Despite not quite believing it myself, in less than one month I will be in the Philippines. Actually, looking at the airplane itinerary, it is exactly one month from today.
On March 4, we leave from the grand MCI airport in Kansas City and have brief layovers in Detroit and Tokyo. While layovers in themselves are never too much fun, it is nice to have such a long trip broken up a bit. I’m still quite sad that we won’t be in Tokyo longer, because I would absolutely love to see the city. I will just have to add that to my must-visit-cities list.
I haven’t looked at the GSE itinerary in a couple of weeks, so I’m not quite sure of two things – 1.) where exactly we will be going, and 2.) when exactly we are going there. I do know there are basically two things we will be doing while we are there – 1.) observing Filipino professionals in our field, and 2.) attending Filipino Rotary meetings.
A couple of months ago, I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about Rotary International or the Philippines—I couldn’t even spell the Philippines. I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an expert on either, but being involved in this experience has given me a greater understanding of both.
I’m sure the rest of this month will fly by in a mix of nerves and excitement. There are definitely some things that I still need to do between now and then, but nothing that can’t be easily taken care of.
I have only been out of the country once before; when I went to Germany with one of my college buddies. While that week-long spring break trip was amazing, I am eagerly looking forward to this month-long experience that I am sure will leave lasting memories.