Apparently I’m leaving in two days.
Two days.
In 48 hours I’ll be on a plane over the Atlantic ocean,
and in 72 hours I should have arrived in the town that’ll be my home for the
next year.
That’s not terrifying at all…
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, and scared, and
just really didn’t want to go. Sometimes I think I’d give anything to just get
to stay here with my family and my friends and the country that I’ve always
called home. But then I realize that no one is forcing me to go, that I could
just drop out of the exchange and go back to King’s or UPEI or just sit in my
room and read…
But I’m not doing that. That’s not an option. Because no
matter how terrifying it is to leave my country, it’s still something I’ve
dreamed of doing all my life. It’s an adventure, and there is absolutely no way
I could ever back out.
So, really, I’m not terrified. Pre-departure jitters,
sure, that sometimes end up feeling a bit like real fear. But they’re not,
because I know everything will be alright, and I know I’ll have a fantastic
time, and, as much as I love everything here, I really won’t miss it all that
much when I’m gone.
Last night, to try and get myself in the mood, I looked
through the catalogue of Fresher’s Week (orientation week) events for St.
Andrew’s and picked out the ones I’m interested in attending. There’s
everything from choosing courses to fireworks to drama workshops to pub nights…
So much to do, and I have absolutely no idea how I’ll have the energy for it
all, but it sure sounds fantastic.
Everything else is pretty much set. I have housing, and
flights, and funding, and all the big important things are taken care of. Of
course, once I get to St. Andrew’s I have to set up a bank account and get a
phone and order my coursebooks and all that kind of thing, but for now there’s
nothing more I can do.
Now is the calm before the storm. Two last days of PEI
before my world changes forever…
That might just be a little overly dramatic. But I am a
writer—dramatic is what I do. And right now nothing looms larger in my mind
than Monday morning…
