the home stretch

i’ve got 1 week, 7 more days, and i can’t believe it.

i know that my departure date has been changed twice now, but this time i truly believe that i’ll be leaving on the 17th. lots of dates have been switched for a lot of people, but things have settled down a bit around here. that said, i won’t leave until i leave, so don’t go getting your hopes up.

people do leave, though…

morgen left two days ago, and alex leaves tomorrow.

it’s weird to think about actually leaving this place. so many things that aren’t normal have become normal since i’ve been here: i can’t imagine not washing dishes 6 days a week for 10 hours a day; i can’t imagine seeing darkness and stars and the moon, seeing sunsets and sunrises, eating sushi, holding and peting an animal; i can’t imagine walking barefoot with grass poking up between my toes, paying for food, paying rent, or talking on a cell phone.

but leave i will, and leave will my friends, so many friends. i’ve met so many amazing people down here i have no idea how i’m going to keep them all straight. sure, i’ll get email addresses and phone numbers, but…

there’s still over 1,000 people living here right now. in the next 12 days they’ll all be shipped out and replaced by the “winter-overs”. it’s getting colder, the sun’s getting lower, and it’s gonna set again (for the first time in 4 months) in about a week. that’s gonna be weird.

i’m tired. like, really tired, and i’m rambling.