Day 17: Leaving on a Jetplane

Having traveled nearly 7000 miles already by car, bus, and boat thru land and sea, it actually felt strange boarding a plane for the first time on this trip. The 5hr flight and 3hr time change also did a number on my circadian rhythm that had been slowly adjusting one time zone at a time til now.

It was sad to leave my parents when they dropped me off at the airport. That was also when the gravity of my trip finally hit me. I walked thru the airport to my gate with tears in my eyes, realizing that I was leaving the U.S. mainland. For once, I felt the distance of my family, friends, and coworkers who I left behind. As I told my roommate before my trip, I was guilty of being selfish for expecting life to wait for me while I'm away, but I recognize that life will go on without me. I'm going to miss birthdays and weddings and concerts and races and countless other events...

But, the good news is that there'll be tons of stories to exchange when I return :)