As I wrote in a recent email to a friend, the preparations for this trip have threatened to overwhelm me at several points in the last few days–the pettiness of spending a half hour on the telephone with Bank of America, two hours with Verizon Wireless (they are horrible, horrible people), taking the MCATs (a horrible, horrible test), getting my hair cut off (significantly less horrible than anticipated), and the anxiety of remembering to photocopy this, tell my mother or sister that, and just plain get stuff folded up and placed in a bag.

As I reflected in that email:”I wonder what would happen if I just got on the plane without any luggage–just my computer, running shoes, and an i-pod… you know, the irreplaceables. Oh yes, and my passport… Seems like it would be so much simpler!”

Anyway, as of this morning, everything is pretty much folded and bagged, and I feel a sense of accomplishment (that mental checklist: #22. get packed… CHECK!) but I still have the same sentiment: would it really have mattered if I took the blue skirt instead of the brown one? What am I doing with all of this stuff… all of these complications?! It’s clearly just time to get started.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow afternoon as Sam, eight teenagers, and myself take off from Dulles. This will mark the beginning of something I’ve been dreaming about for quite some time–and no matter what luggage I show up at the airport with, I think the fact that this dream has finally come to fruition is the thing to hold on to.

I’m pasting in my flight info and general itinerary below. South Africa is six hours ahead of east coast time, and Tanzania is seven hours ahead.

Leaving:

I and the rest of the youth pilgrims from St. Paul’s will be visiting Cape Town, in hopes of deepening our partnership with the Anglican diocese there. We’ll be flying via Dulles and Jo’burg, for a wonderful 30 hours travel time all told… We depart Cleveland at 10:30 AM and get into CPT at 9:10 PM on the 18th of July.

In the middle:

My flight info for Tanzania is unclear. I am hoping to depart for there on the 31^st of July, but it may actually be a day or two sooner. I will be flying from Cape Town, through Johannesburg, to Dar es Salaam and then on from Dar to Arusha.

I will be in the Arusha area (technically Olduvai, outside Karatu) from the 1^st until the 21^st of August at the Rift Valley Children’s Village.

On the evening of the 21^st I will fly to Dar remain there with Henry Ziegler until the 29^th of November.

Returning:

I depart Cape Town at 1:40 PM on the 30th of November and (after flying through Johannesburg, Dulles, and O’Hare… yes, I know) land in Cleveland at 4:00 PM on the 1st of December. Be there or be square!