Thinking about linking

A little over a week remains before we board our plane and head off to the Philippines. For your faithful blogger Max B., the days have been filled with checklists, packing lists, and the occasional panic attack as I wonder what I'm forgetting.

Last Saturday we had our final meeting at Doug's house in Concord. We talked to Marla, peppering her with plenty of questions (as if we'll ever run out), mainly about finances and what we should and shouldn't bring. It was our last time seeing her before we leave, and she wished us a safe and happy trip. We also handled some of the last-second paperwork for our visas and talked about the intinerary.

This weekend we'll be heading to the Northeast Link, a conference for teams and team leaders in the GSE program. We'll meet other teams traveling to different places and learn about diplomacy and the opporunities that come with spending time abroad. It's an all-day program, and I expect to leave armed with a lot more knowledge about what I can expect from this trip.

I've checked out the conference's Web site, but the truth is, my mind is a week ahead of itself. I've made my packing list and making sure I've made all the preparations, called who I need to call, and taken care of everything with my job. Hopefully I'll only need to pack once, and won't promptly dump out my suitcase to make sure I have everything.

Well, that's all for now. Catch you next time!

Max B.