Two Weeks and Counting...

Here I am, two weeks before the Great Dive. Into the deep end i go, unsure of what lies ahead but desperately holding on to everything that has already passed. In two weeks i will be boarding a plane, its destination- Poland. Yes, Poland...that country that is silently snuggled between Germany and Russia? Yes, that would be it. A land overflowing with meet and vodka, one can only imagine my excitement as they learn of my interesting 'vegetarian' diet. Why, then, you may ask? Why Poland? Of all places you could have gone, why...there? I hear it a lot. And the answer is found in the question....Why not? Why not Poland? Yeah, sure i could have picked Italy (after all those are my roots right?), i could have picked England (i hear the pubs stay open till 4am) or even Spain (beautiful weather, beaches, dark men with thick accents?), but instead i will be flying into harsh winter weather in a country where they speak one of the hardest languages in the world (my tongue refuses to form Polish words), with pork and potatoes being a staple food choice. So again, you may be asking Why? even as you read this. I'll try to paint a picture that may somewhat bring logic to this 'foreign' idea. The story of my life (in its short 21 years) has seen many chapters, more chapters than i have years to count. Many of these stories have been ones we all may know-childhood stories, tales of friendship, of growing and learning. Many of my stories have been expected, a story of fulfilled assumptions. Yet, the past 6 years have created a story in and of itself, a story of complete uncertanities, of unknowns, a few hundred blank pages waiting to be written out. The past six years has shown its many different faces, from heartache, confusion, and insecurities, to triumphants, mending, and new found strengths, each coming as unexpected guests, unwelcomed at first until each found its proper place where we've all become friends. These past six years have been the most exciting years of my life. I've learned to embrace the unknowns, to walk into the darkness with a faith that tells me a light will soon follow. Poland is a great unknown, a mystery. I dont know what i'll find. I'm there to study psychology at a University and help with research, but i know theres something more, theres another reason why i'm being called to Poland. The question is wheather or not i will know how to listen... Right now, i am enjoying every minute with family and friends. Laughing at the last visits to IUP, relaxing in peaceful New Bethlehem, breathing in the excitement of Philidelphia, and soaking up the last bit of Vitamin D in Florida. Two weeks and counting...