I feel like I'm waiting to exhale (my reference to the early 90's film starring Whitney Houston is entirely unintentional)... But seriously, it's like as soon as I decided to move abroad it has been a series of baby steps to get me to the actual departure point...which commences in approximately 26 days, 14 hours and 37 minutes ... give or take.
Nearly everyday since returning from Argentina in 2006, I have dreamed of this move. And more than just fleeting thoughts. I have envisioned myself so clearly living there. I can feel myself in my future bedroom, sitting at a cafe, walking the streets, laughing, crying... I see the light bouncing off the walls, feel the cold bite my cheeks, the heat toast my skin...taste the mixture of cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes in the air...and hear the noises of 1,000 moving parts all working in unison to create the choreographed perfection which is the city of Buenos Aires.
I always knew that I would see this dream become reality, what I couldn't have imagined, however, was the series of events that led up to this decision. I watched everything that really mattered to me go away...the love of my life, the home I had created, my job. What appeared to be a catastrophic set of circumstances has forced me to reinvent myself and redefine myself in ways I have never imagined. To rediscover who I am on my own and at my core and what it means to choose "happiness" despite the sometimes unbearably painful ways in which life can present itself.
So it's quiet now... before the storm...a whirlwind is about to ensue, one that will pick me up and take me far away. Wrap me up in new people and experiences and languages and cultures. This storm will shake me to my core and give me plenty of opportunity to hold steadfast to the knowledge that I am strong, capable and complete even utterly alone and a million miles away from anyone who truly knows me, sees me or loves me.
A dear friend of mine recommended I start a blog to document my time abroad. She's brilliant, so I took her advice and here it is... my very first post, I hope you will join me and follow along, my experiences will be so much more fun knowing that I will be able to recount them for you in some future posting.
