7 hours and counting...how do I stuff 2 years into 80 lbs?

Ok, its midnight, I leave for the airport in seven hours, and I still have a ton of stuff to do. This packing thing is getting interesting. Peace Corps limits my total baggage weight to 80 lbs, and I'm at 90lbs. I cant figure out what to take out. Should I leave the French dictionary? NO! How about the 10 packs of AA batteries? HELL NO! What about the giant containter of Shampoo? YES! I can steal those little containers from the hotels! You see, sometimes I have to type out my problems in order to solve them...

I'm excited, sad, a little stressed, but contrary to what a lot of people think, I'm not nervous. Well, I guess not having a big container of Shampoo makes me nervous, but that will pass once I get my hands on those little hotel containers. Haha, I'm delirious. But seriously, I've come too far to be nervous. This is after all, my third Peace Corps assignment in the past year (Togo, Haiti). This time, its going to work out! Its hard to believe the time has come.

Here is the letter I just sent out to everyone on my email list. Dont read beyond this point if you got that email.

Hello everyone! (Friends, family, and random people)

My time has finally come, finally! After an extended wait, I'm actually going to leave for Cameroon to serve in the Peace Corps for the next 2+ years. Tomorrow, I head to Philadelphia for three days of "staging", and then on friday its off to Cameroon. I should be touching down in Yaounde, Cameroon at about 10am Denver time on Saturday.

This email list has grown to immense proportions over the past year. Some of you on here may have nearly forgotten who I am, others know me all to well. Either way, if you're on this list, it's because I think your cool, or I have something to gain from you : ). Also, if you're on this list, you are welcome to come visit me. Let me know if the idea of going to the heart of Africa sparks your interest (cheap beer anyone? lions? Beaches? How about malaria?-dont worry you can take medicine,,,).

In addition to the periodic mass emails I will be sending out, I have set up a weblog to update anyone interested in what I'm doing on the other side of the world. That way if you're ever like "hey, I wonder what that guy Allen (a.k.a. Al or Abay) is doing...", you can just open your web browser and go to http://allenincameroon.blogspot.com/, which you will have saved in the "favorites" section of your browser. I will also post links to my photos which should be pretty interesting.

I will have pretty consistent email access in Cameroon (yeah, they even have internet in Africa!). I will be living in a city where internet cafes are readily available. So please feel free to send me an email, I will get back to you, I promise, even if it takes me a little while. If you're old fashioned, and prefer hand writing a letter, do it! Send all letters to:

Allen Banick, Peace Corps Trainee
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 215
Yaounde, Cameroon

This will be my address for the first three months, I will let y'all know when it changes.

Ok, so its almost midnight, I leave for the airport in 7 hours, and I still need to do a whole lot, including packing...

If you dont want to be on this list, let me know, and then go to hell because I dont like you either!

Thanks to everyone who has supported me as I begin this exciting phase in my life.

Once again that web address: http://allenincameroon.blogspot.com/

Au revoir,
Goodbye,

Allen Lyle Banick III

P.S. I will have my cell phone (303-809-6915) up until I leave Philly on Friday, then I will flush it down the toilet, or burn it. Feel free to call, I'd love to hear from you b4 I go/