leaving in 9.5 hours........

man, i can hardly believe im going already.......
in approx. 9.5 hours i will be leaving my folks' house, headed for the airport, ....then off to Dublin!!! dublin frikin ireland!!!! more than anything i cant wait to get on the plane and NOT PACK any more!!!!!!! im sooooooooo tired of my stuff being strewn all over the house in box after box after garbage bag after random drawr (how do u spell that word?) after random living room and storage room space. i think my parents lovvvvvved it. not. now that all my stuff is packed and ready for shipping to athens (only my backpack will b with me around europe, the rest sent separately) you can see the carpet in 'my' room. who'd a thunk it was still there?
well, now that most of my life is packed in small, compartmentalized spaces i shud be good to go. no more planning; no more phone calls; no more emails; no more errands; no more stupid, frustrating people on the road of planning; only the sensation of enjoyment that allllll my hard work, time and efforts put towards my huge ventures shall not go for nuthin---but one of the best adventures of my life.
yep, im nervous, a little scared, still a bit stressed until i finally quit wondering what i forgot, shaky due to lack of sleep, and sad cuz ill be leaving home and family and everything familiar. it seems like i just got home from crete sometimes and that makes it a little harder to leave all over again so quickly. i was doing laundry this past week and spaced once or twice about how nice it is to do laundry in my own house, for free in my parents' machines, stand on carpet, and not have to drag a huge basket down the hall of an apt. or up a huge hill in crete. sometimes the simplest things relax you; mine was laundry. or maybe i just miss the smells of home, whatever it was, it was just one more thing that reminds me that i will indeed miss home and family.
sometimes i wonder why i push myself so much to create these adventures, but i remember how much i learned from crete. i wonder if my major will keep me interested, or if my family and friends will take care of themselves and stay healthy while im gone, or this, or that... i think more than anything, i love the regularity of home, but crave dynamic experiences that could never exist outside my comfort bubble.
i cant wait to see so many of the things i do or have read about and studied, all over europe and greece. also, to see what it's like to live out of my pack for 2 weeks. i am also looking forward to having a travel buddy this time, to and from athens; if there's one practical tip i could pass on for international travel it's: travel w/a partner. when you travel alone you must constantly be much more alert, but when w/someone there's someone to watch your pack/luggage when you need to go to the bathroom (lugging your suitcase into the stall is NOT fun!! :( , someone to watch your stuff if you need a nap during layovers (multiple planes always means more time and fatigue, and dont forget the jetlag!), sharing the responsibility (and maybe stress) of international travel/flying can be such a help, even if it's just confirming your checkin time or gate number; and last but not least, just talking to someone along the way makes the trip MUCH less lonely and much more fun.
so yeah, im really excited to travel w/someone, can ya tell?? geees, i sound like a brochure.......
anyhoo...
i shud prolly b sleeping now
i am going to try to get to net cafes in europe to update the blog (web log), otherwise once i get to athens and get my laptop, i will update the site!
ill talk to yall soooon and i hope to hear from you!!
take care and
bon voyage