So I've been trying to think about my feelings -- about going to Egypt, now that my flight is 4 days away and also about leaving.

A wise friend told me recently that it's easier to be the one leaving than it is to be those left behind. I'm still processing this statement, but when I shared it with the other volunteers in my orientation group, they seemed to agree.

Last week, I cried when 2 people from my orientation group left to go home. These weren't people that I got really close to, but they were the people who shared of themselves and really brought something unique to the group. One young woman was always smiling, joking, talking about her husband, how happy she was, etc. She felt like a sister, the way we goofed around. This young guy Will was a punk. Literally. He's into the music scene, the hair, and everything. But here's doing amazing work with kids in North Carolina. Kids in leather, kids with piercings, kids who don't have enough people to care about them and care for them.

I feel a sense of loss in being separated from these people who I knew for just a few days...

Think how I must feel about leaving those of you who are reading this...