Words of Inspiration

Well, I leave in two days and I am finally packing today.  No, for reals I am.  But...I will admit that I am still procrastinating a bit.  Obviously.  Funny how on the day I am supposed to pack I happen to also be blogging again!!  Coincidental I'm sure :)

In addition to all of the material objects I mentioned I'm packing in a previous post, I also have some paperwork I'm packing that will be invaluable to me during my time abroad .  Yes...I am packing a copy of my itinerary, and also a list of contact names and numbers for when I arrive in Kigali, but what I'm talking about that will hold the most value is words of inspiration from people I love. 

There will be hard times ahead for sure, no question.  Times when I will feel lonely and homesick.  And we all know that when times get hard, having people around us who support us is so important.  So since I will be so far away from the people that mean so much to me and keep me grounded, I am bringing words of inspiration from them with me on my trip, some of which I'd like to share with you.  I'm bringing:

• The poem "Desiderada", one of my dad's favorite poems: http://sageplace.com/desiderada.htm
• The poem "To Have Succeeded" by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  This poem was given to me by Andy Michaud, one of my past bosses and a great inspiration and friend of mine still to this day: http://theopavlidis.com/reprints/emerson1.htm
• Personal letters: One from my "wingwoman" Kerry Davis, who is currently a return Peace Corps volunteer in Columbia (also did Peace Corps service in Vanuatu), and one my dad wrote for me just days ago.

If you have any words of wisdom for travelers (or in general) you would like to share, please feel free to post them in the comments section below :)  Hope you also find some inspiration and peace in some of these passages.