The Tenseness that Lingers Throughout the Torso

I woke this morning to my last full day in Oklahoma before I move to France. This whole month I have spent endless hours talking with people about my experiences in Italy. Everything from how great the wine is to how excited I was when I returned to American restaurants and the waiter asked, "Would you like a refill, ma'am?" It's been an interesting study of character in how people respond. Some people seem uninterested, and quickly change the subject to something of the significance of washing cars. Others listen intently, realizing that I have to sort through some of this information I just experienced as I prepare my life for a full year away. Thank you to those that have fixed themselves in group number 2.

I have to pack today. I know many of you may be thinking that I should have packed already. Somehow it seems like a foolish endeavor to pack early. My mother used to say that any project will fill the time allotted for it. If I had started last week, I just would have spent all week obsessing over what I had forgotten. And, to be honest, this whole experience is making me so much less materialistic. I have a passport, and I know food and housing is there. As long as I have that, I really don't need much else. Anything I forget, I can live without or buy while I'm in France.

I'll see you again when I'm in France.