Best playlist, ever.

Find yourselves in my playlist, I made it thinking of you.

Michael Buble – Me and Mrs. Jones
Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
Paramore – Only Exception
Savage Garden – Truly, Madly, Deeply
Kings of Leon – Use Somebody
Taylor Swift – White Horse
Aerosmith – Crazy
John Legend – Ordinary People
Maroon 5 – Misery
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Zephyer
Garth Brooks – Unanswered Prayers
Snow Patrol – Chocolate
Adele – Make You Feel My Love
Bob Dylan – Tangled up in Blue
The National – Runaway
Natalie Imbruglia - Smoke
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly
Alicia Keys – How Strong My Love is
Lauryn Hill – Tell Him
Glee Cast - Mercy
All Saints – Never Ever
Elton John – Bennie and the Jets
Oasis – Wonderwall
Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine
Joni Mitchell – All I Want
Shania Twain – You’ve Got a Way
Alicia Keys – Sleep with a Broken Heart
Bob Dylan – If You See Her, Say Hello
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way
The Beatles – When I’m 64
Sara Bareilles – King of Anything
Glee Cast – Poker Face
Celine Dion – Have You Ever Been in Love
Lauryn Hill – Used to Love Him
Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
Glee Cast – Don’t Stop Believin
Foo Fighers – Best of You
Bob Dylan – Visions of Johanna
Glee Cast – Defy Gravity
Coldplay – The Scientist
Radiohead – Creep
The Beatles - Something
Michael Buble – Home
Oasis – Champagne Supernova
Glee Cast – Take a Bow
The National – Sorrow
Patrick Swayze – She’s Like the Wind
Celine Dion – Drove All Night
Eric Clapton – Layla
Bob Dylan – Just Like a Woman
Sade – No Ordinary Love
Dirty Dancing – Hey Baby
Glee Cast – Somebody to Love
Juno Soundtrack – Anyone Else but You
Aerosmith – Cryin
Garth Brooks – Thunder Rolls
The Police – Roxanne
Michael Buble – Everything
Foo Fighters – Everlong
John Mayer’s Battle Studies.

Vancouver, anyone?

Why do they assume I’m exiting in Vancouver? Oh, Canada. We’re about an hour away, I fell asleep for a while to the best playlist I think I’ve ever made – considering my options. On random I got this gem:
The National – Sorrow
Paramore – Only Exception
Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
Taylor Swift – White Horse
Aerosmith – Crazy

Then I hit a button by accident and f’ed it up, so it restarted. Back to sleep.

Away We Go

I’m currently on the plane (almost) en route to Vancouver --> Hong Kong --> Ho Chi Minh City. I’m excited overall, but mostly nervous as all hell for the time being. I’m sure once I get to Hong Kong, even, I’ll be so overwhelmed by the culture shock that I’ll forget to be so anxious. 

I’m exhausted and there’s a child screaming a few rows ahead and we haven’t even taken off yet. I may have to kill it. It’s crazy to think I’m going to be on here for five hours but only two will have passed. I know time change has to do with the earth’s rotation, but it’s currently the bane of my existence.

I feel mildly insane, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but away we go.

If you think of me once in a while, then I'll return to you

I'm leaving tomorrow and my heart skips a beat every time I think about it too much. I'm excited, but I'm nervous as hell. I mean this is the exact opposite life that I'm used to. My two suitcases probably weigh more than I do; every time I walk into my mostly barren bedroom, I find another thing that I'm convinced I can't live without. I'm going to be so upset with myself in a year at all of the things I didn't even use haha.

It's Valentine's Day. Many of my facebook friends are boasting of this being their best Valentine's Day ever. I'm not bitter or anything, I am having a perfectly wonderful day, I just wouldn't say this is the best ever considering tomorrow's inevitable departure.

Bah, anxiety.

Come visit meeeeee!

I miss the way the sun lights up your face

In the early morning hours on the eve of my supposed departure, a calm is settling over me. I know I'm not leaving tomorrow, and I think a few days was just what I needed. Second guessing the biggest decision of my life is not something I should be doing 35 hours before my flight takes off.

What's the deal with being so upset about leaving people that mean so much to me? On both ends, it's like, of course we'll see each other again and inevitably have so much more (or God forbid, so much less) to talk about. I suppose it IS possible to outgrow people on the other side of the world, and there's a few I wouldn't miss but there's so many more that I would miss were this year to take us apart.

Ugghh, this sleep schedule is not doing me any good. Since I have a few more days to make the official adjustment, I think I'll sleep to dream now and wait for the "your trip has been delayed" email that will inevitably come.

Life

It's so hard to say goodbye

Sign contract... check.
Book flight... check.
Seriously think about packing... check.
Say a million goodbyes... half check.

I got a little nauseous today thinking about everything. It's REAL. I feel like before it was something I was talking about that might happen should all of the stars align on the right day, at the right time. And don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about the whole experience, new country, new languages, new job, new friends, everything I've been waiting for, for over a year now. But I can't help but think about all of the things that I'm going to miss. In the grand scheme of things, looking back over this past year, I don't think I would have missed much, so I'm sure I'm letting my deepest thoughts get the best of me. It happens to the best of us.

I will not miss:
Snow
Bad drivers (apparently there's plenty of them in Ho Chi Minh)
Running into people I don't really feel like seeing (at the market, bank, bar, etc)
Watching the same episodes of the same shows day after day
Not being able to sleep because I can't wait to get there

I will miss:
My family and friends (duh)
Texting whoever, whenever
Dates with my mom
Good American television (yes, I'm referring to American Idol, what of it?)
Driving Rufus (my car that I pretend I hate, but I secretly can't live without)
Blaring my favorite tunes in my car driving up the Parkway to visit my friends
Having a reason to wear sweats (apparently it's stifling in HCMC)
Running into people I do feel like seeing at random
My favorite American brands and restaurants, and Tangles (who will cut my hair?!)
Good times on Jones, Belmar, and Herbert
Scarves, boots, hot chocolate.. all things winter
Not working (hahaha, jk)
Ag Field Day, HH Thanksgiving, the Scarlet Knights, all things Rutgers

I'm sure there's more for both lists...

Goooooood morning, Vietnam!

Shit just got real. Well, kinda real, I haven't bought the plane tickets yet and my passport expires in April, so I need to get it renewed. But as real as it can be without those minor details; I GOT THE JOB!

Courtney and I went out tonight and I saw Billy H... I haven't seen him since I was like 12. He said, "Go. Don't let anything change your mind." Then he started talking about being sold into prostitution. Freaking history teachers.

I am painfully excited <3 I don't know how I'll sleep between now and getting to Vietnam. I'll be exhausted when I finally land. How does one pack for a year in another country?

Throw dirt on me, grow a wildflower

It's official: Interview Wednesday, January 12, 2011. I'm so excited! And nervous.

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea." isak dineson

Ready? Set... GO!

I'm applying for a one year position in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and I'm painfully excited and anxious about it. I need to do something drastic and crazy, I think, to get out of this rut. I've been jobless since Aug and off of my career path since... forever. This would be a wonderful opportunity to learn and travel and do all the things I've ever wanted to do.

Cross your fingers, say a prayer, do what ever you do that you think makes amazing things happen, that I get to spend a year on the other side of the world.