It’s been a pretty long road.
Twenty months ago I made the decision to head out to a new place for this brand new adventure. I’ve waded through paperwork, made phone calls, traveled by bus, plane and car, and finally… I’m almost to the starting line!
I’ve been asked a lot in the last year or so if I’m excited to go and try so many new things. So far my answer has been “Ummm… I’m sure it will be exciting, but right now I’m mostly thinking about what I have to get done right now. Maybe I’ll be more excited when I get closer to leaving.”
Then last weekend it hit me. I turned on a song in my car and realized that in as little as a month I could be listening to that same song in a new country on a new continent. The realization that I will become familiar and fall in love with a new city washed over me. I got very excited.
Today I was sending a message to some friends that are already waiting for me there. In my brain I started to calculate the difference between our time zones. Suddenly tears sprang into my eyes as it hit me: that’s my new time zone. That’s where I want to be.
Time zones have a lot of personality to me. I grew up seven time zones away from my grandparents. It took me forever to remember that I was only six away from my parents in college because seven had become so ingrained in me. Maybe it’s a weird thing, but it’s part of who I am. I know what it is to constantly be aware of what’s happening in a country on the other side of the world where the people you love are waking up when you fall asleep, or are wrapping up their day right when you get going on yours.
Today my heart leapt into a time zone I don’t live in, in a country where I’ve never been. I can’t wait until my body gets to catch up. I can’t wait to stuff all my things in suitcases and spend hours in lines at airports and get off in my new home. I can’t wait to be confused and exhilarated as I’m lost in a sea of new experiences. I can’t wait to develop new relationships and learn new lessons.
The journey to this point has already been amazing, and the people in it have enabled me to get this far. Friends, strangers, family: you have all blessed me beyond belief and I never could have made it this far without you.
Before I can go I need a few more people to help. If you think that could be you, please let me know as soon as possible. I’m ready to go.
Let’s make this real.