Home

I have come to realize the to me, home is not just a physical place in which I live.  My home, or I should say homes, may in part have to do with location, but have much more to do with connections. To me, these connections include memories, emotional and spiritual ties, and the people I associate these places with.

The first place I think of as home is the house I grew up in.  My home here is not only the house, but also the area I grew up in as a whole.  The Bay Area will always hold a special place in my heart because this is the first place I became familiar with and love.  Of course, another thing that makes this place home to me is my immediate family.  I will always associate this place with them and know that this will be the place we will can always count on to find each other and meet.

I would also consider Wisconsin to be home.  I associate Wisconsin with much of my extended family and this was and has always been the place I know I will get to see many of them again.  I have so many great memories of spending warm summer day out on a lake with my family swimming and fishing.

One other place I will associate with the word home is Spokane.  I spent four years of my life in Spokane while in college and I do not regret my choice in going to Whitworth University.  I had the best professors ever and made some of the greatest friends I could possibly ask for.  I grew so much during this time of my life and I would not change it for the world.  To anyone associated with any of these places I call home, thank you for being part of my life and for all you may have done for me (even the smallest of influences had a huge impact and me and I am so grateful for that).

I can't believe that I am leaving for Ethiopia in little over a month.  I suspect that despite how hard the beginning of my two years there will be, I will find a new home.  The two years I will spend here I am sure will be full of ups and downs, good times and bad times, hard times and easy times.  These two years will go by with a blink of the eye but it will be a time that I know will change me for the better.  I will grow and learn so much from the experiences I go through and I will look back on them with a smile on my face.

In finding a new home in Ethiopia, I am excited that I will not be losing any of the places I think of as home, but adding to them instead.  Thank you all for the support you have and continue to show me while I go through this process.  It means the world to me and I know that with the continued support, my transition and overall experience during the next couple years will be much smoother and easier.