Leaving for Nicaragua...

I had enough time to catch some sights in DC this morning--Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Capitol Building.  It was fun to walk around the National Mall but it was WAY hot so we got a little sweaty... We took the metro back & managed to get in to the hotel about 10 minutes before our meeting, just enough time to change & quickly get downstairs :) 

After all the fun paperwork & meetings, we had our "last supper" in the States and headed back to the hotel.  I've been packing and sorting things for awhile & took a nice long, hot shower (could be my last--except for the first 3 days in Managua). 

Just wanted to give a quick update and let you know everything is going well & I'm anxious to get to Nicaragua!  Sorry if I haven't called you if I told you I would...there hasn't been much time!!  :(  I will try to get some calls out in Managua.  All right, last night in the States is a little sad, but I know Nicaragua will be fun.  Please send letters if you can--it will be nice to hear from home :)  My address is posted on here.

DC

I'm here in DC safe and sound :)  There was a guy from Oregon (Sam) on my flight so we got to chat in between flights.  Then, we took a taxi to our hotel and met up with another guy from Puerto Rico (Josue) and met two girls for dinner: Jessie (Colorado) and Jessica (Arizona).  It was nice to have a small group to hang out with tonight & we're planning on going out tomorrow to check out the sights!  :)  Tomorrow afternoon/evening we have Peace Corps meetings/orientation stuff, but then hopefully we'll get to hang out more as a group and have fun!  Ok, well this is it for now because we're going to bed soon, as it has been a long day of traveling, but I will post when I arrive in Nicaragua.  Peace to all of you :)

Last Day in Oregon

Well today is my last day in Oregon before I head off for Nicaragua... I had been doing well no getting too emotional with goodbyes, but today after church was difficult.  I was saying goodbye to some close friends and I couldn't help but break down.  Reality hit.  I think it's an overwhelming mix of emotions.  I'm happy and excited to be going to Nicaragua because I know that it will be an incredible experience and I am eager to serve the people there.  I am sad to leave family and friends behind and not be able to talk to them anytime I want.  I feel so blessed and humbled by the vast amount of people telling me that they are praying for me and they are proud of me.  There is no way to fully explain what I feel now, but I do feel grateful for this wonderful blessing in my life. 

Today was a nice, easy day.  My family went to church, we saw some good friends and said some sad goodbyes, and then went home.  We had a couple visitors to add some pages to my scrapbook and then I had a great dinner with my parents.  Dad made mashed potatoes & peas (my favorite), smoked chicken, and corn on the cob.  Mom & I went to the store to make some last minute purchases (gifts for my host family) and then we had some strawberry rhubarb pie at home.  We then had a Skype refresher course to make sure my parents remembered their user names & passwords and then how to call me :) 

I have my bags packed--just need to add a couple things in the morning that I'll use before I take off to the airport.  I feel good, not rushed and stressed.  This is exciting!  DC tomorrow and Nicaragua on Wednesday :)

Dad & Daughter Day

I've been spending a lot of time with my mom lately, cherishing the last days here in Oregon before I leave for Nicaragua.  My dad travels a lot for work and because his business is with ponds and gardening, summer is the high travel season for trade shows, etc.  Thursday I went and got pedicures with my mom, godmother, and her daughter, which was super fun and a nice treat before I leave.  Today (Friday--I stayed up late tonight), although my dad had to work at a trade show, I went with him and worked in the booth to spend some extra time with him.  I've worked with him before so it was fun and I love listening to my dad talk about the products because I'm amazed at his knowledge and skill.  He also works with some fun people that I love visiting with (even if they are Duck fans...yuck!).  Anyway, we had a nice drive up to Portland for the show and enjoyed each other's company while there.  After the show we headed home and then went out to dinner, just the two of us :)  We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant in town and my dad told me I could only use Spanish, so I did, which was fun, because he then asked me what I said, or what the waitress asked, or to translate things on the wall haha  We really had a great time and made sure to complete our dinner with deep fried ice cream. Yum!  After dinner we went back home again and settled onto the couch to drift away into the comedy of The Office.  I love my dad and I really will miss these moments!  I love my mom too of course :)

Thankful.

Wow.  Sunday was a blessed day.  I went to church with my family where we had an outdoor service at the new park in town.  It was beautiful and it did not rain, as it was predicted to do.  I shared my testimony of deciding to do Peace Corps, how God has been using this opportunity to mold me and change me into what He wants me to be, and sharing with others how I will be serving the people in Nicaragua.  This was exciting for me to talk about it, but what was more exciting was when my family and friends joined me on the stage and prayed over me and my journey.  What an incredible feeling and I could not restrain my tears.  Some people from church came up to me after the service and told me that they would be praying for me.  Knowing that God will be watching over me is wonderful, but also hearing how He calls His people to be obedient and care for others is a beautiful work in itself. 

I had my going away party Sunday afternoon/evening and it was just another blessing.  So many friends and family came and spent time together eating food, chatting, and adding scrapbook pages to my book.  It wasn't at all sad because there was so much joy there.  I was so happy to just be together with people who have been such a big support in my life.  I cannot fully express how thankful I am to everyone who has prayed for me, encouraged me, and inspired me.  I hope that I will do great work for the Lord and serve His people well.

Countdown Update...

Nicaragua in 11 days!

P.S. The first blog I wrote on here back in May began my countdown at 111 days.  Those 100 days have flown by so fast!  Can't believe I'm under 2 weeks!!

Camping

Just got back from my last family camping trip for awhile.  We went up to our usual place on the McKenzie Pass where the water flows ice cold straight from the mountains.  I love camping and hiking and we made sure to do some fishing too :)  It was a bummer that my brother couldn't join us, but I had a great time with my parents, and my grandparents visited and fished with us one afternoon.  The hot weather and bugs foreshadowed what will come in Nicaragua...

Here are some pictures from the trip.  We decided to hike a different trail than usual, so that was fun.

Airport Goodbyes

We had such a whirlwind visit with Ty and Jess, but it was so worth the craziness. Today was the end of the adventure and a little sad saying goodbye to my brother because I won't see him in well over a year :(  I look forward to being able to talk online via Skype though, so I can remember what he looks like haha   It was funny being at the airport yet again (picked up Ty Tuesday, then Jess Thursday & back again on Thursday for another friend Ben, then today to take Ty & Jess back).  I will be there soon to say departing for my flight (13 days).

Cupcake Wars!

Since I've been here at my parents' house, I've fallen back into the HGTV routine and my dad loves watching the Food Network, which I enjoy most of the shows on there.  Anyway, we started watching Cupcake Wars which is fairly entertaining and while watching, my mom and I thought red velvet cupcakes sounded delicious, as we had never had them before.  This inspired my dad and me to make some :) 

I Got Baggage...

So I weighed my bags today and they are just a little overweight...oops!  This means that I have to do what I hate doing: go through my bags and decide what's not necessary and take it all out.  This is so difficult because I'm packing for a two year trip to a place I've never been.  I usually don't mind packing because I love organizing and such, but this is a little too overwhelming!  I have two weeks to figure this all out so the clock is ticking.  I think I need to take a packing break for a couple days, which means our camping trip this week is coming at just the right time :) 

Days of Summer

My brother has been here since Tuesday and his girlfriend got in Thursday and it has been quite a whirlwind of activities.  We've gone out to many meals together to share favorite places and try some new ones.  We have met up with old friends and visited family. We spent the day fishing, then hiking, then eating our catch.  We traveled on the coast on a foggy, yet warm day, and hit up the Tillamook Cheese Factory and a tour of Linfield College by my brother.  We shared dinner on the rooftop of the McMenamin's in McMinnville with a nice summer breeze as the sun set over the coastal range.  Tomorrow is packed once again with more festivities and then Monday we'll get to relax a little before taking Ty and Jess to the airport in the afternoon.  I can't believe Saturday is already over and Monday is coming so soon.  It has been great having my brother here--yes, we do argue still, but it wouldn't be family if we didn't disagree once in awhile :)

Onto Peace Corps news...I found out that when we arrive in country we stay in a hotel for 3 days for some orientation stuff, vacinations, and I think language placements, before being sent out to our training towns.  I'm so excited for all of this and it's coming up quick!  The countdown to DC is 15 days and then for Nicaragua it's 17 days!  Oh my gosh,I can barely believe it...

Address

Well apparently I have WAY too much on my mind because I had my address for the training period in Nicaragua in a pdf file from about a few months ago and totally forgot about it. Hmmm...don't know what I was thinking, but anyway, I'll post it here so feel free to send something to me. It takes about 2 weeks for mail to get there so you could send something to me soon and I might arrive to Nicaragua with mail waiting for me hint hint :)

My address in Nicaragua from September 1-November 22nd (approximately):

Megan McCann, PCT
Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3256
Managua, Nicaragua
Central America

If sending packages, try to keep it under 2 pounds and send it through regular USPS mail (not FedEx, UPS, etc).  Padded envelopes are actually better, because apparently all boxes get opened :(

Some people have suggested writing "Dios le bendiga" (God bless you) on mail as well as small crosses.  Also, writing in red ink helps.  Not quite sure about all of this, but it's worth a try!

Hope to here from you soon!  Countdown: 21 days!

Brother is here!

We picked up my brother yesterday!  It's crazy that it's been 8 months since we've seen him, but it was so nice to finally get him home :)  He seems a little taller too, which just makes me feel that much shorter, but oh well.  We have lots of things planned for this week, especially with Tyler's girlfriend flying in tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully we'll get to visit the beach (of "the coast" since Oregon beaches are a little different than let's say, Mexican beaches...) and we're going fishing Friday & maybe a little hiking.  I'm so excited for all of this.  It will be fun to get out and take a little break from packing. 

Packing, Packing, and MORE Packing...

Hmm...well my title kind of explains what I have been doing for the past month and a half.  I gradually packed to come home to Oregon because I like to begin early and get things together so everything is organized.  Now that I'm in Oregon, it's been a mess of unpacking, sorting, repacking, and just craziness.  This is not as easy as I thought it would be.  I was thinking, well, I'll have a month in Oregon to relax, get everything together, spend time with family and friends, and then fly out to DC.  There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day and days in the week...  There are only 22 days left!  Yikes!  I'm already overwhelmed with this packing and it's only been 1 week in Oregon! Ugh :(  I was frustrated because I was trying to find a hiking pack--I knew we had one or two at my parent's house, but I could not find it anywhere.  I wanted to take one with me and I was in a packing halt, just trying to find the pack.  I finally settled on buying one on Amazon, which I'm not sure why I didn't look on there earlier.  I'm slightly addicted to purchasing things on Amazon (mainly books), but that's another story ;)

One thing I can be thankful and excited for is that my brother will be visiting soon.  I really miss him and my family hasn't seen him in 8 months so it will be a nice reunion :)  I love my brother and it's going to be hard to be away from him in Nicaragua, but hopefully my family will come out to visit me during my second year.  Also, my brother is bringing his girlfriend to Oregon.  Well, she's flying over a few days after he gets here, but that will be fun.  She's never been to Oregon before so we'll have to show her a good time. 

This morning I wrote an email to PC Nicaragua to check what my address will be so I'll let you all know when I get that.  I've seen some people posting their addresses from past volunteers, but I wanted to make sure I got the right one.  Then feel free to send me letters :)

I'm also having a going away party in Oregon soon...so hope to see you there!

26 days...

Just 26 more days until I fly out for DC and then a day and a half later I'm off to Nicaragua :)  After waiting and talking about this for so long, I can't believe I have less than one month til departure.  I still have a lot to do and a lot of people to see before I leave, but I'm really looking forward to this adventure! 

Hello Oregon! Nicaragua, I'll be there soon!

I'm back in Oregon...yay!  I really love Oregon and I'm glad I get to spend a month here with my family and friends.  It will be a nice time to relax and get things together slowly for Nicaragua.  I know it will come up fast, but I'm going to take it day by day :) 

Well my parents drove up Saturday, July 31st to Spokane and we hung out for awhile.  I had pretty much everything packed, but we planned to drive back the next day because two 7 hour drives in one day is a little much and I wanted to keep my parents happy :)  We visited my "BFF" Piah to say goodbye and there were some tears.  I'm gonna miss that girl!

This is Piah not wanting me to go...notice that "death grip" she has around me...

Then we went over to Drew & Erin's to show off their house & garden to my parents.  After the garden tour, we went out to dinner at the Steam Plant Grill downtown.  It was sooo good and I'm sad that I waited until my last night in Spokane to try it. I'll be back in 2 1/2 years though...  Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture together at the restaurant so I'm a little sad about that, but I have many pictures of my wonderful friends so no worries there :) 

I dropped off my parents at their hotel for the night and I had one last girls' night watching Friends with friends :)  We've had a little tradition to get together and watch some episodes of Friends while eating junk food.  It's been so much fun and I'm gonna miss those girls! 

So, the next morning we packed up the cars and I said my goodbyes to my roommates (very sad) and headed out around 10am.  It was nice to chat with my mom in my car--she drove half the way and I drove the rest.  My dad drove my grandparents' van which is good because he likes to listen to talk radio...not sure how he doesn't fall asleep!  haha  We got back home and unloaded the cars and then drove down to my grandparents house to return their van and pick up our car and dog (Stevie).  I was a little disappointed because he was more excited to see my dad than me, even though he had seen my dad two days before.  He really does love my dad though and it's cute :) 

Anyway, I'm here now in Oregon, trying to unpack everything, organize, sort through what I want to take with me to Nicaragua, donate, or put in storage.  Lots of stuff to go through so I'll be busy!  It's weird how I ended up with all of this stuff and it really makes me want to donate a lot of it because I know I don't really need most of it.  I bet when I get back from Nicaragua I'll get rid of even more when I see how little they have down there.  It will be nice to put things in perspective. 

Well that's about it for now.  I booked my flight for DC and since I'm on the west coast I get to fly in a day early, so hopefully I can check out some things around the city before staging begins.  Can't wait!