13 days and counting...

Yesterday was my goodbye party that several of my friends coordinated to throw for me. Props to Steph, Heather, Stephen, Erica and Andy. I appreciated the warm send off very much. I'm glad so many people could make it, and a little sad that I didn't get to say goodbye to everyone. As it stands, this week will be my last week of work and I will have a full week to boot. I feel like I have too much to do and not enough time!
I got a chance to meet another volunteer from Washington today. I had a good afternoon (considering the fact that I was still very tired from the party). We hung out for a little while at the SuperMall, and ate dinner together. It makes me feel a little better that I at least know someone else who is going from Washington.
I also bought a few small items that I still needed. I picked up a spill stop for my nalgen bottle, and a luggage scale to weigh my bag. I don't want to go over in weight limit, as the fees are too high, and that is just more stuff I will have to lug around all over the Azeri country-side. I've been reading a lot about the packing lists and suggestions of current volunteers. So far I'm a little worried about my actual suitcase, as it isn't flexible or discrete. My luggage is plastic and fire engine red, and I have no clue where I will put it once I get settled in country. At this point, I still have almost no clothing appropriate for hand-washing, line drying, and conservative... but somehow still breathable in the unbearable heat. Mom and I will spend my last week getting me all geared to go.

At this point, I still need to obtain the following items:

A leatherman tool
Thermal unders (light-weight/silk)
Winter socks
Durable shoes for walking long distances, (of the non-sneaker type)
Flash Drive (this is required)
Sunglasses
A battery charger (preferably solar powered)
Electric converter
Clothing space saver bags (with the one way valve to seal out air and compact your luggage)
Lightweight/compact sleeping bag
Mini maglight
Quick drying towels (they prevent mold)
Digital watch with timer on it
Portable/Mini DVD player
Skirts, shoes, cardigans, and other misc clothing items for work
Swimsuit and underwear

I'm probably going to have to ship myself a lot of items. As much as I appreciate all the gifts people keep giving me, I won't be able to take everything with me. I can only have 80 lbs of luggage. So, I found out that USPS.com will send you Flat Rate boxes for free (I ordered 10 this week) and it only costs $37 to send the box to anywhere in the world. It can weigh up to 20 lbs, and the boxes are pretty good size. I think I will send myself one ahead of time in order to keep from having to pack everything with me. And yes, I will have to pay to receive my mail/packages. That is standard for all Azeri post offices. It will cost me a few bucks to receive the packages, but will save me from having to go buy certain items... it's a fair trade.
The hardest part is that I will have to lug everything from my training site, to my village site by myself. Which means everything sent to me in training will be more weight I will have to carry across country. So, as I will appreciate the care packages, please refrain from sending too much stuff during the first three months. We just found out that the M-Bag is no longer in effect either. (It was designed to send books and educational materials around the world for about 10 bucks, and without it I'm looking at 37 just to get the new Harry Potter). I'm sure it will all work out, but I won't really know much until I get there. I will post here once I know more about the mailing situation.

In the mean time... I'm going to attempt a "dry run" at packing probably tomorrow. I want to make sure I'm not going over! I need to revise my packing list, yet again...