Life is for living

Dear USAC,

Why on EARTH would you make the program end the day after finals? That's just kind of dumb. I have way too much crap to do, and I leave in two days. Maybe you should change this, because it's all kinds of annoying. kthanxbye.

Yeah, two days. I leave in two days. I can't wrap my head around it, quite. My friend Ariel from high school is visiting me right now, which is awesome because it gives me a chance to go out and say goodbye to a bunch of things one last time. I feel kind of bad though, I've got a paper to finish and a big final to study for, so I can't give as much of my time as I'd like. I don't know when I'm going to have time to pack either HOLY CRAP I'M LEAVING! It's basically the saddest thing ever.

I keep having random moments of "crap, I'm really going to miss that" - last night, sitting in the kitchen on the windowsill, looking out at nothing in particular, BAM. "I'm really going to miss it here." Last Sunday, walking with Adriene and Casey through Staromestka, looking at all the different buildings and thinking about the boring architecture in America; shopping at Billa and saying "dobry den" to the cashier, sitting in a booth at Blind Eye and speaking Czech with a native (yes, I actually can speak enough Czech to get by! How wonderful is that?), walking to school through Vysehrad, talking to Petr Roubal about Chicago, being asked "Co jste delala o minuly vikendu?" by Lenka, the Czech teacher. I'm going to miss it all and so much more.

I feel definitely changed by this experience. Forgive me when I get home if I can't answer right away when asked about my experiences. I'm still processing and it might take awhile. Give me a little time though, and I'm sure I'll be boring you with "Oh, we did such-and-such in Prague" and you'll hate me and want me to shut up. I feel a little quieter and a little more confident all at once. I think I'm more proud of the time I've had here than of any other time in my life so far, other than Nicaragua. I feel very self-sufficient and at the same time, very well taken care of. It seems that life can be lived well in lots of parts of the world - I've seen a lot of things and met a lot of people who've confirmed that for me.

So enough with the philosophical musings. I've got a paper to write, sights to see for one last time, and things to pack. And I'm going to Ireland also. kthanxbye.