Going on Vacation

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." - George Moore

Well, summer vacation is officially here, and my brain is still stuck in student mode. Every day I wake up feeling as though I need to study for an exam or hand in a summative that must have slipped my mind. It's funny how I spent all year waiting for the freedom that comes when school ends for the year, and now that it's finally here, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself.

Luckily, I don't have too much time to waste here at home, since my family has been planning a trip to visit relatives and friends in Germany, Austria and Switzerland from July 1 to August 11. As soon as my friends heard about this, they were all very excited and jealous of me, but as of yet, I'm still not nearly as excited as would be expected. I never seem to trust exciting events in my life as real until part way through or even after they occur, since as a child my imagination was always taking me on some wild adventure past the borders of possibility, making me wary of anything overly exciting, since most of these things were all pretend. I may be a little more grounded in reality now, but I'm still slow to believe in adventures, just in case my mind has woven them up as readily as it used to.

The highlight of this trip, I'm already sure, will be that Marc is coming with me. This is a marvelous blessing, since I discovered last year that it's more than possible to leave your heart at home, which made the trip much more painful than enjoyable.

Being away from home gives you a chance to really step back and see your life and everyone in it from a new perspective. I think the best part of any vacation is coming home to the same people and places to discover how much they truly mean to you and how much you missed them when you were gone. It's more the experience of coming home which stays with me and changes me most, rather than the experiences of being somewhere new. It will be my third time in Europe, but the scenery both there and in my very own neighbourhood always hits me in a new way upon my arrival or my return home. Sometimes going to the same familliar places after time away can truly show you how you yourself have altered over time.

So, I guess deep down maybe I am excited about this trip. I'll get to revisit some places and go to some entirely new ones. I'll also get to eat some pretty good food too! And this time there won't be any heavy heartache to bear with me, just heavy suitcases. I just pray I can endure six weeks crammed into a little car with my family!

Auf Wiedersehen until August 11!