just close your eyes and jump

"I want to go to a beautiful foreign country and eat lots and lots of fruit." ~Lindsay Michelle Wrenn

As hectic as it has been, this last week has flown by. I have been frantically running around trying to make sure that I am adequately prepared for my trip. The weekend was spent in Chapel Hill with some amazing people that I am going to miss dearly. I love you guys more than you will ever know...thanks for making my last weekend in the states one to remember ;).

Tonight is the last night I will sleep in my lovely bed, and tomorrow morning, I will be commencing my two day journey to Madagascar (that is, after I take an extremely LONG hot shower and blow dry my hair for the last time). I am experiencing so many emotions right now. I look forward to boarding the plane in RDU. I can't wait to meet all of my amazing fellow voyagers at the airport in Washington, DC (I already have lunch plans with a young chap named Micheal!), I am a little apprehensive about my french language skills and how I will measure up when I get thrown into a Malagasy household. I am quite sad to leave my family and friends for 3 and a half months. I am nervous. I am scared. I am elated. I am ecstatic.

I did not realize exactly how long I would be in the air. So I decided, in the midst of my frantic last minute packing, I would determine the length of my four flights from RDU to Fort Dauphin, Madagascar. And this is what I found:

1. I will be "in the air" for a total of 23 hours and 53 minutes...this is a mere 7 minutes short of one whole day (the flight from Paris to Madagascar being 12 hours and 30 minutes...holy crap).
2. I will be sitting in some sort of airport for approximately 18 hours in layover time (which has been devoted to reading a 400 page book).
3 And thanks to my lovely friend, Roman, I am aware that I should not sit in my seat for the entire 12 hour flight...

So, bags have been packed, goodbyes have been said, electronics have been charged, the water filter has been cleaned, and my mosquito net has been treated with Permethrin. I have attached a picture of my bags and all other items for your viewing pleasure:



Yes, all of that is for three months. Two bags. I think I packed more to go to the beach for two weeks one summer (clothes and accessories that is). This trip has really made me limit myself to necessary items only...a hard task for a girl who likes to wear makeup, jewelry, blow dry/straighten her hair, and have her choice of shoes from a large selection of footwear (all of which are being taken care of by a good friend...good shoes should not be left alone for that amount of time ;). Unfortunately, for the next three months, I will be limited to a pair of hiking shoes and chacos. *humbling sigh*

As of last Friday, I have decided not to take along my laptop. I feel like this is the best decision for many reasons. But, not to fear! I will continue to post random thoughts, awkward moments, and exciting experiences in my blog at least once every week. Also, I plan on posting pictures through facebook whenever possible. And, I would like to make a correction to a previous post. I AM taking along my ipod. I have decided that this is a necessary item to ensure that I will keep my sanity.

Last night, I got the group list for all of the people going on the trip--a total of 16 students from across the country!!! All of us are coming from 13 different states--Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virgina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, California, New York, Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, and of course North Carolina--and one girl from Canada! Girl to guy ratio (judging by the list of names) is 13:3. Go figure ;).

As I am sure I have told you over the past week, I love you all. Each and every one of you holds a special place in my heart, and I will be thinking about you throughout my travels.

With all of that being said, there is not much left. Now all I have to do is close my eyes and jump.

Until Madagascar,

erin elizabeth

PS: Allegedly, there is insanely amazing pineapple currently growing on the island of Madagascar. I plan on eating most of it while I am there. :)

nothing lasts forever. except maybe a letter or postcard.

I am currently spending my last Saturday night at home (because next weekend has been reserved for all of my loves in Chapel Hill)--a lovely evening with a home-cooked dinner and a movie with the family. While I only have ten more full days in the states, I have yet to feel any different. I must say, it has been extremely odd being at home while all of my friends are off commencing a new semester; but overall, it still feels like just another day at home. I am not quite sure when exactly I will feel any different. Maybe it will be the day I leave. Maybe it will be the first night in Fort Dauphin. But whenever I experience that first apprehensive feeling of "Oh shit, I am going to be living HERE for 4 months," I know that it will soon be followed by feelings of excitement and curiosity. What will I see? What will I do? Who will I meet? What IS THIS that I am eating?? And, being the person that I am, I know that I will be extremely sad to leave all of my friends and family behind. This experience will be the first time in my entire life that I will be venturing out on my own with everything and everyone foreign, unfamiliar, and unknown.
So, to keep in touch with all of you guys, I will be sure to write to you. Postcards, and letters in general, have always been magical to me. I have always loved reading a note, card, or letter from a friend or family member. And for this, I need addresses--so if you do love mail just as much as myself, be sure to leave your address as a comment to this post. And, if you find yourself bored on a Sunday afternoon, feel free to write a letter to me! I would love to hear from each and every one of you about what is going on back home. All letters, postcards, cards, or packages--if you are that awesome ;)--can be sent to me at the following address:

Erin Elizabeth Hester
s/o SIT
BP 283
Fort Dauphin 614
MADAGASCAR

Much love,

erin elizabeth