Crunch Time

Yesterday was my last day of work nannying in Bloomfield Hills! I had really been looking forward to a few weeks off before heading to Benin, and here I am. I was surprised to feel kind of sad leaving there yesterday, both because I'll miss the people (and the money!), and because that means I am truly in high gear getting ready to take off in a few weeks!
In these next three weeks, I have a TON to do. Along with all of the shopping I still need to do, I have tons of things to arrange like canceling my cell phone, consolidating bank accounts, getting medications set up, etc. etc.
The good news is, though, that I got my new laptop yesterday! I debated for a long time about whether or not to bring a laptop, and the general consensus of current PCVs is yes, definitely bring one. That way I can write blogs and journals on it, and store pictures on it, load it to a flash drive and take it quickly to an internet site when I have access to one. I got an Asus Eee, which is 7 inches and weighs less than 2 pounds! It is very durable and works well in the heat- perfect for my travels! It runs on Linux, and I was planning on installing Windows onto it when I got it, but it turns out I LOVE Linux and it is much more efficient than Windows. Saves a ton of space too!
This past week we sent out invitations for my goodbye openhouse on June 29. We're getting a cake in the shape of Africa hahaha, how awesome is that! Please come by if you can, it is at 2:30 at 212 N. Seventh st. in Ann Arbor.
Yesterday I found out that Cam will be here the weekend before I leave, which is very cool. I also made my travel arrangements to get from Detroit to Philadelphia (for staging) to Benin: I leave Detroit at 10:10 am on July 1, leave Philadelphia at 6:45 pm on July 3, get into Paris the morning of July 4 and get to Benin at 6:35 pm that night. We start our classes and training on July 5, and on the 6th we meet with the ambassador! Can't wait :)
Last random thought for this blog: I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a cat or two while I'm in Benin. I've never lived without cats, they would be great company, and keep down the lizard and bug population in my house :) Let the shopping marathon begin...