Preparing for takeoff

Return leased car- check

Cancel insurance- check

Cancel phone- check
Cancel netflix- check

Spend lots of money on pre-departure food, drinks and fun- check check check

T-1 day until I depart for Egypt and all that's left to do is pack. I find packing to be a daunting, yet exciting task. It's impossible to fit everything you want, so what a fabulous way to de-clutter and simplify. Last time I undertook it all I had was a list ofrecommended items and an intense fear that I would leave behind something extremely important.

This time, there is no fear. I know exactly what I want to take and I know exactly what I'll be able to buy in Morocco. It's a pretty great feeling!

I've spent the last few weeks in my hometown of Mason, MI for family time. Thanks to all those who participated in the various parties and dinners. It's been a great few weeks!

Dinner and drinks with Gloria and Brenna

Family barbeque and pool party

Baseball game with Dad, Sue, David and Arika

Off to Egypt tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Missing Madison before I've gone

Only 9 days left in Madison. It's quite sad, I really love this place. Things I'll miss:

- the tiny door out to my back porch

- corner patio at Genna's

- Mango Mojito at the Icon

- Jolly Bob's

- beer drinking and lake watching at the Terrace

- farmers markets on the square with spicy cheese bread

- drinking wine on the grass around the capital for concerts on the square

- biking to trader joe's and putting my groceries in my awesome basket

- Hook's melt with greens and wine tastings at Barrique's on Monroe St

- Babcock ice cream

- Ian's pizza

- Margaritas with the ladies at Pedro's

- Awesome friends

I think the moral of that list is that Madison is great for eating and drinking. Especially eating and drinking outside- I've obviously forgotten about all of the great winter activities. Since my last day of work last Friday, I've been happily unemployed and trying to enjoy all of the above listed things as much as humanly possible before I go. It's been brilliant and I know that I'll go through some kind of withdrawal.

I only regret that in order to survive here over the last 2.5 years, I've had to spend the majority of my time working and traveling for work. Why is it that we Americans have such trouble finding a good life balance? So many people have to choose between being well-rested, but bored because they have no money to spend or full of stress, but unhappy because there's no time to do anything fun with their money.

That is going to be one of my goals for my time in Morocco- to find a happy life balance. I hope to develop routines that divide my time each day among the following:

- Exercise (I just ordered some yoga/pilates videos to do in my apartment)

- Study (for the GRE and the Foreign Service Exam, Arabic, French, Spanish)

- Work (teaching English at AMIDEAST)

- Relaxation (catching up on reading, movies, hanging at Mohamed's store, chats with loved ones)

I'm not so naive as to think I'll get to each thing each and every day, but a girl's got to have goals! In PC I wasted a lot of my time on satellite television and I wince when thinking about all that could have been accomplished in that time.

The apartment is almost packed. Pictures are off the walls, books off of shelves, stacks of boxes in every corner- proof that it's really drawing to a close. Everything gets moved into storage a week from Sunday and then I'm off for some family time in Michigan. I'll post again once I get there...

The Whole Story - Part 3

The End?

As the end of my service approached, I had to plan my next move. Mohamed and I didn't talk about my departure much, but there was an understanding that I was leaving and he was staying. Due to immigration and visa policies, there were only two options if I wanted to pursue the relationship. I could stay, or I could bring him back to the States on a fiance visa. With a fiance visa, we'd have to get married within three months of entering the states.

Mohamed's first time bowling, one of our last excursions

At 24 and pretty close to broke, I didn't feel in a position to get married and support someone else. I had no real experience and didn't know how long it was going to take to get a job. The thought of bringing Mohamed home with me was way too overwhelming to consider and frankly, I didn't want to get married! I also didn't want to stay. As much as I loved that country, I had been gone for two years and was excited to go home, see family and friends and try to make a new life.

So we spent a few last days together in the capital and said our goodbyes. It was possibly the hardest thing I've ever done, but at that time I knew it was the right move. I left.

Back in the states, I did my best to re-adapt. I got a job, found an apartment, dated. For the past two years I've lived a good life, but Mohamed was never far from my thoughts. I never quite new what to say when we'd talk on the phone and he'd say he missed me. I missed him too and I'd tell him that, but we'd just end up in the same spot during the next call.

Then, a few months ago I was at dinner with a friend here in Madison and we started talking about relationships. A comment she made during that dinner got me thinking about what I was doing with my life. Why had I left him? My original reasons no longer held true, so what was keeping me from going back?

The longer I thought about going back and pursuing our relationship, the more my mood lifted and the more it seemed like the right thing to do. So after a few months of pondering and running the potential scenarios through my mind, I called Mohamed and asked if he wanted me to come back. He did!

So, now I go back to see where things lead. I'm happy to report that things are working very much in my favor and as the pieces come together, I can't help but feel more and more strongly that I'm headed in the right direction. I haven't been this confident that i'm making the right move since I left two and half years ago!

As for the logistics, I leave from Detroit on August 20th for Alexandria, Egypt where I'll attend a certification program for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Then, with my certificate in hand, it's off to the capital where I begin working as an English teacher on September 27th. It's a pretty good gig and I look forward to enjoying the country on a bit more than my PC stipend. I'll even have breaks long enough to travel!

My home starting September 25

I hope to keep this blog a bit more active this second time around, so be sure to look for updates. I also really appreciate everyone's comments and encouragement, so be sure to keep them coming!