"'Cause I'm leaving in a red car..."

Yep, tomorrow's the big day. I've just about finished packing all my stuff, though I haven't tried putting anything in the car yet, so who knows if it will all fit. By the way, in case any of you aren't familiar with the song being quoted above, it is from "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by, I believe, Peter, Paul and Mary, though I know John Denver also sang his own version. Not sure who was first. Personally, I'm partial to John Denver. It's also appropriate that I quote that song, since my friends in Mykolayiv are fond of singing it to people who are preparing to leave on long journeys. And they usually personalize the lyrics somehow. That picture, by the way, is the result of me visiting Google and typing the words "leaving Orlando city limits." You can interpret this man's expression anyway you choose. ;-)

I've had a nice week which began last weekend when I saw my friend Rosa (also a former volunteer), who was visiting her friend Jim in Highland Beach, Florida, just near Boca Raton. Rosa amazes me every time I see her. She has a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm and when you're around her you can't help but be infected. She's also got a refreshing curiosity about the world that I really admire. Right now, she's very busy working with others to put together an International Outreach Camp to take place next July in three different Ukrainian cities - Donetsk, Bashtanka in the Mykolayiv region, and Ternopil.

I think the highlight of my trip to Highland Beach was the several hours Sunday afternoon we spent on Jim's boat, cruising through the canals and and having lunch on Lake Boca Raton, which is really nothing more than a body of water where four canals come together.

And now this week I've spent my time convincing myself that I am in fact leaving...Monday...tomorrow! My plan is to drive to Chatanooga, Tennessee tomorrow, which will take about 9 or 10 hours. Then, on Tuesday, I'll drive to Indianapolis (6 hours), where I've got a bunch of stuff sitting in a storage unit. Seeing as how my plan is to sleep on a friend's couch in Chicago, I won't actually take anything out of storage but just add more to it. I've said to friends recently that one day I will have a job that will pay me enough to let me have my own place, and there you will find enough shelves to hold my unnecessary number of books. No one person needs this many books, but I inherited this sickness from my father. Anyway, I digress. I plan on arriving in Chicago Wednesday, probably some time in the late morning or early afternoon.

I'll let you all know when I've arrived, safe and sound.