As I sit here at the Heathrow airport, waiting the several hours before my flight to Israel. Neither at home, nor at my destination, I can’t help but reflect on how I got here. Anyone who knows me knows how ridiculously (sometimes almost painfully) indecisive I can be. So how is it that, for the third time, I find myself off to live in another country, completely different than my own. And how, while I do spend hours and hours thinking about these decisions, does everything happen so quickly once I get to the point where I decided to go all in? With Italy, I spent a few years trying to decide where to study abroad. I spent hours in the Study Abroad Office. And yet, once I got Siena in my head, it was a matter of weeks before I decided, applied, and was accepted and well on my way. With Japan, when I finally decided to apply, I sent in my application, had two interviews, and was well on my way within a month or two. Granted, the whole placement and process took a few months, but on my part, it seemed almost instant. And now, probably the most intense. I’d been wanting to spend some time in Israel for as long as I can remember. Given my parents growing up there, and still having family there, and, as practiced as it may seem, being a Jew, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I started thinking about ways to make this a possibility only a few short months ago. I first heard about this program at the end of November, applied in the beginning of December, and now a short month later, I sit in the airport prepared to go.
People have been asking, “Are you excited?” The obvious answer is yes, although, the weird thing, even though I am sitting at the airport more than half way there, it still doesn’t seem real. I still can’t believe that I am once again heading off on quite probably one of my most random adventures yet. I’m wondering if it is because everything has happened so quickly.
And then part of me wonders what on earth I was thinking when making this decision. Not in a bad way. I’m beyond excited, looking forward to it, expecting an amazing experience out of it, but as several people have recently pointed out, I’m not getting any younger. I will soon have to start thinking about getting married and having babies (in that order). But I know this was the right decision for the moment. There’s not a shred of doubt in me. And, as my wise younger sister pointed out, if all I feel is excited (not nervous or anxious or scared, as would be completely normal in this situation) I must have made the right decision.
I go into this, however, with a feeling that I haven’t had in the past adventures. That this will be my last really big move. Don’t get me wrong, I will always love and desire travelling. I already have several trips planned in my head that I plan on doing one day. If I have a job that allows me the flexibility to spend a few months backpacking, wild horses couldn’t stop me. But as far as uprooting myself, making a move to another world, I’m confident that this will be the last giant adventure.
That said, to be 25, to have lived in the US, Italy, Japan, and soon to be Israel. To have traveled to Canada, the UK (although only London specifically), France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands (again, only Amsterdam), Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, China, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, French Polynesia… No complaints out of me!
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