Departure!

So the big day is finally here. I really can't believe that in just under 8 hours I will be sitting on a tarmac in Chicago, waiting for it to take off for London. It really is a surreal feeling. I've been trying not to think about this moment all week. Everyone keeps telling me I'll have a blast and won't want to come home but whenever my thoughts have turned to my impending trip I don't really want to leave. Its weird how I grow attached to places. I think the real appeal of them however is the people in that particular place rather than the place itself.

I'm sure I'll be fine. The feeling is probably similar to the stage fright I experienced just before stepping onstage. Just before I walk out my mind is a blur, my hands are shaking, and there's a tight knot in the pit of my stomach. But once I step out on stage and begin acting, the feeling sinks away to be replaced by a sheer joy and satisfaction.

The worst part I think will be the time I have to spend in O'Hare waiting for my flight to be prepped and readied. Then the reality of what I'm facing will really sink in. Then it will just be me and my thoughts and that is something I'm not looking forward to. I'm also not looking forward to going through the hassle of checking baggage and airport security but that really can't be helped.

The only other time I've flown internationally I had someone with me. It made the trip so much more bearable and two minds (freaked out and excited as they may be) are always better than one (that one mind in this case will definitely be freaked out and hopefully excited).

Despite all of these fears the thought of not going only crossed my mind once, as I was beginning to pack two days ago. The thought was not only shot down immediately, but it was torpedoed, raked by derisive machine gun fire, and then for good measure thoroughly crushed under the heel of the logical part of my brain. There was never a question of turning back. Not during the application process, not during the agonizing wait to see if I would be accepted into the program, and certainly not now that everything is so close.

I'm going to Europe. I'll keep ya posted.