Closing Time

(That was a song reference.  For those of you with it now stuck in your head, you're welcome!  For those of you who are confused, continue on like this never happened.)

Today reality really hit me.  First it was just telling someone on Facebook that I'll be home in 8 weeks.  Even typing that now is hard for me.  Then I finished giving all of my classes their instructions and sign-up times for their final exams.  The worst one was this evening.

Tonight I had to tell one of my closest friends here about my last day of tutoring - next Friday.  I almost cried while telling her and then she was trying not to cry as I explained my schedule for the next few weeks.  She was so sweet about it.  She said my last day was fine and she just wants me to enjoy my time here.  She told me that I am always welcome here and I can come to her house whenever I'd like.  I never thought this woman and her super shy daughter that I got connected to through a friend last September would turn into such a close relationship.

I have 8 weeks left here.
2 weeks from today my apartment will be all packed up and I will be making my way to another city for a few weeks of work.
6 weeks from now I will be back in LC again, leading the same english camp that started my year long journey.
8 weeks from now I'll be getting on a plane (with Evan by my side) and beginning the transition back to the states.
8 weeks.  That's all.

I am SO excited for home life.  There are so many things to look forward to.  There are tons of people I can't wait to have around me again, simple things I've missed, luxuries I can't wait to have again (like cereal), and just the atmosphere of home that I long to have.  But leaving China... is going to be tough.  This is my other home now.  

I'd keep this to myself, or share it with only a few people, but this is my journal for the year and I want to document it all.  This is part of the process, and I want to have this to look at one day when I relive this trip, which will probably be quite often.

I'm trying to soak up my last few weeks of adventures here.  It's not like I'm leaving this place behind forever, but it will definitely not be the same when I come back only for short periods of time.  Who knows what the Father has in store for me though.  The options are always endless and, if called back, I would be obedient!