All my bags are packed...

I just finished my last workout at the gym where I have lost over 90 pounds over the course of the year. Everything is packed into my car except the odds and ends I will need tomorrow morning, my landlady has checked out my apartment and returned my deposit, and I am ready to leave in the morning.

I am leaving here far lighter physical, emotionally, and bodily than I arrived three years ago.

Then, I drove a huge u-haul, towing my car behind. I hired people to load the truck for me, and was chased out of New Orleans by a tropical storm that was headed on-shore as I drove off into the sunset. That probably should have been a clue that the next year would be a bit bumpy. Tomorrow, I will get up and run early enough to watch the sun rise over the hills and will take only my Rav4, loaded by myself, and head East. If anything, I should be blown halfway there by the wind.

Saying goodbye was harder than I expected. Which I think is a good thing, but still, hard. So many really good people. Sean, who is deserving of a medal for putting up with me all year, the people who were nice during my first year teaching, people reminding me that being healthy is important, not through words, but through actions.

I'm scared. I want to be present and really be able to fully experience Japan, but a big chunk of my head is worried about Korea. I hope this will change once the immediate get-out-of-town part is over and I have a little bit of space to breathe. Next week I'll be focusing on drafting a follow-up plan - how I will incorporate what I learn in Japan in a US classroom. I've been reading the information that was sent to me about the program, and I even know what hotels I'll be staying in both in Tokyo and Aizuwakamatsu. But I'm still scared and worried about EVERYTHING. UGH!