Numbers

So I'd like to say that with 11 days and counting until I leave for Phenom Penh, that I have taken care of all I need to take care of, made a list of packing items and am patiently waiting to load up my bags and head out the door.

That's what I'd like to say.

Unfortunately, I've lost a week to illness. Tonsilitis I suspect. (Although the doctor told me it was merely a cold.) I lost my ability to swallow comfortably for a good 5 days, the ability to speak for 1, and the energy to get anything of real importance accomplished for a week. To put things in simplest terms, the 4 weeks I had to get ready for this trip was cut by 25% down to 3. (That's a lot of numbers and more math than I care to do for awhile.)

Anyway, with a little more than a week ahead of me, I have a lot to do, and I still don't feel like this is really happening to me. I'm trying to imagine myself halfway across the world, but it's nearly impossible. I try to put myself in the mindset of how I'm going to live for the next 4 months, but in the blink of an eye, it vanishes. 4 months doesn't seem long. I was in California for 3, and now its merely a daydream. Is this going to be as well? I hope not.

So, I've taken care of vaccinations, made a hair appointment (don't judge! I need a trim because I doubt they know what to do with curls over there), researched luggage requirements (only two 44-pound bags... say it isn't so) and thought about possibly maybe investing in travel insurance (Thailand lesson learned).

So I've created a list of what's left (hopefully I've got it all):
1. Get money and traveler's checks
2. Call credit card companies and warn them of the weird activity they might encounter on my accounts
3. Invest in some traveler's insurance (possibly maybe?)
4. Pack
5. Repack so I'm not over weight limits
6. Visit Greg (my prof) to go over last minute details
7. Apply for an absentee ballot (Presidential election year!)
8. Visit with friends "one last time" (and then one more "last time")
9. Read and daydream about all the cool places I'm going to visit

So with a fairly hefty list of to-dos, I'll be busy the next 11 days, but I feel great about this. I still don't know why I'm going to be there, but as a true subcriber of the "everything happens for a reason" ideology, I feel good about what's to come.