One Day

I leave tomorrow. Wow. It came on really fast. I'm still not sure if I believe it. One month ago, I thought, 'I have so much time.' One week ago, I still didn't fully register that, 'oh my God, I'll be gone for I year.' Now I have one day. Oh...where to start? I'm still so very excited, but I'm also sad to be leaving now. I wasn't sad until today, but now I recognize that I will in fact miss being at home.

Packing was...hard. I know it sounds horrible to complain about having too many clothes when so many don't have enough, but I definitely did not enjoy deciding if I really loved my maroon skirt. (That, along with several pounds of dresses and pants, will stay at home.)

Eventually I hand-picked my way to the accepted amount for my checked luggage (45 lbs), my carry-on (my Nike Cheer duffel, 16 lbs), and my 'personal-item,' (the black, non-discript blackpack that I will use for school, 16 lbs). I should have gotten this done days ago. Kudos to those who did. I guess I'm fated to ever procrastinate. It works for me. Technically I'm a few pounds and inches over, but AFS's guidelines are crazy strict compared to Swiss Airlines and Delta.

I predict that I'm not going to sleep a wink tonight. I just hope I don't cry when it's time to say goodbye. To my cat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoBP24I2lwA This is the song that I use to remind myself how happy I am :) It is going to be played on the plane to NY.