Excitement, anticipation, and anxiety are running high. I'm fidgety, I can't sleep at night, I have constant butterflies, I keep searching the web, clicking link after link, looking for that one last site that I might have overlooked.
A myriad of questions are swarming through my mind. How in the world am I going to communicate in places like Russia, Bulgaria, and Vietnam? Do I have all the necessary vaccinations (what about that pricey Japanese Encephalitus that I opted out of)? Do I have enough money? Enough common sense? Will I be warm enough? Will I be discriminated against because I'm American? Because I'm a woman? Because I'm travelling solo? Because I'm an American woman travelling solo? What will I see? Who will I meet? Will I party too hard? Will I be just another tourist? Will I learn anything? Will I be able to help others? Will I be able to help myself?
There are no decisions left to make, no reservations left to book, no gear left to purchase. I am simply left here to sit on my hands, restless, sleepless, watching the minute hand move on the clock that I bought my brother for his birthday.
Tick..... tock...... tick...... tock.......
Only 11,896 minutes to go............