Turned Upside-down

Up until a few hours ago I was under the impression that I was leaving for staging in less than a week. I was saying my last goodbyes to friends and family. I was preparing myself for Mauritania.

Then I received a phone call. Urgent news about my departure. Uh oh, that is never good news. Turns out that none of our visas have been issued and we are probably going to have to wait until the free elections, held in July, are over. I am not sure why this information comes less than one week from the beginning of our adventure, but bismillah.

As of now I think I am still a bit in shock from the unexpected information. I really hate second goodbyes. I have already said goodbye to almost everyone and now I know that I will have the whole summer before I leave. At this point the best guess from the Peace Corps for when we are leaving is mid-August. That means I have two extra months.

I kind of feel like everything has been turned upside-down. Mostly I am still in shock. I was really expecting to get on a plane in a week and walk off on a new continent. I must say I am quite disappointed. But I guess this is just the way the cookie crumbles. It looks like I may actually get to take a road trip with Kevin cross-country for the summer to keep myself occupied.

If and when I get more information on what is happening I will let everyone know. Maybe it is a good thing I did not pack everything yet...