bon voyage.

After a painfully stressful couple of visa/passport-free months, I am officially leaving the USA in 3 days. Apparently the Czechs like to keep people on their toes, because an August 30th arrival of a visa issued for a September 2nd departure seems fairly risky to me. And while I remember like it was yesterday the 101 degree Redlands day I devoted to driving all over town in my friend Caroline's car, frantically trying to find an open bank/passport photo taker/fedex/etc (which proved difficult due to the fact that I chose to go to college in the smallest town ever), it was, in fact, over three months ago that I sent off for the thing. Perhaps the goal is to make our last few weeks at home as stressful as possible so that everything on the other side feels breezy. Regardless, the thing has arrived and I am really, truly, leaving.

I am currently...shockingly calm. I feel ready. Well, emotionally. My things are not so much packed as they are forming a fairly functional barricade keeping me from leaving my room. Despite the mountain of STUFF I will unfortunately have to traverse before I get on that plane, though, I am, frankly, weirded out at my readiness for it all. I guess it's been a long time since I went somewhere new and met new people - leaving for college two years ago would be my last go at that - but if memory serves, there were about three weeks prior to that adventure that involved mostly tears and hyperventilation. And that was just 1,000 miles south, as opposed to the far end of another continent. I don't plan to spend too much time dissecting this new penchant for zen, but I am digging it, and I hope it carries me through the plane ride and into what is sure to be a chaotic, exhausting, exciting couple of weeks. I will just pray that this foreign, unnatural "CALM" thing isn't just a fluke.

So, that's it. I am off to read Kafka, paint pieces inspired by Kafka (could be frightening), photograph everything in sight (I heard that's the best way to blend in with the locals), learn government and history with (hopefully...) like-minded people, figure out how to pronounce words that tend to be spelled along the lines "kljjzsky"(plus like 10 more consonants. seriously.), and find myself disappointed in commies yet again. Wish me luck!