I leave in 2 days
Don’t tell my mom but I haven’t packed a single thing. I haven’t done laundry. I haven’t even separated the clean from the dirty clothes on my floor to put into the laundry bin, which, by now, should unanimously be assumed dirty by default. Maybe it’s not just laundry. Maybe it’s the fact that for years, I’ve dreamed of this very moment — of spontaneously packing up and running across the globe — and now, standing at the edge of it, I can’t seem to move. I fear I may have built up this whole “travel” dream into a now seemingly insurmountable leap. I’ve gotten too comfortable making tiny little jumps from branch to branch, convincing myself I’m getting somewhere, and now I’ve climbed all the way up a tree and there’s no next branch — just the terrifying freefall of whatever comes next. It’s as intimidating as it is thrilling.
I’m being dramatic. I’m going to Paris for 1 month for a teaching placement. I think it feels bigger because this is the start of a stage of my life that I’ve looooong been waiting for! My “next chapter”, as I’ve been told. I do, however, leave in (now under) 2 days and have nothing packed. That part was legit. Maybe a bit of dramatics are necessary to knock the kickstand up and get going. The introspection of it all I’m sure I will bore you with another time. Let’s switch gears. Mood follows action. Here are 3 things I’m most excited for this month abroad and if that saying rings true, then hopefully my “chapter closing” mindset will morph into this “new chapter” excitement everybody around me seems to exude on my behalf.
I’ve never explored on this big of a scale before! This feels like when you buy the Mario Kart expansion pack and you go from driving the same corners over and over to a completely new series of terrains. Every turn switches from expected to exciting!
This is a huge IN to my aspiration of running a private school. This network of international schools could prove extremely valuable if I play my cards right (aka if I show up on time and make a good impression). One goal being significantly harder than the other, and unsurprisingly to those who know me well, it is not the latter.
As enchanting as Paris is, I am honestly more excited for my last week travelling around the south of France. I would choose a hike In Marseille over the Eiffel Tower any day. How fortunate am I to have the opportunity to do both?!
I am writing this now from the airport. Rest assured, I have packed. I am ready, I am excited, and my boarding group just got called. F*ck.
Here goes nothing!
Beda
