I’m leaving the United States indefinitely exactly one month from today. I’ve given my notice at work and told everyone I know, so there’s no going back now. Everyone keeps asking me how excited I am and the truth is- right now not so excited. Not even nervous. Right now all I can feel is busy!
I have SO much to get done. Luckily I have a great passion for making to-do lists. I made one every morning at work and one every night when I sit down to blog. My desk is littered with half- finished to-do lists right now.
Making to-do lists is fun- actually checking a thing off of them is another story. Right now it’s pretty ridiculous as I scramble to make sense of about 5 different to-do lists. In addition to these many things I must somehow wrap up my employment, kiss everyone I love goodbye and get my entire life in tidy order before I hop on this plane to Tokyo.
Here are some of the lists I’m currently working furiously to tick things off of:
Contents
The Shopping List
Sadly most of the things I need to do involve me opening my wallet. Although I already have a backpack and most of the basic equipment, it seems like there is so much I still need.
Excerpt:
- Buy and break-in walking shoes
- Buy ibuprofen, Tums and all other necessary first-aid kit elements.
- Stockpile passport sized photos
The Planning List
This list also seems to involve shelling out a lot of money. Although I’m only making concrete plans up until January, there are a lot of logistics to be figured out an pinned down.
Excerpt:
- Apply for Chinese visa
- Reserve hostels for first nights in Tokyo and in Shanghai
- Buy plane tickets for Australia
The Tech List
I love you guys to pieces but running a blog from the road is sure going to add some complications to my life.
Excerpts:
- Figure out how to use my damn netbook
- Organize external and online storage
- Download awesome travel apps for my new ipod touch (recommendations?)
The OMFG Gotta Get This Stuff Done List:
This is the most stressful of the bunch- things that absolutely must be accomplished before I can leave or there are going to be some major problems.
Excerpt:
- Sell my Car (Anyone in the DC area interested in a 2006 Jetta?)
- Set up new bank account
- Buy Travel Insurance
The “It Sure Would Be Nice” List:
Unfortunately, this list suffers at the expense of the louder, more pressing one. There are about a million people I’d like to spend some time with before I go, and a million smaller things I’d like to get done (like maybe take some stick-shift refresher lessons). How much of this will actually be accomplished remains to be seen…
So doing all of these things, plus trying to get ahead on this blog, plus getting rid of a bunch of my belongings, yeah, I guess I’m a bit stressed out.
In the end though, I’m leaving the country September 22, whether I get everything accomplished or not. This is a stressful thought, but also a comforting one. Nothing can stop me now!
