I cannot believe August is already ending and that this time next week I will either be asleep at Mama Rosa's casa due to major jet lag or roaming the streets of Sevilla with the chicas. All I can think is 'how did this summer go by so fast'?? The time has finally come to pack my bag, say my goodbyes, make lists, print itineraries, keep a firm grip on my passport and visa, and pray American Airlines flight 94 doesn't go down over the pond. Thank god I am not flying with Samantha Heller. "I don't think were gonna make it" are not my favorite words to hear as we dive around through turbulence 6 miles above the ocean. It's such a whirlwind mix of emotions to be leaving the country with a one-way ticket, but one thing is for sure: I am excited.
I've been waiting and counting the days for this for a very long time, but this past week there's some strange nostalgia that's been hitting me about leaving so many things behind for a few years. Friday was my last day of work in Pullman followed by an awesome goodbye party, and it finally dawned on me that I have really loved my life there lately, and I'm going to miss my college friends and wheat field life a lot. When I come back, they're all going to be done with Pullman, and I am finishing my degree online anyway. It's weird that my home base will be gone in a way, and that I have no idea where I'll live when I return to the States.
I am currently in Oregon visiting my grandpa and choosing which things I will store here and what few things will be shoved into my one checked bag to take to Spain. To sum that mission up: putting your life into one single bag is a huge challenge. I feel like I'm voting so many clothes and momentos off the island. However, since I will be carrying all of those things through New York City, Madrid, and then Sevilla, it is so much smarter to simply pack light (and not pay outrageous fees airlines now charge for luggage..). I had to wash and clean out my truck today, and even saying goodbye to my pair of wheels was kind of sad. I am going to miss driving and crazy road rage and shouting whatever song lyrics fit my mood at that moment.
Tomorrow I am headed back towards Clarkston to say my goodbyes to some great friends there and catch my flight to NYC at 5am Wednesday. I'll spend a few days there with friends I met while studying in Spain, then Saturday evening I'll be headed back to Iberia. I don't think it will hit me that I'm actually moving back to Spain until I land on the runway of Barajas and see the Spanish sun rising.
Until then, I am soaking up every ounce of American goodness possible.
