Time to Go

I've been staring at my backpack in a daze for the past ten minutes as if some epiphany will occur the longer I stare. Have I packed too much? Have I packed too little? Do I really need that one pair of shoes? Should I throw in one more shirt? It's surprising how hard it is to pack up your life into a backpack for three weeks. I mean, we're talking a large backpack—the kind slightly larger than a carry-on suite case. Somehow, however, it manages to look both small and big at the same time.

Shaking myself from the staring, I have to focus. Caitlin and I are leaving for Atlanta at 10 this morning to catch our 3:30 flight to Newark and from there our 7:10 flight to Dublin. Until this morning, this trip has been so surreal. Asked if we are excited about this trip, for the past couple of weeks Caitlin and I have just looked at each other and shrugged. So far, this trip has just been on paper—tickets, guidebooks, internet sites. For the first time today, in a Pygmalion sort of way, this trip we’ve been planning and sculpting for so long is beginning to come to life. Staring at my backpack, saying goodbye to my friend Sarah after our run this morning, hugging my mom after breakfast, it all seems a little more real now. My stomach churns with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

I’m actually surprised at the nerves. I feel almost as nervous as I did leaving for China for a year, and I’m only going to Europe for 23 days. I’m not sure how to account for the nerves, except to say that even though I’m a more experienced traveler, I am also more aware of the task at hand. Being naïve is easy, but knowing is more of a burden. I know the routine of making connection flights, finding hostels, and navigating in a foreign country where you don’t know the language. I know that it won’t always be easy, but I also know that the reward far outweighs the struggle. Even as I write, the nerves are transforming into butterflies of pure excitement.
I guess it’s time to finish packing and put the finishing touches on my preparation. The next time you read this blog, it will probably be from Dublin! If anyone feels the urge to follow our flight, we are on Continental Airlines Flight 82 to Newark and Continental flight 22 to Dublin. If all goes well (i.e. volcanoes don’t erupt, flights are on time, and connections are made) we will arrive in Dublin at 6:55am May 5th.

~Lori