Ten Day Countdown: It's Real

I took the MCAT, half of my dorm room is in boxes, and finals are almost over.  I have everything I need for the next two and a half months: a visa, Tevas, a sleeping bag, and my camera.  Now I have ten gruelingly long days to wait before departure.  The time is almost here.  I am almost there.  While Jessica and I spoke on the phone last night, we both realized how real our summer experiences are (Sienna is going to be Italo-tastic!).  A month ago this trip was just an idea that I liked to talk about -- a fantasy that was too far away to really come true.  Now it is so real that I'm nervous.


Today, I have the same butterflies in my stomach that flitted around four years ago, pre-France.  Very little gets me as worked up as does international travel.  Neither Disneyland nor returning to college after long summers away cut it for me.  The idea of immersing myself in the unknown, seeing uniquely exotic sites, and escaping from America's fast-paced monotony is what I thrive off of.
Address May 10 - July 1
Hotel AAsai
T 100/2 3rd Avenue
Anna Nagar
CHENNAI
Tamil Nadu 600040
INDIA

A couple of days ago I received a letter from my 'Grandma' (no relation, despite the name) along with an embarrassingly stingy check.  She related her unhappiness with my decision to travel abroad this summer, with the exportation of my time, talent, and money, and with the alleged stresses I am putting on my parents.  She told me a story about a family friend whose friend disappeared four years ago in India.  Even though I called my parents and reaffirmed that they are okay with the plans, and I asked Brian (Gma doesn't know that I can FB him) about his [nonexistent] friend, I still feel a little unnerved.  Maybe she has a point?

I really hope I'm not stealing the show from my friends currently abroad: Marit, Meredith, Katie, Liz, Vara (who is coming home today!).  Sorry, girls, I just make a really big deal out of things like this because I travel, on average, once every four years.  This is so much better than national parks.

So much better.