And So Begins My Obsessive Blogging...

Yes, I am already posting pictures from the flight. Today, at approximately 9 45 am, I said my very emotional goodbyes to my mother, father, sister, grandmother, best friend, and boyfriend, and continued through security to sit in the Cleveland Hopkins airport for a couple hours to wait for my flight to Philadelphia. At approximately 11 40, we boarded the plane and at 12 noon we were in the air. I stayed awake only to take a few pictures and then passed out almost immediately until we landed about an hour and a half later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And now I am sitting here, at 2 38 waiting for our 6 15 flight to Brussels. Ugh.

So the good, the bad, and the ugly of this morning. Let's start with the bad/ugly. We got to the FedEx ten minutes early to get my passport and visa, which I was told was going to be there, no doubt, at 8 30 am. Of course, we get there and they tell us that yes, they probably have it but they can't give it to us until 9am. Ugh. Talk about stressful! The Rotary club had told us stories about other people who didn't get their passports and visas until the day they left, but we all just shrugged if off with a "that sucks" and went on with our lives. Little did we know it would happen to four of us! (one kid still doesn't have his :/) Also, I cried a lot. And then they took my peanut butter :( That was terrible.

Now the good :D There is much more of this. I have the best friends ever. Four of my friends woke themselves up early this morning to see me off from my house. I didn't sleep much last night and was up at 4am, but seeing my friends and how excited they were and how much they would miss me... Well that just meant the world to me. It's a great feeling to be loved, ya know? Also, my incredible best friend, Miss Kaitlyn and my fantastically wonderful boyfriend Ryan came to see me off from the airport. And although the waterworks were definitely flowing, I wouldn't have had it any other way. My entourage made it so much more emotional, but also having that support was something I would never change. Saying goodbye was definitely hard, and there were lots and lots of tears, even after they left me. But luckily I was traveling with my good friend Brittany, and she got me through those couple hours. Now I am starting to really feel the excitement, even though I am missing the people I love already. I'm sure it will sink in even worse in a couple days and I'll be sobbing in my bedroom, wanting my mommy and a big hug from Ryan... But for right now, I'm content, maybe even a little excited :) Definitely nervous, and for sure terrified. But it will be a good year... I will be posting again soon!!!

Here We Go...

So it is now 5:51 on Tuesday morning. And I am leaving in a couple hours. I got a call from my travel agent yesterday and she told me that it turns out I CAN leave as planned, I just have to go pick up my passport and visa from the local FedEx. And I would have posted something about this yesterday when it happened, except I've been running around like a mad person since I heard, trying to get everything together. So now I'm just jumping on here quickly to post my final entry from Ohio. (I will probably post one during the layover)

I am nervous and scared and terrified. But to be honest, it's not entirely sinking in. I don't think it will until I am either on the plane, or when I get there. I'm so scared. Scared actually doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now... Part of me really does not want to leave. I don't want to leave my friends and family and boyfriend behind... But I know I cannot pass this up. I have to suck it up and go on this journey and begin this endeavor. And I know it's going to be great :) All the people around me have been absolutely fantastic and supportive and I love them all. So, it is now 5:56, and this is my goodbye for now :)

Less Than A Week Left...

Today is Wednesday. I leave on Tuesday. GAHH I only have like 6 days left!! I really meant to post every day since the beginning of August but that just didn't happen. There's been way too much going on. We had my send-off party/graduation party on Sunday. It was really nice because there were a lot of people there that support me in this whole adventure :) I love the support from my friends and family. It is all that is getting me through this, because I'm really starting to freak out. This departure date is sneaking up on me so fast... And it still isn't really hitting me. Well no, I guess it is. But it's odd because it definitely comes and goes in spurts. All of the sudden I'll just realize how real this is and how scary it is, but then it goes away and all I can think about is how excited I am. But most of the time I'm just feeling nervous now. I really am psyched to go, but the level of uncertainty on how this is going to go is just so nerve-wracking.

It also doesn't help that I am without my rock this week :( My boyfriend left yesterday to go to his ROTC orientation, and he is without communication for the next four days. Since we started dating we haven't gone more than a few hours without at least a text message. And now there will be nothing until late Saturday night. But I am extremely grateful that he is coming back for those two days before I leave.

My family is taking me out to dinner tonight. My whole family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents included. We are going to a Lebanese restaurant that is apparently very good. We are Lebanese and my mother and I have been eating Lebanese food for our entire lives. (My father and sister really don't like the food, so they leave it alone) But the point is that we have family recipes and we are very picky about the way other people make these foods. So I'm really looking forward to this because it got the stamp of approval from my uncle, so it should be pretty good. And I'm really excited to spend this last time with my family before I go.

For now, that is all. I need to finish packing. Grrrr the chores that go with this... (ha) I'm sure I'll be posting a new packing list later tonight, along with pictures of the wonderful food that I will be eating :P

I wish there was a lip-licking emoticon... Just a side note.

What Keeps Me Up At Night...

So, technically it is now July 18th, but because I have not yet gone to sleep for the night, I say it's still the 17th. Which means I leave in ONE MONTH. This is insane. It keeps me awake at night! Thinking about how crazy this year is going to be. Like I said before, I am so very very excited to do this exchange, but the when I actually realistically think of what it is going to be like, the thought of it really does terrify me. I'm going to a different country, where they speak 3 languages that aren't English, and I'm going to have to decipher what people are trying to communicate to me with nothing to help me but my measly four years of high school French classes... Not to mention that I will be living in someone else's home, in an unfamiliar neighborhood with nobody around me that I know. And then there's the homesickness. Good golly gee wilikers! I have to say, the hardest thing for me is going to be leaving my boyfriend, Ryan. Of course, it is going to be really difficult to be away from my family for that year, but they are so supportive, and they want this for me as much as I do, and they are such a solid part of life. Those facts make it a little bit easier to be away from them. I know that they will be here when I get back. And my friends? Well of course that is hard too. But again, you can have many friends, make new ones and stay with the old ones. I will miss them, but I have a pretty good feeling that the majority of them will still be here for me when I return. But a romantic relationship is a one-to-one deal. And unpredictable. And involuntary for the most part. So yes, I can honestly say that that will be one of my biggest challenges. But it definitely helps having God on my side, and knowing that all things happen for a reason and this will all turn out the way it is supposed to in the end. But right now, it's hard :/

Other than that, I'm just nervous in general. But I'd say it's completely normal! There is a lot that I have to get done in order to be ready for this trip... Like packing... That's quite the dilemma... How do I pack in a timely fashion? I can't put it off until the night before like I normally would for a trip. That's ridiculous! What if I forgot something?? It's not like I can just live without it for a couple weeks and then come back to it when I get home. So really, I should start packing now. But then I do that and have nothing to wear for the next month? So you see, it's quite the conundrum.

I guess the bottom line is that I really am ready to leave and start this amazing adventure, but, naturally, I have some nerves and worries about it. But overall, I have high hopes and I know it's going to be spectacular!!