Final thoughts on my last day in the U.S.

Hello, friends!

It's been a very busy past few months, but I've had a blast spending time with family and friends and visiting many new places.  Here's a brief summary with some photos of where I went and what I did:

First I quit my job and then ran my first full marathon, the STL Go!, in mid-April.  Then I visited Miami.  Next, I went on a road-trip to camp and hike in Colorado and (mostly) Utah.  After that, I went to Boston and NYC for the first time:


Then, I came home and went on an incredibly fun float trip. But there aren't any photos from that trip, for obvious reasons.  Lastly, I went to Memphis:


Then I had to come home and see more people, run errands, have a going away party (which was fantastic!), and pack for Peace Corps Liberia.  But I actually didn't pack anything; my friends did it for me.  Aren't they great?!  We went from this (which isn't even half of my stuff) to 3 bags (2 large ones I will check and 1 large carry-on).
 

While I will miss all my friends, I'm glad I got to visit so many of them before I'm leaving (tomorrow!) for 27 months.  I will also miss my family dearly.  Thank you Mommy, Daddy, Sashi, and Sammi for always being loving and supportive!

I would like to thank everyone who has been so supportive of me and my decision to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV).  Yesterday we had a day of orientation ("Staging") in Washington, D.C. and today we're off to Atlanta and then Monrovia.  From there we will be transported to Kakata, the city in which Pre-Service Training (PST) will occur...and then the adventure will truly begin!  I am so glad I did not let anyone or anything hold me back...I am eager to help in Liberia and ready for the challenges that await me.  I plan to update my blog every 1-2 months, but would love to keep in correspondence with anyone back home.  So feel free to email me at djz1247@truman.edu or send me snail mail to:

Danielle Zemmel, PCV
Peace Corps Liberia
P.O. Box 707
Congo Town
Tubman Blvd.
Monrovia, Liberia
*This is just my address during PST.  It will change once I get placed at project site, after early August.

~See you all in 2014!~
Xoxo,
:-Dany