Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Beginning of the End

It's not like I ever thought of this whole traveling thing would be permanent. But when I embarked on this adventure last February, the end seemed SO far away. And for the most part it's continued to feel that way. Even though I've been sort of planning for what's next for some time, steps like taking the GRE or sending out grad school applications didn't really connect to actually coming home.

Then little things started happening that made everything feel final. First I quit my job back in February. Then I got acceptance letters from Stanford and Harvard, and my fantasy about not getting into grad school--and having an excuse to renew my NZ visa--was crushed. My family's visit came and went. My list of "must do" activities slowly got ticked off one by one as I headed further and further south. Erica's visit, which we have been talking about for ages, is actually happening and will be over in a few days. On Saturday we took the ferry from Picton to Wellington and I've officially left the South Island for good (barring some miracle).

But then came the punch that made it all real: I booked my plane ticket home. No more pretending that my final flight back to the US is all a distant dream. It's happening. In a month.

4 comments:

SWE said...

A month! Please derive some comfort from the fact that those of us who live vicariously have enjoyed every minute of it. :) And we'll make sure California feels like an adventure too...

Kiwijac3 said...

Goodbye, Geetha. We're waving! Maybe we'll see you back this way sometime. It was absolutely a pleasure to meet you.

Linda said...

And I on the opposite shore shall be (from Kiwijac3) waving "hello" and jumping up and down with glee to see you again, however briefly. Let's face it. California is almost as far away from "home" (wherever that is now for you!) as NZ.

Anonymous said...

you got into stanford and harvard? congrats geetha! i know it's a sad realization that your time down under is coming to an end but you're leaving with a lot of new friends, tons of stories/memories and pictures.