In the 8 hours leading up to my departure, on a trip that will be the longest, most exciting, most international of my travels, and probably the most personal experience of my life; I do have some anxiety. Don’t get scammed, don’t lose anything, hope for no delays or lost luggage, don’t get lost, don’t get sick, I hope i didn’t select terrible hotels. These anxieties are flattened against the wall in comparison to: take a lot of pictures but don’t take too many that you aren’t really “there”, eat/try everything (as lonely planet says it’ll be a gastronomic explosion, which really does not sound that appetizing at all), get to know my relatives and family, speak the language, don’t get embarrassed by fumbling the language, shop but don’t just shop the whole trip, relax and also do a lot of things. These are all extremes where I hope to find some good place in the middle. This is an adventure I can’t wait for, though I can’t decrease the levels of jitteriness about it. I think I just have to get there.
Breathe, phew…
