DR!!!

Looking back over the past few weeks, it still amazes me how quickly this trip has snuck up on me. Usually I start counting down the seconds until I leave home for a trip the minute I find out I'm going; but with school, collecting donations, and all the other obligations we all have I kept thinking of the DR trip as being in the far away future. Ever since last Friday when we packed all the donations, however, (I can't BELIEVE we have so much stuff, by the way) leaving for the DR has been on my mind.
Right now, with 2 days left to go, I can't wait to begin the trip. I'm excited for the obvious reasons: I've never been out of the country before and the DR is sure to be absolutely beautiful, as well as because the opportunity to help people living in a completely different culture is something I've never had before.
I hope to gain a new perspective on priorities and what's important. I'm expecting a bit of a culture shock, but I hope that I can appreciate how the villagers and people we will meet can live on so much less than what we have on a daily basis. Basically, I hope and expect that this trip will help me open my eyes to the rest of the world.

-Shyloe