Mom and I have been packing for hours, and I do mean hours. The actual packing is not the hard part--it's the deciding. The mental inventory-taking. The answering of such questions as, "Why is all my clothing only either blue or black?" and "How much can fourteen shoes really weigh?" and "How many pairs of underwear can you stuff into a water bottle?"
(Answer to that last one: 10.)
Tomorrow is my last day in North Dakota. (<--I should maybe put an exclamation point there, but it sounds too jubilant. I am jubilant about this whole finally-going-to-Spain bit, but it doesn't ease the saying-goodbye-to-everyone-I-love part. But a period seems so final.)
Tomorrow is my last day in North Dakota;
And I need to be in bed, yet it seems like a good time to keep up the age-old tradition of night-writing, so here are a few answers to the questions I've been getting in this most recent pre-Spain epoch.
Are your students still in school? Will you start teaching right away?
The kids only have class for a few more weeks, so instead of teaching, I will start recovering from jet lag right away.
What will you do this summer?
Take language class, figure out how to buy groceries, stay away from bulls (running and otherwise)
How much luggage do you get to take?
2 suitcases (50 lbs each), a carry-on, and my computer bag. If you've ever seen my room--any of my rooms--you may think this an impossible feat. But it is not, good people! It is not. Because I am not packing any of my silverware or furniture or assorted boy band posters from the last decade, and that cuts down the weight limit significantly. :)
Why are you taking so many shoes?
Shoe sizes past 10 are difficult to find, or so I hear.
Since you're getting there later than expected, will you still be there for two years?
Yep, two whole years!
Will you send me a postcard?
Will you send me a postcard?!
What happens if I have been supporting you financially for a year already?
If you've committed to two years, you will only be giving for two years. Your gifts will just be waiting for me to catch up with them! For example, if you've been a supporter from January 2010-January 2012, those gifts will aid me from May 2011-May 2013.
Are you going to do some traveling while you're there?
I plan to, especially since the airfare within Europe is super reasonable! Personal travel comes out of my own pocket, so I've been saving up to see (amongst other things) the land of my forefathers (Norway, that is), the land of my favorite Prince (William, that is), and that gazebo where Rolf and Liesl danced.
What kind of government does Spain have?
Constitutional monarchy: King, Queen, Prime Minister, representatives, senators, ministers, councils, etc.
Are you bringing a Kindle?I may regret this decision later, but I just don't think I can do it. A book is a book, and for all the acclimating I can do in this world, reading a book on a machine (though, undoubtedly, a well-planned and charming little machine) is just one of those things that I'm not sure my old-fashioned self can get over. (Still, all opinions are not final.)
What books are you bringing, then?
My best-loved ones: CS Lewis' Till We Have Faces, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Ann M. Martin's Bummer Summer, some teaching reference books, Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl, the Bible, and maybe a little Calvin and Hobbes?
Do you think you'll come home with a Spanish man?
No. Dorothy and I have decided that it is best if I fall in love with a giant Dutch man instead.
Do you like spicy food?
Not particularly. But neither do Spaniards.
No comments:
Post a Comment