, in the midst of my craziness, I finally had the chance to meet Chloe who is an absolutely beautiful person. I already knew that from her blog but she just positively shines and I definitely need some more of her in my life. Her new baby, by the way? Beautiful.

Chloe, please teach me your awesome watermarking skills.

3. Be OK - If I had one word to describe how I feel today, it would be "emo." I feel like I should be writing some deep poetry on my Xanga and listening to Dashboard Confessional. Instead, I'm typing on Blogger and listening to Ingrid Michaelson. She's a lot happier than Chris Carabba. I just wanna know today, know today that I will be ok. That's what all of this boils down to. I know that I'm setting off on the trip of a lifetime. I just wish that everything would fall into place like it should have 3 months ago and I just want to know that everything is going to be ok.