Holy Smokes (33 Days!!!)

I just want to share this little tid-bit with all you lovely friends, family, voyagers and bored people out there in internetland; I will be on board a ship leaving Canada to circumnavigate the globe in 33 days. I will be boarding a train that will take me to New York City for a day before boarding my train bound for three days of Montreal exploring in 28 days.

Holy smokes.

I'm not even kidding. The major plans are made, the luggage bought, the lists written down and recorded, the vaccinations complete, the malaria, motion sickness and antibiotic medications in hand. The final plans are being made- what snacks do I want to bring with me? What items of clothing do I still need to purchase? What school supplies do I need to get for my classes? I'm beginning to work in the details and that is extremely satisfying. It feels like all the hard work I have been doing since the days of getting my application materials for the study abroad office of ASU in August of last year, and the endless parade of forms that I completed for both ASU and SAS in the snowy winter months since my acceptance into SAS in January are coming to fruition.

I feel like I am standing on the edge of a precipice- that moment of pure adrenaline and excitement you feel just before you jump.

I pulled my suitcases out from the back of my closet, where they had been stashed to avoid the inevitable layer of cat hair that will dawn the black fabric, to eye the space I need to keep in mind. All of my possessions- toiletries, snacks, school supplies, clothing, laptops, EVERYTHING I will need for the next 4 months must fit into these bags. And I have only 28 days to play the even more ludicrous game of tetris to fit my life into 3 bags. I simply cannot believe how much time has passed, and how close this whole thing is to beginning. My first blog entry was at 221 Days, and I began my computer countdown at 385 days. And now, a mere 33 days remain.

Holy smokes.

I just came back from watching the last Harry Potter movie with my mom (her first time and my third). As we were walking out of the theatre my mom said something that truly touched me. She said "You know, your trip with Semester at Sea will be like your own Platform 9 and 3/4. It is going to change your life and who you become". I think she's right.
Just as a sappy side note about Harry Potter- I grew up with the characters- each book coming out so that Harry, Ron and Hermione were roughly the same age as I. They were friends to me when I started a new school or had boy troubles or friend troubles. But mostly I think they have helped me become who I am today- and have built me up to be the person looking for adventure that led me to SAS.

Mischief Managed!