Thanks-giving

There are a lot of people I want to thank, and I can’t wait until fall. I made a concerted effort not to use anyone’s real or full names, so you may have to look carefully. Here they are in alphabetical order:

305 Patterson: I made it through a year without catching malaria—let’s see if I can do two more. Thanks for your endless patience and support!
Acadia ENVS, Geologists and others: Thanks for swimming, snow shoeing, free-style rap and carrot cakes, 400 AD parties, occasional study sessions, button mushroom extravaganzas, Iron Chefs and Spidermanly expeditions.
Acadian Somalis: Thanks for the encouragement, Swahili lessons, and teaching me how to cook Somali pasta!
Acadia Tanzanians: Thanks for making me feel welcome in Tanzania long before I ever set foot there!
Acadia WUSC & Amnesty: Thanks for being beautiful people. Inside and out.
’banksians: Thanks for not being too cool for me four years after we graduated from high school.
Calypso farmers: Thanks for teaching me the dual arts of broad-forking and scuffle-hoeing, and for being incredibly wonderful people!
CEDUAM: Gracias para la introducción a México, a la agricultura orgánica, y al Chavo del Ocho.
Cousins: I’d probably be bumming around if it weren’t for the example you’ve set… you are all doing cool things, and I didn’t want to be left out! Thanks for the inspiration.
Former teachers: Thanks for putting up with me and imparting your knowledge on me. Your influence allowed the alphabetization of this list, among other things.
Horse: Thanks for the ride! And for putting up with bad Mexican music and a concerted lack of Feng shui.
Irmao: Thanks for putting up with me, giving me Portuguese lessons, and teaching me the wonders of Bangu, the Smiths, and caipirinha.
Jackie Chan: Thanks for being an inspirational role model.
Mom & Dad: Thanks for everything! Don’t take it personally that yet again I seem to be trying to get as far away from you as possible.
Nortons and the Chalmers: I wish I could have seen more of you! Thanks for the support!
Old Roomies: You are all brilliant, blinding lights from heaven. Only one word could possibly come close to describing you: scrumtrulescent. The only problem is that I feel my luck on roommates can’t possibly hold out. I’m in for a doozy.
Peace Corps in Fairbanks: Thanks for having me at your meeting and giving me great advice—thanks to you I will not be lacking peanut butter and blow-up globes in Tanzania.
Queens of the WIC: Thanks for your general amazingness!
Sis & Bro: So glad we had a little bit of a reunion. Some day we’ll make it to that bus.
Valdivians and Gringuitas: Thanks for helping me get the travel bug!

Hello all!
First off, can anyone guess what the roosters say in Tanzania? I will let you know when I get there! Thanks for visiting my blog. This is where you can find out about my adventures in Tanzania, where I will be in a week, working as an environment volunteer for the Peace Corps. Right now I am preparing for the trip by trying to scrape together everything from "business casual" clothes to pictures of my family that they don't hate to ziplock baggies. I am ecstatic to be going to Tanzania, but of course I will miss all of you! The first question is: will I survive the 11 hour time difference and transition from Fairbanks (where it snowed this weekend!) to Dar Es Salaam? Time will tell...