Are we there yet?

One more day in the US of A and it has still not hit me. Yesterday I must have had at least 5 people call me to talk. Each good-bye is getting tougher and tougher because they keep getting more and more serious. I am finally about 80% packed...and how strange it is to look at your life packed away in three bags.

I am really looking forward to eating Indian food when we get to England. One of my goals is to learn how to cook my favorite Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Marsala. It's really not "Indian" but Indian-English (much like how our "Chinese" food is here). I just cannot wait to be submerged in another culture and I am really interested in the Indian aspect of England. I took a Hinduism class two semesters ago and really enjoyed learning about their culture and religion.

I am definitely going to miss my family, friends and boy friend though, as I'm sure is the same with everybody. I said good-bye to my boyfriend for the last time before I see him in a few months and that was incredibly hard. I can't imagine what I will be like when I say good-bye to the family. Probably much "weeping and gnashing of teeth".

Also, why does the currency exchange rate have to be so high? We beat the British in the Revolutionary War and now they are beating us with their currency rates. Bah. So for the $250 I cashed in to get my British pounds, I got 137 pounds. After experiencing that today, I went back to my suitcases and tried to shove more things in.

I started looking at the itinary and I finally got excited. So far I've just been stressed, anxious, and intimidated by all the tasks to complete and all the good-byes to say. But now that I'm basically packed, got my money in the bank, got my cell phone taken care of, etc. now I can finally breathe and think about this amazing experience. Everyone has been so supportive and helpful, I would not be able to go on this trip without everyone who is in my life.