On the evening of September 9th I fly out of my small hometown airport in Oregon off to D.C. to meet up with the Thinking Beyond Borders group. And although that is still 23 days and 3 hours away (as the countdown app on my phone tells me), I have been unbelievably busy trying to make sure I get everything together on time. All while still working full time.
I spend all of my, minimal, free time running errands, making phone calls, making checklists and going to appointments. Being a responsible adult is draining.
Everything I buy in preparation of leaving to take with me is coming out of my own pocket and so I have to be extra precautious not to spend so much that I don’t have enough spending money while overseas.
My arms are sore from shots, I have to take Typoid and Doxycycline pills regularly, and I come home late every night exhausted from work and planning.
I know it will all be worth it though, and that is what has been keeping me going. All of these tasks are keeping me busy enough so that I don’t have time to be nervous about the fact: I’m leaving this country for an entire year in less than a month.
The ability I now have to hold myself accountable and go out to get things on my own is extremely reassuring. This cumbersome process has shown me that I can take these challenges on my own and succeed. It has shown me that I am ready to go abroad. And therefore, in a sense, it has eased my stress.
