Last Minute Preparation

I leave the country in exactly one week!! The excitement hasn't fully sunk in because my mind won't shut off and keeps running through the mental checklist. My suitcase and backpack have been living in the corner of my room, with items being tossed haphazardly in that direction as they cross my mind. I did a bunch of errands to grab last minute items like a first aid kit, probiotics, and Emergen-C and now all I should really have left is to arrange it nicely.

I do still need to treat my clothing with Permethrin to keep the mosquitos at bay. It is supposed to last for up to 6 weeks, through up to 6 washings. Seeing as how we're going to a very rural community in the middle of the rainforest, I'll take all the protection I can get.

Today one of my goals is to collect some postcards with photos of my town, which I'll give to the kids as a little souvenir to share where I'm from. It shouldn't be too difficult as I live in a touristy region. I'm also packing a Colorado wildflowers guidebook, a frisbee, and a card game.

It's pretty awesome that I have the opportunity to engage with a culture in a special way because of the relationships that others have built over many years. This week I'm going to be doing some more research about Paraguayan history in order to better understand what they've been through, and come up with questions I want to explore further.