I can’t believe I leave in just a little over a week! That is, if everything comes through… ten days from today, we’re all supposed to be boarding flights and jetting across the Pacific to arrive in Jakarta on August 23rd, except I still have yet to book my flight… or get my visa!

The other 34 Fulbrighters to Indonesia received their visa documents a few weeks ago – and for reasons unknown to me – the documents I needed to send to the Indonesian Consulate took ages to acquire. We needed a letter from the school we are teaching at saying they are sponsoring our stay, but my school was many weeks delayed in sending me my letter. But… I finally received the documents on Monday and I overnighted them to the San Francisco consulate and hopefully I’ll receive my visa in the next few days and can then book my flight! It might not happen until a few days before but I know it will all work out – whether I arrive a few days after everyone else or end up getting a flight out on the 21st.

In the meantime, I’ve left St. Louis and after an epically long road trip west – I’m back on the west (best) coast. My friend Martha, whom I met and interned with in DC last summer, flew out to St. Louis to drive back with me. We had a fabulous couple of days in St. Louis before loading up my jeep and beginning the drive.

We strolled through the Missouri Botanical Garden and went to the jazz in the garden with Abby and Jack.

We toured Wash U…

We hit up the St. Louis classics – Ted Drewes and the Arch…

We went to a Card’s game with Maisie and Jill

Then we packed up the Jeep! To the brim!

Day 1: St Louis to Omaha, Nebraska (and the world’s largest ball of postage stamps)
Day 2: Omaha to Chamerlain, SD (and our friend Clay, who we interned with on the Hill in DC last summer! Great to see him in “the greatest state in the union!” – according to Clay!)

Day 3: Chamberlain to Gillette, Wyoming (with detours through the Badlands, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse)

Made some friends along the way…

Day 4: Gillette to Bozeman, Montana (with a detour through the Big Horn mountains to the Native American sacred Medicine Wheel site)

Day 5: Bozeman to Spokane, WA (and my grandparents and another of our DC friends, Grifynn!)

Day 6: Spokane to Seattle and the end of our 2,276 mile trip! Phew!

I couldn’t have asked for a better send off to Indo! 10 days and counting!