kar0ling

State of preparedness report: I have a visa for entry, a laptop, and a camera. I have been talked through the arrival proceedings and have a picture of the US family with whom I can connect in Paris. I believe all my funds have been pledged -- thank you to all my supporters, in particular my church which has been amazingly supportive. So I guess I'm ready to go. Just need to start packing. That, and finish my sermon. My time off is flying by -- I leave Winnipeg a week from today. With every item that gets ticked off the list, the reality of my departure becomes more real. And with that reality, the nerves. "Teaching children?!?! What on earth has gotten into me?!?!" is a common sentiment. But no, I'll be fine -- I'm up for the challenge; I'm needing to be pushed out of my comfort zone...and if this won't achieve that, nothing will. As during my trip to Ukraine, I remind myself "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:...

My apologies for having failed to update in over a week (though I beg clemency on grounds that I posted a number of times in close succession before the lapse). I'm testing out posting by email so I'll know how this works when I get to Cameroon -- which, by the way, will have weather similar to what we're experiencing in southeastern Manitoba right now. Just getting me acclimatized! For the first time since the event's inception, I was actually at the Kuhl family campout for the whole weekend. Other years I've been at camp, out of the province, out of the country, or working for all or part of the weekend. This year, I was one of the only ones from my generation to stay that long, certainly the only unmarried to stick around the whole weekend. (Actually, there are very few of us left now and most of us are my immediate family.) Fortuntely, Peach came on Saturday and left with me on Sunday, so to avoid feeling out of place I spent much time chasing after her and occa...

I was going to call this entry "New beginnings must be preceded by endings" but as I wrote, I realized the above was a more accurate name. Did I mention I have a hard time letting go? I'm finding it very hard to accept the fact that I'm no longer a bookseller. The Editorial Assistant gig was great; I learned a lot, was stretched and challenged in my vocation, enjoyed my coworkers and the working environment -- but I'd been there for less than a year and I went into it expecting it to be a shorter term job, a stepping stone in my career path, so the leave taking was not as difficult. The end of my bookselling stint? Not quite as blithe. I've been a bookseller for 5 years now and it has been a very comfortable place for me. It was there I started working when I returned from Europe, as I readjusted to North America and got used to city life; it kept me financially solvent while pursuing my undergrad; it allowed me the flexibility to work for Elections Manitoba, ...

I am immensely relieved to have my visa application in the mail...except I won't be free of trepidation until I have my passport back, visa approved. Sending my visa makes me realize it's actually going to happen -- sooner rather than later. Just one more day of work at the newspaper, 2 1/2 more shifts at the bookstore. Training the new guy today went well for me; I hope it went well for him as well! Thankfully, I have news that I will not be wandering around Douala by myself upon my arrival in Cameroon. (Okay, not that that was going to be the case, but it sounds more dramatic.) The original plan was that I'd meet Dan and Lisa at Charles de Gaulle and continue with them from there in on. Just the way I like it -- being "adventurous" within the safe parameters of responsible and experienced oversight. However, the U.S. government got in the way of those plans with delay after delay with Joshua's paperwork. To say I was worried about arriving in Douala all alo...

Yikes! Where does the time go? I've promised myself not to let a week go by without posting something, so here goes. I'm frantically trying to get my visa application sent off. Had no intention of leaving it this late and now there's delay after delay as I'm having difficulty getting an attachment to open so I can print off the vital document contained therein. Also, it's my last week of work at both jobs. Tomorrow, I've got to train the new guy in what I do at the paper. At the bookstore, I've launched into an enormous inventory clean-up project which I've been wanting to do the five years I've been there but lacked the impetus to start in a big way, though I've been chipping away at bits and pieces of it. Think I can get it done in my remaining 2 1/2 shifts? Not a chance. Am I trying valiantly to pull it off AND clean up my sections and get them ready to hand over AND finish up as much of the frontlist ordering as possible? Yes. Because I'm...

Just under one month now until I leave. AH! Where does the time GO?! In other news, I went to visit the girls today and held My Mai for almost 3 hours and gave Peach a bath in there, too. I'm going to miss those little cuties. Mai-Anh will be a completely different child by the time I return. Sigh.