Countdown Begins

Five sleeps till take off. Crikey

I haven't caught up with everyone I wanted to and I'm already experiencing separation anxiety from my stuff. I haven't got a job yet and I have no idea where I'll be staying beyond the first two weeks. I'm still pretty bumed emotionally and am lacking the essential anticipation and excitement I think should go with such adventures. I want to take too much stuff with me and I don't have that much time left for all the things I'm supposed to do. I'm going to miss every member of my family like crazy and will especially miss the wonderful people in my life like Emma and Sally.

But it'll be much easier to see Helen over there and Jason and Rich are just around the corner and Marty will probably drop by and I'm looking forward to seeing Jane and Darren again so I won't be bereft. And I'll get to see Italy and Spain and the rest of Germany and Austria and more of France and Portugal and may even get to Greece some day... so it's not all bad. I just have to reorient and recalibrate my brain into accepting change again.

Think of all that ancient architecture waiting to be explored. Think of how you had tears in your eyes standing on the ramparts of a 2000 year old castle. Think of the fruit bear and divine chocolate. Think of seeing a different musical every night of the week for a month without repeats. Think of the amazing adventure of living in a different culture.

Bugger the expense, bugger the cold, bugger the smog, bugger the fear.

Live!

Running out of time

I am at my second to last day of work. I should be dancing. I should be excited. I should be planning furiously for all the things I have to get done in the dwindling time remaining to me in this country. Unfortunately, due to a death in the family two weeks ago, almost all that excitement and anticipation has drained out of me, leaving only stress and sadness behind.

For me, happiness is loud and public whilst sadness is quite quiet and private. I'll talk about my uncle when I've processed his passing, but in the mean time, please excuse my absence from this venue and my lack of count-down screams. My date for departure is May 2. You will undoubtedly hear from me before then, when I'm back in action and in panic mode, probably as I'm running around like a headless chicken and cursing that I didn't plan for all this earlier... as in normal... well, as normal as I get anyway.