Them pre-departure jitters
“LET’S DO THIS!!!” her heart says. “AAAAHHHHHHHHHOMGHKDSJGIDSJAF,” her brain says.
Okay, finally. Six hours before the time to leave for the airport, it’s all packed! This purple bag will be my closet, my slice of home and my vessel for all my possessions for the next two months. Everything in there is in its proper compartment, the itinerary is printed, the tickets are bought, all necessary visits to the doctor, bank, etc. are made, all shopping trips done and all border-crossing matters are taken care of. Now what? Sleeping, and breathing sounds pretty good too.
I’ve never felt so much excitement and uncertainty at the same time. The exciting part is having this blessing, this opportunity, to make this dream to travel abroad a reality. This is actually happening! I will get to start off this summer-long adventure partaking in this wonderful program. For the next three weeks, I am most excited to experience living, learning and studying sustainability in a completely new context, one that is unparalleled by anything that could happen in a classroom. The sights, sounds, smells, customs—everything that I have learned about these countries is what draws me to Spain and Morocco. I expect nothing less than to be immersed a fusion of cultures, languages and ideas that expand my comfort zone beyond limits I didn’t know existed. I expect to learn more about energy and sustainable development. I’ve done some (ok, a lot) of fantasizing about all of the eye-opening, adventurous, memorable experiences that I think I’m going to have, but I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.
The uncertainty? Well, I am experiencing a certain degree of anxiety that comes with the unknown. I’ve been in love with the ambition to travel the world as much as possible ever since I was very young, and this will be my first abroad experience. Basically, my dream is coming true! But what if I fall out of love with it? What if it turns out not as great as I have imagined? What if something bad happens? All of the congratulatory hoorays from family and friends have been laced with remarks like, “Be very careful out there,” “I’m very worried about you doing this,” “I don’t like you traveling alone for part of this” and even, “Maybe you might consider waiting to do this until next year?” As if that was an option!
Of course safety and well-being take priority over everything else in this situation, and I have taken great precautionary measures to respectfully go to a region that has cultural sensitivities and tourist issues like pickpocketing (check out the money belt I’ll be rocking under my skirt). But at the same time, who knows. Everything has its risks, and the best thing one can do is have a plan, do everything in their power to stay in check and be aware of their surroundings. And these are exactly the things that I can and will do.
Anyways, enough thinking about it. I believe it is time to collect whatever hours are left now for some sleep!