Being in New Mexico is starting to get pretty lonely. Everyone talks about what they're doing next semester--indoor soccer, school, snowboarding, getting jobs. And I smile and open my mouth to tell them what I'm doing. And then I remember that nobody really wants to hear about it. They'll complain that I'm abandoning them, or they'll tell me how much more fun I'll be having in Portugal.
But on a happier note, my visa will clear on January 1st! I talked to my host mom, and she said that the whole family will pick me up from orientation in Lisbon on Jan. 16th (Sunday). I'm supposed to start school the next day, but she said if I'm too tired then I might not have to. I think I'm going to like this woman. (:
We have yet to actually buy my plane tickets from ABQ to JFK, but it looks like I will leave at 6 or 7 am on January 12th, have a layover in Dallas or Los Angeles, and get to New York by 3:30 or 4 pm. From there I will have to take a shuttle to the hotel for the gateway orientation. I will spend the night there with the other US semester exchangers, and we leave the next night at 10:45 pm for London. We'll take another flight to Lisbon, and have our next orientation there.
But before all that, I have to finish my BYU course, take 2 finals, learn how to drive in snow, figure out everything with packing and shipping and medication, talk to my principal about my other class, and buy presents for about 20 people.
But words cannot express how insanely excited I am to leave!! I'm a bit apprehensive too, though. I have 26 days left. But hey, who's counting?
Before I went on my exchange, I went through the same lonely stage as you are going through now. My friends didn't want to hear about me coming to Belgium, but it was the only thing on my mind. I actually felt like I lost my friends before I left, but now that I'm here I feel like our friendship is stronger: we've all realized how much we need each other in our lives.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following my blog by the way; that's how I found yours :) Feel free to talk to me about your exchange. I know exactly how you feel.
Well thanks! I really appreciate it. It's a relief to find that I'm not the only one, because on most people's blogs, the loneliness isn't something they really talk about.
ReplyDeleteYou are an incredible writer, by the way! Your blog is a joy to read because it's so different from other people's exchange blogs. (:
:D
ReplyDeleteThat comment made me smile; thanks so much. Sometimes I write and write with the sense that I'm talking to a wall, but the little compliments keep me going.
I see that you like Buddhism; I'm finding you on facebook :p haha.