Travel Pathology

As of today, my departure from the U.S.A. is merely a month away! Although I have officially registered for school, the reality of moving overseas still doesn’t feel entirely real to me. Perhaps it won’t until I’ve spent several weeks there and am lying in my dorm, with a belly full of haggis, and still no return flight to pack for.

I decided to be poetic about it and leave for Scotland on Saturday, the Second of September. I have no idea if I can encode some sort of secret meaning or message into that alliteration, but I’m kinda hoping to.

The goodbyes continue as I locked the front door of my house in Grand Junction early Tuesday morning then drove off to conclude my summer break in Buena Vista with family. Speeding into my hometown I arrived 20 minutes late for the coffee date that Charlotte and I somehow fit into our wildly incompatible schedules. Charlotte always fights to make time for me, the Godmother of her future children. As fate would have it, our paths initially crossed in this very town when we were just awkward elementary schoolers. Over the span of more than a decade, we have woven a tapestry of silly memories, forging a cherished sisterhood; she knows way too much about me. Having a shared passion for travel, there were many nights she enthusiastically narrated her adventures in Latvia over the phone, while I was confined in a dorm room, diligently preparing for a Human Pathology Exam.

That precious hour we miraculously found to catch up on all our boy problems came to a swift conclusion. I begged her to promise she would come to see me in Scotland as she climbed into her car and headed for the airport (she has her own adventures to embark on).

After spending precisely one full day back in my hometown, I find myself once again preparing to hit the road. I have been driving so much since leaving Oregon that I have began hearing my own life being narrated by Jim Dale. Tomorrow, I embark on another eight-hour journey, this time for a family vacation. It appears that my family members are eager to make the most of these remaining weeks while we are still in the same country.

As I embrace the countdown to departure, I am determined to make the most of every moment here, cherishing the people, places, and memories that have shaped me into the person I am today. The anticipation builds, mingling with fond reminiscences and dreams of the future. May this blog capture the essence of my emotions, reflections, and experiences during this momentous chapter in my life. Let the countdown begin.