The Eve of a New Tomorrow

I don't really know what to say right now, except that this feels completely unreal. I'm relaxing at my grandparent's house in Tupelo, Mississippi lingering on the eve of my European adventures, and it's hard to believe that tomorrow is the day everything begins. When I wake up tomorrow morning I'll eat my one, or two, but probably three bowls of cereal like I do every other normal morning of my life, and then hop in the car to ride with my parents up to Memphis, Tennessee.

At 2:20 p.m. I'll tighten my backpack straps, take a deep breath, and roll my suitcase down the tunnel onto the plane that will take me first to Chicago, Illinois, then to Manchester, England, and finally to Helsinki, Finland.

I have been waiting for this moment for so long that there's no way anyone is going to be able convince me this is actually happening until my bottom is hovering hundreds of miles over the Atlantic ocean.

Yesterday I was packing until 1:00 in the morning with my music blaring and five cups of coffee I had guzzled throughout the day to keep me going, and by the end of it all I had miraculously fit a modest amount of clothing into two suitcases-- one for checked baggage and one for carry-on-- with room to spare. I had danced around the room the other day after learning that British Airways lets passengers check one bag that weighs up to 51 lbs for free, so when my suitcase clocked out at 46 lbs this morning I felt positively triumphant. It's full of scarves, sweaters, jackets, pants, skirts, shoes and shirts that can be mixed and matched in any number of combinations, so I should be good to go for 40 days. Not only that, but by beginning my trip with the two shop-o-holics Lauren and Sanni I'm sure I'll be able to add to my wardrobe if needed!

And on a side note, I learned today that I have won a study abroad scholarship I had applied for! *victory dance*

Okay. Alright. I've got this! I've checked in online, picked out my seats, and printed out my boarding passes.

So...are we ready to go?

We're ready to go.

1 day. Well, less than 24 hours now.

This final song I am going to post is another one that has gotten me through many grueling evenings of studying when I wanted to take a brief break to dream of what was ahead of me this summer. Don't worry, unlike the Suomi video from the previous post this is a song I actually enjoy and can listen to without laughing up a lung.

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Alice makes the statement "I can't go back to yesterday-- I was a different person then."

Alice and I are about to have a whole lot in common.

It's gonna be a New Tomorrow :)