Philly Cheesesteak: Couldnt leave Philly without eating one!

Its official. 6:24am I boarded the plane and headed to Philly for our staging event. Though the goodbyes were hard, it was time to start a new chapter. As a quote I once heard...leaving is always hard until you do it then it is the easiest god-dammed thing in the world. This quotes indeed fits my situation. Leaving was hard until I actually did it but now as I am here in Philly it makes me wonder what was so hard about it.
I arrived in Philly around 4:00 and met up with 3 other guys whom are also going to be RAP volunteers. After shuttling our way to the hotel we were all starving after a long day of travel that we took a taxi downtown to get an authentic Philly Cheese-steak. We wandered around downtown and strongly considered walking all the way back to the hotel until we realized that we would have to walk 2 hours to get back. Also once we decided that we should take a taxi we realized that the path we were going to walk would have lead us to walking the freeway we realized it was a smart idea to take the taxi back. The other PCT are AWESOME! It seems as though we all have a lot in common and everyone is very enthusiastic about the adventure that lies ahead of us.... enthusiastic for everything except for the 15 hours plane ride we gave to take. Though I will miss my life here in America I am excited to see what lies ahead and to begin this wonderful 27 month journey!

It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest damned thing in the world.”

The countdown keeps dwindling. 7 days….7 days is all till I board a plane for Philly and start this incredible journey that lies ahead of me. It has been a mix of emotions as the day draws closer. There is such a huge amount of excitement that I have for my next adventure and I look forward to the new challenge, the new experience, and Meeting the 69 other individuals that will accompany me along this journey.

Packing is done. Though they have been packed for well over a month, I went through my bags one last time tonight to make sure that everything is on order. Though I am well under weight:  55 pounds and our limit is 100, I still feel as though I am going to arrive and realize that I brought many unnecessary items. However, there was a link to a blog that was sent to us a few weeks back and it made me realize that what you pack in two bags really doesn’t matter: “The memories, friendships, laughter, work and totally unique experiences could never be quantified. As I zipped up my bags one last time in Botswana I realized how ridiculous it was to worry about what to pack. Peace Corps service is obviously much more than anything you can fit into luggage.”

The goodbyes have begun and each one is harder than the last.  I have gotten used to seeing a lot of these people on a daily or weekly basis. Having a wonderful constant in my life but soon that security net I have built here will soon be gone. In the physical sense at least. I will miss them dearly. I am very content and happy with my life and maybe that is what makes leaving so difficult…to know that things will never be like they are now again…I will never again be like I am at this moment. Letting go of the familiar is always hard…until you do it. Then it’s easy. It’s the days leading up to it that challenge me. I reminisce about good times and think of all the things I will be missing out on while I am away. But even through all of these mixed emotions I have no doubt that this is the path that I am meant to lead. It’s all in god’s plan and I have taken so much away from the recent experiences in my life, may lessons have been learned but it is time to move towards a new and exciting adventure 



I will miss all of you dearly and I hope that many of you will decide to revert back to the old days. The one good thing about not seeing those who are so important in my life is that I can write you letters. And I hope that many of you will do the same and write to me. You will be my connection to America and I will serve as your window to a part of the world not many American have a chance to experience.

7 days till Philly. Until then I will continue to enjoy the simple things in my life that I so greatly enjoy! 

30 days....

The one month mark is finally here. One month until I depart for Zambia. It amazes me how fast time has flown and how quickly each day and week seems to pass by. I think of everything left to experience here in America before July 16^th and it is frightening to me that there are so few days left to do everything I wish to do before I leave. 

The next month will be filled with numerous goodbyes…something of which is not my strength and I am sure many of them will be difficult and saddening. However I continually think of the adventure that lies ahead of me and everything I have to look forward to.

Of course I am enjoying all of the things that I know I am going  to miss when I depart this great country: Ice, Hot showers, Being able to get in a car and drive anywhere I want to, A comfy bed with my 6 pillows, Air Conditioning and of course Family.

Right now I am patiently waiting for my staging packet/Email to arrive. Staging is a two day orientation in the US before we all board a plan and head to Zambia. It will be the first chance we have to meet all of the people we will be sharing our experience of the next two years with. My staging packet will include all the information I need to get my plane ticket to our staging city which at the moment I am assuming is Philly. With only four weeks till departure I am sure it should be here shortly.

Until then I will continue to enjoy the Colorado summer, family and most of all air conditioning. 

A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.

61 days…. 2 months… 1/6 of a year. No matter how I look at it, July 17^th is coming fast. Faster than I ever imagined that it would. What seems like just yesterday I still had five months to bring my American life to a close for the time being and prepare for life in Zambia. As the departure date gets closer, the more I realized that I am running out of time to do all of those things I was hoping to do before I left. All the hikes I would love to go on, all the places I would like to travel to see people one last time before I depart….all the FAC’s and Sunday Night dinners yet to be had. All of the Camping and fishing and just enjoying Colorado. Until yesterday, I thought I was leaving the 30^th but got confirmation that the departure date was indeed the 17^th. I was anxious when I heard the news. Maybe a bit of anxiety. But it was not the fact that I would be leaving sooner than planned that scared me. It wasn’t the fear of going to Africa, but I think for the first time it became real. It felt real. This is really happening, I really am going to move to Zambia and I really am going there with the Peace Corps. I couldn’t be more ready to go. Granted there is still plenty to do. Bags yet to be back, legal and financial things to be taken care of but I am truly ready for my next adventure.  I have always known that I would never be content staying in the same place for an extending period of time when I know there is something else or something more out there. I thrive and am at my best when things are fresh and things are new.  When things become to familiar It often times feels as though I become trapped in the everyday monotonous pattern that many call life. I seek change and I seek adventure and without that constant in my life I will never be able to truly be who I am. An amazing adventure lies ahead of me. One of awkward moments, frustrating situations and challenging personal obstacles. But I know that even with those challenges an experience like this one had the ability to continually transform and mold a person. The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences. 

There's no one-size-fits-all for luggage because it all depends on the trip. Just like there are differences in travel experiences, there should be differences in your gear.

I sit here on my bed….listening to a bit of CCR, surrounded by suitcases, backpacks, Ziploc bags and a slew of items which I think I may need for  the next two years of my life. How does one begin to pack for two years? I have been on multiple vacations-varying in length and packing has never been a challenge. Just throw everything in a bag that you know you will need, a few extras and I was set. But how does one begin to pack for a place they have never been to before?  How does one pack for a culture they have never experienced before? One doesn’t want to forget something essential nor does one want to pack in excess. It is a losing battle in my mind.

I’m just 2 days shy on the 3 month mark. Three months and I will be boarding a plane for Zambia. It hard to believe it is coming so quickly. What feels like just yesterday was five months is already down to three.

80 lbs is my limit. I have just about everything that was on the suggested list packed into one backpack and it weighs no more than 40lbs. I probably have about 10 more pounds of items that I have yet to put in a bag but after that it is going to leave me with about 30lbs to fill with what some might call “luxury” items. Those things that you take that will help give you some comfort on your ‘tough days’ or tough months. Whichever it may be? But I find it hard to think of what items I could bring that would really provide me comfort.  Pictures…maybe. But I already have plans to pack some of those. Paper…this could be good to, to have a place to release that frustration, homesickness or sadness. But that is already packed as well. Good Conversation with people…if only there was a way to pack FAC at the Hudson house in my suitcase…I would be set. Even with starting to pack, I know that bag stuffed full of stuff will be unpacked and repacked at least a dozen times over the next few months. With my OCD of worring I forgot something or there might be something I packed that I don’t really need. Oh the stress. I could follow the ways of some that I know and just through everything in a bag….wrinkled and all 30 minutes before my plane leaves on June 30^th. This tactic may work for some and on any other trip I would possibly consider it but this one…this one I think I might need to prepare and plan for just a little bit.

But even as I am overwhelmed by the thought of packing, there is a bit of satisfaction of the thought of being to carry everything that I need for the next two years on my back. Not being tied down with possession of any kind but truly feeling free to be able to explore without strings attached. Without anything holding me back. It is truly a wonderful feeling.  

Let the packing continue……

Adventure Must Start With Running Away From Home

Home is defined as the place in which one’s domestic affections are centered. A worthy and factual definition. But over the course of the last year, the word 'home' has come to mean so much more. It has been a whirlwind of a year. One with Adventures and new challenges which I had never faced before. Challenges that pushed me to my breaking point. Those challenges that caused me to be weaker and more vulnerable than I had ever been while at the same time forcing me to be stronger than I have ever been.

You could have asked me a year ago if I would ever return to my home town and I would have told you straight up there was no chance in hell I would ever live there again. I would have told you I was destined for more. That the adventures I had left to take did not included moving home or more so moving back to the place I grew up. Yes part of it would always have a feeling of home. It was were my parents lived and where the rest of my family resided. But I had grown to call each place I had lived over the past 6 years home and I never wished to call Delta County home again.

'Never Say Never'. You hear that phrase all of the time. I said I would never return home. But that is the exact place I have resided for the past 10 months. It was unfortunate circumstances which lead me back to this place but I am thankful every day that it did. It took coming home to make me realize what I truly needed. I didn't need to return to place I grew-up or to the mountains I so dearly loved. I didn't need to reture to the house that I lived in or to that same familiar drive. What I needed were the people and the relationships that come with family. That sense of belonging and that sense of safety and security that comes with family. Knowing that family doesn't necessarily have to blood either, but can be those remarkable people you have been so blessed to have as part of you life. Knowing you can always count on them to be your ultimate support team when you need it the most even when they might not necessarily agree with he decision you have made, they still understand and support you through it all.

Through all of my little and big adventures I had over the past 6 years that was one thing I was missing most. But it is strange. The feeling I have now. I have everything I could ever want when It comes to that. But there is still something missing. I am in search of something more. Maybe that's why I have chosen to start an Adventure with Peace Corps. Its not why I choose to join, but may be a part of why I am going.

There is such excitement that is within me as I think of the two years that lie ahead. But just as there is such excitement there is also the fear of uncertainly and of the unknown. The thought of going to a brand new place and starting new is a feeling I have had many times but it never seems to get easier. Maybe its human nature to fear the unfamiliar. To dread leaving the place where the familiar made one feel a sense of safety and security.

There are all the 'What Ifs" That fill your mind. What if i don't belong there? What if this was not the right choice? What if I am not cut out of this adventure? What if I need the support of the family and they are 6000 miles away? What if something happens to someone I love dearly while I am away? Will I ever be able to forgive myself of not being there? What If..... But then I think, What if I belong there? What if I find an incredible family that give me the same support as the one here? What If I make a difference in someones life? What if I teach someone something new? What if I fall in love with Zambia? and What if I learn to call Zambia home?
I think the 'What if's" of the world is how I/we deal with that fear. The way we try to talk ourselves out of something. The way we put our mind at ease. There is a chance that all these things could happen. But that is part of the Adventure. That unknown and unfamiliar that we fear so much is what makes life exciting. It is what Inspires me to travel it. Who knows where it may lead. What people I may meet or impact I may have one someone life.

There is still something missing. I am in search of something more.Will I find it in Zambia? Its hard to say but I know through it all I will have the support of my family, plus....Adventure must start with running away from home...but that doesn't mean I cant come back to the place where everything is better and everything is safe.

You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience.

More than a year ago, I began the process of filling out the peace corps application. Little did I know it would truly take a year to get through the application process. But good news finally arrived when I received the following letter just a few days ago:

Congratulations! It it with great pleasure that we invite you to begin training in Zambia for Peace Corps Service. You will be joining thousands of Americans who are building stronger communities around the world. This call to action give you the opportunity to learn new skills and find the best in yourself......

I will be Zambia bound come July 30th. My official job title will be Rural Fish Culture Extension Agent. As a Rural Fish Culture extension Agent, I will be working with Zambian fish farmers. My primary duties will be to help the communities build and manage their own integrated aquaculture systems, operation them as small business enterprises and build organizational capacity of fish farmer associations. The species we will be raising will be Tilapia. I better start doing some research on this species. Though I have taught about tiplapia as part of my aquaculture lessons in class, I can only imagine how much more I need to learn before I go. However, with the technical training they will provide, I know I will be prepared when I arrive on my site.

Just less than 5 months till departure. Stay tuned for stories from a mud hut!