Thirteen Days

Everything seems to slowly be coming to an end now. I successfully completed my first full year of

graduate school, finished my hours at two of my three jobs, and tonight I had my final performance for the season with the dance company I belong to. As much as I do to mentally prepare myself, whether it be running through checklists of things I need to bring, researching places I want to visit online, or visualizing myself actually being away, it still seems so surreal.

One thing that has started to sink in though, is that I am already feeling the tingling of loneliness - I haven't even left yet! I knew this would be something I would experience, but I did not realize how nervous I would be to be on my own. For the next 12 days, I hope to spend as much time with my loved ones as possible. But once I am gone, I have to work on one of the tasks I set forth for myself: learn to be my own comfort, my own solace. I think as humans we generally seek comfort from others, at least I know I do. On a bad day, I know I just want to cuddle up with my boyfriend or a friend and just forget those anxious, worrisome or disappointed feelings. But what happens when you put someone who is not good at being alone in a place isolated from the comfort of regular relationships? That's something I need to find out!

So now that I do not have textbooks to read for school, I picked up a couple of books about travelling. The one about transformational travel

(on the left) was recommended to me by one of my professors. So far, it has been interesting but it seems to be geared more towards vacation type travel. Many of the same ideas apply, but I know as I will be essentially working full time, I may not have as much of the freedom that the author advocates for. I am not too deep into that book yet, but I expect to utilize many of the techniques suggested to create transformational travelling experience.

In the next few days, I will be working, tying up loose ends, and trying to see my friends and family before I hop the pond!