Absolute Wannabe

Well, I arrived back in the old US of A a week ago today, but I haven't really been able to process what I saw and did in the Dominican Republic until about now. All I have really been able to say is a very breathy "It was AMAZING" or a quick "It was just awesome". Now, I think, I can tell the tale in detail. After two long flights, one on a small plane next to some fragrant people, we arrived at the airport, swung by customs, and boarded a bus, sandwiches in hand, to get to the camp. Though we knew that the bus was the last we'd see of our friend AC for a long time, to be cliche, we had no idea what else we had seen the last of and what we would see for the first time once we got there. I'm not going to go into every minute detail about what we ate, because I can pretty much sum it up with the words rice, beans, plantains, yuca, chicken, empenadas, and fruit. The food was amazing, though, a lot of it being stuff I would have never tasted before or stuff

Well, it's been good. I haven't gotten up before 10, I've gotten new records, discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer , had blueberry muffins, gotten bright green Converse, vintage comic books, ridiculously good ice cream, new headphones, blank CDs, and record cleaner, I've gone for a run, and I'm still absolutely reeling from my friend's dance recital. Sound like crap to you? Fine. But this week has been an excellent send off before I go off to the Dominican Republic next week. It's not a vacation but a mission trip, and even though I'm really excited, I'm scared out of my mind. Therefore, I have done everything possible to avoid even thinking about leaving. Last week, I even organized my room (something I do about annually) early. Now, I'm facing reality. I'm not confronting it, considering I'm typing my nonsense jabber at this moment, but I am currently facing it. Next week may be filled with bugs, Spanish, hammers, heat, power outages, an