Thursday, April 14, 2011

The End Is Near....

Of TBB that is.
On Friday, April 1st we arrived in New York where we met Robin and Andrea. We all piled onto a bus with our loads of crap, and we started the drive from JFK to the hotel which was holding our parents.
That makes it sound like they were being forcibly held, which is not the case at all.
Anyway. It was a bizarre hour or so being in the bus, driving through New York. It was wet and cold, and frankly, pretty bland and dreary. It was just...a weird experience. And it was strange that we were at that point in the trip.
Anyway, we FINALLY got to the hotel on the Upper West Side (my sister tells me it's the best place to buy drugs. Thanks C.), and suddenly parents came STREAMING out of the doors. People were squealing (okay, GIRLS were squealing) and pointing out family members. I saw my parents come out and then I saw my brother--wearing his red sweatshirt and holding the video camera....typical. :) Anyway Josh and I had an awesome reunion where he ran and jumped into my arms--all while holding the video camera. Then he started yelling, "I'LL NEVER LET GO."
He's pretty cool. :)
I hugged my parents and got my bags and headed inside to see Caitlin, Carson, and my sweet niece--she is precious. I am the luckiest aunt in the world.
Anyway, my family was in New York til Sunday afternoon. We mostly hung out, ate good food, and saw How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying--with DANIEL RADCLIFFE. IT WAS SO COOL. And he was fantastic. Such a fun and funny show.
We're now in DC, and today Robin (a co-founder of TBB. he's with us for the week!) talked to us about POLs and graduation...and I realized that we essentially have three weeks left on TBB.
WHAT?! I mean, it feels like a really long time, and I honestly can't believe I've done this trip...it's surreal.
But really, we're almost done??? It's just bizarre.
That's all I really wanted to say for now. Be praying for us as we process and work on our POLs for the next two weeks, and as we continue to adjust to American culture. It is overwhelming.
Also--I hope no one is offended by this, but here is one of the media projects from South Africa. It is a sort of PSA/commercial. My friends Mary, Luisa, Mckinley, and Alex made it. It's funny and it explains the way HIV works. When we showed it to our careworkers from PlettAid, they thought it as SO funny. Enjoy it, and feel free to pass it along! We would all love for it to become really popular! :)
More to come on the blog, by the way--but probably not until after I'm home. Love ya'll, and thanks for the prayers!