In an effort to restrain from the pre-departure, ego-stroking introspection that seems to be omnipresent in travel blogs these days I’ll keep this entry brief. Suffice it to say that I’m scared out of my mind. I’ve been anticipating the fear to hit me all week but only now, the night before I leave, am I confronted with the reality of the commitment that I’ve made. Ten months in Senegal will be one of the most trying, and hopefully fruitful, experiences of my life. Although equally excited to spend time on a continent very few people know much about, in a country that people know less about, my strongest feelings right now are those of fear and anxiety. I’ve been told these feeling are normal, probably even good…I guess we’ll see.

I’ve packed two suitcases that I’ve told my parents weigh under fifty pounds. Hopefully the unforgiving scales at the airport will agree. I leave Chicago at 11:05 tomorrow and arrive in Washington D.C. around two hours later. In D.C. I’ll meet up with five other kids from around the country who are doing the exact same thing I’m doing. So much for being special. We leave D.C. around four and only hours later arrive in Dakar. I was, as many of you may be, astounded by the abbreviated length of the flight. Senegal is the Western most country in Africa and Dakar is the Western most city in Dakar. Basically it’s like flying to France only farther South and not as far East.