UPDATES (12/15): Entries updated for Phnom Penh and Siam Reap, Cambodia, and the map has been updated to show the full loop of my journey.

Showing posts with label Preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preparation. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

T minus 2 days

As I sit on the edge of my bed typing this, it's finally starting to hit me. I'm looking at my pack, with a few things strewn about my room, and realizing that I fly out of Boston in about 33 hours. I've been doing the last bits of preparation during my final full day in Maine before taking the train down to Boston tomorrow afternoon. I've done what I can to get things ready before I leave: My mail is being forwarded to my parents' house, I have my vaccines and medicines in order, and I've hopefully bought and packed everything I'll need to start. I'm also wrapping up my law school applications, so that I'll have minimal work to do when the application season opens on October 1st. It's been quite an experience already being in Maine; I feel as if I'm just hitting the reset button on my life. No more alarm clocks, no more Mondays (or Fridays, for that matter), with literally the entire world open to me. I must admit, though, that as liberating as the past 2 weeks have been since I left Boston and my job as a paralegal, it's taking a lot of adjustment in order to cope with these overwhelming changes.

I made my last round of goodbyes today, visiting friends and their families that I haven't seen since I left Biddeford, ME to go work in Boston over 3 years ago. Over the past few weeks, I've been going through this with people I've known all my life, and also with people that I've only recently met. It certainly puts things in perspective, and each time that I tell them my plans (or lack thereof) it all sounds a little crazy, even to me. But, it's also reassuring to know that I have so many great people that are behind me as I set off to the unknown.

(Hector the cat is helping me pack)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Getting Ready

It's official. Tickets have been purchased. I will be flying into Hanoi, Vietnam on September 19, after 26 or so hours that will take me from Boston, through LA and Seoul, Korea, finally landing in Hanoi. My good friend from Vassar, Ian, will be joining me for the first leg of my trip. Having someone to talk to and read my guidebooks with should take the edge off of the lengthy flight.
I've slowly been filling my pack with my travel supplies to get an idea of how much I'll be lugging around. So far, so good; I've managed to avoid the hereditary instinct to accumulate unnecessary junk. We'll see how long this lasts.