A death-defying leap into the abyss know as luggage shopping capped today’s adventuresome atmosphere. What that means is I left the house and went out in attempt to procure some new luggage for my impending trip to England.
You might ask: why so gloomy, it can’t be that bad? Well, it’s not really, but at the same time it very much is. The anticipation that’s been leading up to this trip has been less than favorable. I’ve never jumped across the Atlantic pond. The nervous energy about that is enough to keep me indoors. However, what really gets me is the not going to be home for over a month. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but it really can be. I’ll be alone over there. I’m not saying that as a cry baby, but everyone else on the trip is going with at least one friend. I know no one. They already have their clicks and I’ll be bumming around a foreign country solo (both positive and negative). I know it won’t be so bad once I’m there and living in it. I get to keep track of things here via the Internet and a really expensive about to be purchased cellular phone ($.89 per min). Money goes out faster than it comes in these days.
I should emphasize that I’m actually really excited about the trip. I should downplay my anxiety because I know my cause would benefit from some simple sunshine. It just seems to me that the closer my trip gets the more apprehensive I get about the whole endeavor. So far, I can’t really do anything about it, just lay and wait. I’ve been trying to get things together and it’s going a lot slower then I would like.
I was going through my “University College Guide” today and noticed about twenty or so interesting warnings for someone such as myself to heed while studying abroad. True, they have to tell you that so that the school can’t be held liable for anything that may or may not happen to you while you’re away, but they don’t have to make it so colorless.
It said stuff like, “Beware of terrorists, they target students in a foreign country” and other stuff that had a tone like, “You are an American and should treat yourself as such. Being in a foreign country is different and people will react to you like you are different.” No kidding, but do you have to point it out so much? Couldn’t they just say, “Hey it’s a strange and unusual world outside the suburban bubble you live in so when traveling abroad just pretend you’re a paranoid shut in who hates the daylight and you’ll get along just fine”. I feel like something in the vein of the later would have worked on my head a lot better. I wouldn’t be having nightmares about terrorists at any rate.
Oh…and I still can’t poop. I know it seems like I’m obsessing about that a bit much these days. Everyone around me tells me so. They say, “hey stop talking about your poop so much, it’ll come,” but I know they are lying. I know this because tomorrow morning I’m going to drink liquid from a really archaic bottle and it’s supposed to help.
So I drink my scary bottle and shutter under the cool breeze of a long trip in a strange land away from home. But at least I know more about luggage then I think I could ever care to.
