Hello everyone!
Since my last post much has changed in my world, but first I would like to extend my gratitude to all who have donated to help me fund my trip, without you this trip may not have become a reality.
I've moved back to Minneapolis from Grand Forks to be closer to my family during my last month in the states. Since my parents have made the decision to move up to our lake place and rent out our Lakeville home, I've been living with my grandparents in South Minneapolis. It's been truly wonderful spending time with them(not to mention grandma cooks dinner every night and who could say no to that?!).
I've also booked my flight! I was sitting in the Caribou Coffee near my grandparents house and spent about 25 minutes with my finger hovering over the "book flight" button. After I finally booked my ticket I looked up to a coffee shop of people staring at me which is when I realized I was crying(probably because I thought of how many pairs of shoes I could have bought for the price of a plane ticket to South Africa) Just kidding. Purchasing my ticket was my first wave of realization that this was all really happening and it's overwhelming to me how fortunate I've been.
I will be taking off out of Chicago O'Hare at 5:30AM on the 30th of December, and if any of you know me you know that I am not a morning person. Although, I doubt that I'll be getting much sleep the night before I leave. My next stop is in Washington DC where I will have a 9 and a half hour layover... What a drag. If all goes smoothly I may get to take a stroll along our nation's Capitol, but we'll see! Next stop is in Johannesburg, South Africa then straight on to my final destination in Cape Town, South Africa where I will welcome the New Year. With a total travel time of 33 hours and 5 minutes I'm open to any and all suggestions for good books to bury myself in along the way.
It still has yet to fully hit me that this is all really happening, but I predict when I am boarding my first flight the excitement will consume me. I have been so blessed to have such a strong support system behind me. I have been lucky to have my family by my side throughout all of this. My brothers, Donny and P.J., couldn't be more excited(or jealous) for me. My dad, Paul, has been his usual "hard to read" self, but I like to think that under that strong exterior he's secretly freaking out to let his little girl go. My mom, Doreen, on the other hand couldn't be more opposite from my father. She's expressed just about every emotion there is from excitement to nervousness to jealousy to smothering me with love.... and I'm really going to miss that over the next year.
I'm excited to be surrounded with my family over the holiday season, as I won't be around for the holidays next year. I'm also eager to see all of my friends who attended distant schools over the winter break. I'll be taking advantage of every minute I get to spend with my loved ones. I feel that I have so much more to be thankful for than I have in previous years.
Keep following as I begin my year abroad, and happy holidays to everyone!
Much love,
Maggie
**If you are interested in helping sponsor me, you can donate using the pay pal button on my first blog post, or you can mail your donation to my home address below. For more information on the Rockland's Centre, visit: www.rocklandscentre.weebly.com
Home address: c/o Paul & Doreen McGinty - 36953 657th Avenue; Watkins, MN 55389
