Aaahhhhhh! One more week until vacation! Eek! I can hardly stand it! I'll actually be able to be a Bellingham Yank IN the UK, for a while at least. (If I heard from school, I'd finally know if I am going to be one a bit more permanently... Sigh) This week leading up to my departure is going to be nuts. I have to get my hair cut and eyebrows sorted. I mean, I can't go to Europe looking like some kind of American ragamuffin. I mean, really. I also need to do ALL my laundry, then spread it ALL out and stare at it for a few hours, until I finally decide what to take. I need to pack the things I decide upon. I need to get my train tickets sorted out (I am taking the train between stops at friends houses). I need to attend a very important meeting on Wednesday night, and several more on the weekend. I need to go to my cousin's wedding. I want/need to spend time with my momma. I need to sort out host gifts... The list is longer, but the more I type, the more freaked out I get by all that I need to do...
The last couple of weeks have brought a new friend, Kate. She is working as a volunteer here at the center. She is from the Bath area, and is very excited that I will be spending some time around her hometown. It's been really fun talking to her. it helps me be excited instead of nervous.
Pardon? What was that?
...
Oh, why am I nervous?
Several reasons...
1. I have never traveled alone before (Except a short San Francisco trip) and it's a long, slightly intimidating trip to take alone.
2. I worry about being a bother to the friends I am staying with.
3. I'm nervous about train travel, as it's something I have never attempted.
4. I'm nervous about having the finances I need to get me through the trip and make up for the work I'll be missing.
5. I'm nervous that the rather insane airport in Paris will lose my luggage or make me miss my connection on the way home. This is something I am assured happens very frequently in the Paris airport.
6. If worry #5 happens, I'm nervous about handling it, despite some advice from reliable people who have dealt with those very things in that very airport.
So, yeah. Nervous. But as the big day approaches, the excitement is starting to overtake the nerves. I am SUPER excited to see all of my friends that I have missed so much. I am SUPER excited about meeting those friends I have yet to know face to face. I am also SO looking forward to having some fun, recharging my batteries, and having a lot of new experiences... And if my luggage is lost or a flight is missed, as my friend Tabitha says, at least it will make a REALLY good story to tell later! :D
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