Countdown

One more day. One more day until I met my counterpart in Japan for a two-week escapade of cultural immersion, language interpretations, and Hello Kitty.

Somehow, I feel calm about the trip. Other people are more excited than I am sometimes--"Take me with you!", "Buy me some shoes", "The Land of Hello Kitty"--that I'm almost compelled to deviate from their happiness by feeling calm and tranquil.

Money, money, money is making my life a bit stressful, and overall, takes away from the full excitement of this trip. I don't think people realize this, but going to a different country costs $$. Not one $. Not two $$. Excessive $. I only add this in because it is something for those going abroad to think about. It costs money. But if you really want to do it, money shouldn't stand in your way.

You know, there was no way I was going to go to Japan unless it was study abroad, and that takes forever to go through at my school. I'm glad this opportunity presented itself to me, amidst the chaos of campaigning and student organizations and other activities known as my life.

I spent most of yesterday revising the presentation. It's pretty straight-cut, like homestyle french fries, but it's classic and simple. It's just about packing now--where the hell are my panties? I could had sworn I had at least 20 of them--and picking out what shirts to wear, what pants to bring, what dress might work. It's all about guessing and logical thinking (that negates itself, really).

Today, after church, I picked up the T-shirts. They looked good, better than the first design I did because they couldn't use it. Now, I just have to figure out how I'm going to wrap it and all that good jazz. Apparently, when giving gifts in Japan, Japanese people really love gifts, well, gift-wrapped, no matter how small the item is. I have to do that today.

Plus, my mom is buying me a digital camera today! Hooray! We're upgrading from our broken, $50 Radio Shack dealt, digital Casio camera. I wanted a Digital SLR, but lo and behold, they are mighty expensive, and I don't have time to bid on Ebay and wait for snail mail to deliver the goods.

I just need some more time to steady myself because the preparations are toying with my mind. Don't get me wrong. It's there though, the excitement, buried underneath the hustle and bustle of preparations.

Now, if you excuse me, I have to clean my room (because no one else will) and find more of my missing panties.