less than 2 weeks...

My day is coming...in 13 days, I will board a non-stop flight from Chicago's O'Hare airport at 4:40 in the afternoon and make my arrival in the land of all things IKEA and Absolut Vodka at 7:45am the following day.

I'm nervous, terrified and overwhelmed...it's hard to imagine that this is my last week with Brad for a year (at least til he comes to visit...right, Brad?), and my last week with all of my friends. I won't see my Dad and his family until next year at this time, and on Sunday I'll be heading off to Illinois for a week before I fly out.

I keep thinking funny things like, I had better buy all the clothes I want right now cause God knows I'm SO not into Euro fashion, and, oh no! Do they even SELL tampons in Sweden?? Occasionally I panic over these things - things that aren't even an issue here in the US, like making phone calls, banking, appliance...stuff (voltages, converters, adapters...why can't we all be on the same system??), not to mention the language difference. But moving to a completely different country changes the game altogether, and I wonder how prepared I am for it all.

But in the midst of my fear, there's a little flutter of excitement that is very strong within me; a reminder that this is an adventure and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I imagine that as I'm touching down in Stockholm to meet the family that I'll be spending the next year with, there will be a LARGE part of me that's going to be wondering what on earth I got myself into. But I know that there's going to be another part of me that can't wait to begin the journey, to begin the experience, and to begin the biggest adventure this American girl has EVER had.