Two Weeks to Go

I made the (sad) realization this morning that I have exactly 2 weeks left until I come home. Time feels like it's speeding up, and I can count the destinations I have left on one hand.

I'm not sure if I'm ready for this to be over.

Of course, there are a million things that I miss a lot - the pets, my friends and family, my bed, my hair straightener, my car, my backyard, television I can understand, San Francisco tap water, manicured nails, Safeway, nice clothes, high heels, American deli sandwiches, my workout routine - I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had bouts of serious homesickness in the last couple of weeks. In the most beautiful and unique locations I have found myself daydreaming about getting a facial and a manicure, driving my car on Hillesdale to see the view of the Bay, grocery shopping and making my own food, and just walking around the house with the cat on my shoulders. It gets so tiring living out of a bag, and it's been difficult to watch the toll this trip has taken in terms of my skincare, weight, style, and energy level.

On the flip side, Dan gave me a back massage a week ago, and we were both surprised that for the first time in a few years, I didn't have a single knot.

It's just crazy to look back and remember how different I was just 6 weeks ago. Things were so overwhelming and new. I remember how lost I was at first, how it was so odd to go a day at a time without speaking English to anyone, how -at times - 2 months seemed like an eternity.

Now I feel so confident being out in the world. I'm here in Barcelona, a city I absolutely love, and I can't believe how much easier things seem, and how much I've accepted the inconveniences and pitfalls of traveling as another part of life. I am understanding so much French and Spanish, and am surprised by how intuitive things seem and how far away my actual life feels. I think about the girl who arrived in Amsterdam 5 weeks ago, feeling like the world was going crazy, and she seems far away too. It's ironic that it's all happening just as it's time to start thinking about the end.