This is the first time I haven't been afraid in the moment before embarking. I was weepy yesterday and ainxious the day before, but I suppose since I've gotten this far, today should be fine. I'm still at the airport in Newark, New Jersey patiently waiting to get this show on the road. In 97 minutes my plane will be leaving for Amsterdam. The scheduled departure time was in a mere 6 minutes, but a bolt of lightning struck the plane on it's way in, calling for some repairs. Air traffic is one of the many aspects of my present life that are completely out of my jurisdiction. So here I wait, trusting that an hour and a half is an appropriate span of time to make sure that my plane won't drop from the sky.

I started this blog to break an old habit- I was already excited for the summer to be over in June, for months I thought about how glad I would to be going home after my time abroad, I could tell you what I am doing next year before I could tell you what I did yesterday. Having my life together and organized is one thing, but I take it a bit too far, leaving myself stressed out and less happy than I'd like to be. So, this is my chance to pay attention.

This is also an invitation to say hello sometimes, keep tabs, and check out photos (because I am also doing a photo journal- at least a photo a day).