Last night in NC

It's been just over two months since my last entry so this entry is way overdue! However, since I'm leaving the country for 8 months tomorrow and I haven't started packing yet, I'm going to have to keep this brief.

I last wrote in Costa Rica and from there Leah, Rachel, and I traveled to Panama and met up with Ruben (Rachel's boyfriend). We did a whirlwind tour of Panama and spent time in an indigenous community that Rachel had spent time with a few years ago when she studied abroad there. It was amazing few days and we were able to visit 4 out of the 11 Naso villages that are located close to the Costa Rican border. From there we went to Bocas del Toro and spent almost a week at the beach relaxing and doing some snorkeling. After that we went to David to visit Ruben's family and spent a few days with them and did some hiking. From there we went to Panama City for just a couple nights before flying back to the states.

I thought I might have some culture shock after being gone for about 7 months so I was a little surprised about how smooth my transition was to my life here. The biggest change was orienting myself to Carrboro since my mom moved here from Durham while I was away. I spent my first month back in NC working for a nonprofit in Durham and catching with friends and family. It was great to be back except for the NC heat and humidity!

Near the end of August I flew up to MA and spent about a week visiting friends from Clark and then spent a week in Keene visiting my dad and stepmom. I was able to do some hiking, boating, swimming, and blueberry picking so I was happy. Then this past weekend I went to my friend Rebecca's wedding in Provincetown and it was a beautiful event. It took place on the beach and was casual and fun. Rebecca and I have been friends since age four so it was not something that I wanted to miss!

I flew back to NC two days ago and tomorrow my friends and I will be flying to Peru. I've had a great six weeks in the states, but at the same time I'm feeling ready to hit the road again. I'm especially excited because this time I'm going to a continent that I've never been to before and I'm curious to see how different it is from Central America. The dad of a friend of a friend is going to pick us up at the airport and our plan is to stay in Lima for four nights and then head south to Pisco where we'll be doing earthquake relief work for a few weeks. I'll write more about that once I get there.

Take care and please keep in touch!