bags are packed ... it's time to go

Saying goodbye is a lot harder than I anticipated. It makes me very aware of the depth of friendship that surrounds and enriches my life - buoys me up through the sad times, celebrates with the good. And life does feel good. My decision to be a volunteer and to go to Ethiopia has transformed my life. I am sad to leave my friends, old and new (especially one particularly new one!). I will also be sad to say goodbye to my dog Charlie. I'm sure he'll miss our long jaunts on Hampstead Heath as much as I will. Now I'm looking forward to walking/trekking in the mountain ranges of Ethiopia.

The biggest wrench will be saying goodbye to my children. We've had a trial separation for the past few months whilst I've taken full advantage of the generous hospitality of friends in Hackney. But I will miss them and I'm sure they'll miss me too!!

On the brighter side, I have a whole new group of people to form friendships with. I have met some amazing and talented people during the VSO training. I look forward to getting to know some of them during the in country training in Addis Abbaba.

Then there are the people I am going to work with. I have been very fortunate in having an excellent handover from my predecessor together with an inspirational photo session sitting in a cold coffee bar at Euston Station. His enthusiasm was infective.