Welcome and Farewell

Welcome friends and family to the introduction of Nic of Time, for what will be an account of my life and experiences with the Peace Corps while living somewhere south of San Diego. And by that I mean Nicaragua, sspecifically Masaya, Nicaragua for the next three months.

Unfortunately, the creation of this blog means it's time for me to say farewell to all of you, which has not been easy for me. In fact it's almost been stressful. In the limited time I had at home, I spent most of it running around trying to see and say goodbye to as many people as possible. I apologize for anyone I missed. I've found that you can tell a lot about a person from the goodbye you get from then. For me, it has been the goodbye where I've realize who you're true friends are, those you know you can always count on, and if you will ever see that person again.

My departure is a long time coming; almost exactly a year since I graduated from Richmond. A year I have fondly referred to as my Gap year. To pass the time I did it all: was a carpenter's apprentice in Martha's Vineyard, was Junklugging with the Kid in the fall, exploring the US in the winter, and living (and surfing) out in San Francisco these past three months. And as much as I hated waiting in limbo to hear back from the Peace Corps, I wouldn't of traded anything in the world for the experiences I've had in the past year. Well maybe my time with the Junkluggers, the worst job ever. As someone reminded me when I was at a low point, I got to see places and meet people I never would have otherwise, and have experiences I never want to forget. This wise man once told something I will never forget as well:
              "Live in the moment, because it's the only we got"
And that is exactly how I plan on living these next two years. Every week, every day will bring a new adventure. New adventures that I will welcome with open hands, so I can truly experience a new lifestyle, something completely out of my comfort zone. And to do so, I'm not bringing much with me. In fact I'm bringing exactly this much stuff:

It's not much, but I've never been a heavy packer. Thanks to a combo of the the peace corps packing list, Dr. Sals, and Josh Flynn, I think I actually have everything that I need in these two relatively small bags. A couple pairs of pants, shorts, a good shell, lots of t shirts, a solid knife, and a camera. And of course the essentials: my soccer football cleats, a disc, and a copy of the Fountainhead. Essentially these two bags are my life for the next two years! So with just the bag on my back I'm taking the first step into my adventure, which happens to be DC and Richmond for the weekend, before actually leaving at the crack of dawn Wednesday morning. 

And I must give credit where credit is due: I'd like to thank Rachel Wildfleur for coming up over the name. If we hadn't been in a loud mexican restaurant, who knows what the name of this blog could've been!

So Welcome and Farewell.

"Not all those who wander are lost"
                                     -J.R. Tolkien