Planning, planning, and more planning...

Ever try planning a whole year in one afternoon? Well, I did it!! After 2 years of praying and making sure this is God's plan for me, I've put in my notice at work--my last day is December 29th and I've decided to spend 2007 volunteering abroad!! Ever since I returned from my trip to Africa 2 years ago, I've wanted to go back, and ever since college, I've wanted to dedicate a year to volunteering, so there you have it!! I leave for Nairobi, Kenya on January 17th, and after spending 7 weeks there, I'll fly on to Arusha, Tanzania on March 10th for another 6 weeks on project, then I'll be home on April 21st. Beginning of May will hopefully find me in Ireland visiting friends, then off to India for 6 weeks on May 20th (4 weeks on project, ~2 weeks of touring/adventures!). Last but not least, I'll be heading to Peru on August 10th to work on 3 different projects, finishing up on November 30th and capping off my year with a trek to Machu Picchu!! I'll be working with 2 volunteer travel companies: i-to-i and Cross Cultural Solutions, which has a partnership with Care International. All of the projects I've chosen deal with community development, and involve mostly children (orphans, developmental disabilities) and women/girls. I could be working on things such as HIV/AIDS education, skill-building for individual income earning, basic hygiene, and providing normal sensory/play experiences, but mostly on whatever there is greatest need for once I arrive in community.
So December finds me busy taking care of flights, visas, health/travel insurance, budgeting, etc. I'm soooo excited to get started I can't hardly wait!!