Stressing out

Time is getting awfully short, and I still have loads to do around the house. Yesterday I threw out about three boxes of old papers I no longer need, about 25 old software CDs, and a bunch of other junk - but I feel as if I just scratched the surface. The lawn needs mowing & edging, I need to go buy a suitcase and move into our apartment, there's nothing to eat in the house, and my three ladies return from France on Tuesday. The movers come a week from Monday to pack us out.

The girls' grandfather sent me a few pictures from their time at Les Reflets du Lac Miélan that I'll share below...

My three ladies:

L to R: Juliette, Gwendolyne, and Margot

The four youngest cousins being pulled along in great style...

Two wild and crazy guys...

My old friend (some would say twin brother) Phil , whom I've known since first grade, flew in from Boston Tuesday for some Ethiopian food and catching up. He was first to remark that we were dressed nearly exactly alike - chinos, polo shirts, brown belts, and similar watches. Back in my hometown, people always said we were two peas in a pod, and would often mistake us for each other...

We chatted a bit over a beer at home and went to Meskerem for dinner in Adams Morgan. The tibbs (beef & lamb) were outstanding with just the right amount of spice, and the bottle of tej (fermented honey wine) was a perfect balance of sweet and dry.

After dinner we dropped by Madam's Organ for some more conversation and some Delta Blues.

Since he was flying out the next day, we made the most of the time we had, staying up until 5:00, talking about our hopes and dreams for the coming years, remembering the friends and events of our shared youth, and musing about possible exploits in alternate universes. In short, we picked up exactly where we left off. It was great to see him again and take advantage of the time together before our adventure to Africa begins - who knows when we'll meet up.

In transition...

Friday was graduation, marking the end of our 17-week core training. The eight of us in the 88th Information Management Specialist group will now start to scatter to the four winds. We formed a very cohesive group over the past 20 weeks (we had three weeks of orientation before the IMS core training), and I'm sad to see going our separate ways. David is the first of us to head out, as he and his family leave for Jakarta, Indonesia in just over a week.

It's also starting to sink in for me that we're really going to Ethiopia. My family and I find ourselves at the dawn of a new era. We've rented the house (yay!) and will move out on August 28 after nearly eight years in the same location. Instead of growing our roots here deeper and broader, we'll start life as nomads, moving to temporary housing until we leave, and then shipping off to a new country every two to four years.

In addition to these feelings of transition, I miss my family - the girls have been gone some seven weeks, and Patricia nearly three - and feel lonely. I'm going to take time off from cleaning and organizing to do something fun with some friends this afternoon.

After graduation on Friday, the eight of us met at an Irish pub in downtown Warrenton called Molly's. After a beer and some chips and nachos, Rodney handed out some pictures of us he had photoshopped into "the 88th IMS after a year abroad". Try to figure out who this is...

The house is pretty well whipped into shape now. The siding guys are nearly done with their project, so I just have a few small things to finish up.

Last week I met with a Finnish-American couple who had spent 2002-2004 in Addis Ababa - they showed me lots of pictures and gave plenty of useful advice. I've also heard from both our American and Ethiopian sponsors, as well as my supervisor-to-be. Everything's coming together - now if I can just remember everything I need to order between now & when we pack out on August 28th.