So long, farwell

It's finally here. Holy crap.

In a mere 8 hours I'll be saying goodbye to my parents, and entering Atlanta airport with 63 other excited, nervous and equally tired young people. 11:35AM eastern time I'll depart for Minneapolis, where I'll have a short layover before my final flight at 3:05PM to Narita airport, outside of Tokyo. We'll land at 5:05PM Tokyo time -- 4:05AM eastern time. God I hope I survive this...

The past days, weeks, months have flown by so quickly. All summer my departure to Japan has seemed so distant, so I never gave it much thought. It honestly didn't start to sink in until about a week ago, when I realized I was spending my final days in Chapel Hill, and that many of the people I was saying goodbye to I might never see again. Despite all this sadness, my final days were nothing short of perfect. Saw a beautiful OAR concert with Guinnie and Patrick on Sunday and one of the best SOJA shows I've ever seen with Guin, Alisa and Mike on my final night. What's more, I got to see everyone I wanted to see right before I left -- left no loose ends, which feels good. Endings are difficult, but closure always makes them a bit easier to swallow. I did really well with most of the goodbyes, very little crying was involved, mainly cause I know I'll see many of these people again. My one low point came when I said goodbye to my kitten and left my house in Carrboro for the last time. I love that house so much, and it wasn't until I walked out of it that it really hit me that I'm gone.

So, I'm on to bigger, maybe better (who knows?), definitely scarier things. I'm excited, I'm terrified. Either way its gonna be a crazy adventure, and I can't wait to share it with you all when I return (or WHEN YOU COME VISIT). I'll post again as soon as I get a free (and rested) moment in Tokyo, although it may be a few days. Also, I'd love to hear from you, so leave comments or drop me an email or facebook message -- my weary soul will need it! Love you all!