At last! Tomorrow at 8:28am we will be departing for the Dominican Republic. Words cannot describe how excited I am. Packing for a long trip was quite the learning experience! One minute my bag would be way to heavy, and then after taking a few items out there would be many lbs to spare.... I could never get it right!
Reflecting back on all of the meetings prior to the departure date, I think it was the best idea any travel experience could offer. Meeting that many times before leaving was a great ice breaker and helped me feel much more comfortable with the fact that I was going to be with 12 girls I never met before, for two weeks. We all have learned much about each other and it will make the trip much more enjoyable. I know now, that we are all going to be there for one another throughout this learning experience.
If I could change one thing about the way things were organized for this trip, it would have to be the donation aspect. I feel like it got a little out of hand and in the end everyone was just tossing random items into two suitcases. I think for the next group that goes, each student should be responsible for one aspect of the donation list. I also think each student should be responsible for an extra bag to checkin if need be, and then all of the supplies could be gathered from each student in the DR.
Anyways, I',m not sure if I will be able to sleep tonight. My anxiety has been through the roof waiting to finally depart! I can not wait to finally see life outside of the United States and Canada! I need to!!