Truth be told, the countdown actually began in October when my summer plans began to solidify, but the countdown for the final details is starting now. For example, this week, after much debating on the exact dates and taking into account a couple detours for some friends' weddings, I finally purchased my plane tickets. I'm leaving exactly one month from today, and there's still a lot I need to do before I show up at the Phoenix airport on May 12th.
Now that I have my plane tickets, I'm applying for my visa so that the customs officials at the Benin airport will decide that it's a good idea to let me in the country, and don't immediately send me back to America. Along with this, I'm anxiously staring at the suitcase sitting in my room, occasionally putting items in it, taking items out, trying to decide what I really need, what I only think I need, and trying not to forget anything vital, like contact solution or that little yellow medical card that has my immunization history and my blood type written on it.
But as someone who grew up with a suitcase in tow, I actually enjoy it more than I would like to admit, and the hardest part is really remembering to live in the present. In the midst of my packing and repacking I have reading to do, papers to write, and work to show up to (along with a plethera of other activities). And writing a research proposal is just not as appealing as fantasizing about the explosion of flavors that I'm going to enjoy as I bite into my first mango.
