Departures and Arrivals

Well, it looks like the race to the finish has officially begun.  I can feel the momentum of leaving taking hold of my brain, and even though I keep trying to tell my brain "Stop that!  It's too soon!" it doesn't really help, because that's just my brain attempting to contradict itself, which winds up being mostly schizophrenic and not very effective.  What also doesn't really help is that my friends are starting to leave -- Lolly took off a week and a half ago, and just last night I had to say goodbye to my much-beloved housemates Emma and Cyrus.  It poured all afternoon yesterday and was still raining when the car came to pick them up and take them to the airport, and as I stood at my front gate in the drizzle, crying like a fool and waving as their car drove away, I realized that this whole leaving thing isn't going to be as easy as I thought.  When I think about going back to the U.S., what comes to mind are all the wonderful reunions I'm going to have with family and friends on the other side ... but still being here, now, it is sometimes easy to forget that going back home will also involve leaving this place, where I have formed lifelong friendships and deep attachments to people, routines, and the little quirky quotidia that make life in Yogya absurd, adventurous and wonderful.  Suffice it to say that bidding farewell will be no piece of cake.

On the other hand, I still have a whole month and some change before I have to bid those farewells, and it is jam-packed with goodies!  The most important goody being, obviously, that my brother Isaiah arrives TONIGHT!  I'll be leaving in a few hours to collect him from the airport, which will officially commence the Supreme Awesomeness that is the next twelve days, which we will split between adventuring in Sumatra and traipsing around Yogya eating delicious food, seeing spectacular sights, and trying not to die from heat exhaustion.  It's going to be off the hook.

Isaiah and I will report back at our earliest convenience -- stay tuned!