Departure

It's 9:47 am and I'm sitting in the Seattle Airport. We left my house at 5:30 am this morning. This morning is a blur of last minute preparation and packing. Overall we did pretty good I think. We have four bags between the two of us.

I said goodbye to my dad and brother. I won't see either of them for about five months. My mom and I are traveling to India. We will stay in India for a little less than two months. After that I will go and live in Holland for almost four months.

It's pretty amazing to realize that I will get out of a plane and be in India. I will step off the plane and it will be 80ish degrees. Meanwhile in Post Falls, Idaho it is cold and wet. The middle of winter.

To get to the international section of the Seattle airport we took a subway. Once in the train the feeling of things began to change. The automated directions were given in English and other languages. We got off the train and arrived in the lobby. It wasn't a huge shift or anything. It didn't overwhelm me with foreignness. However, people were speaking other languages. Directions over the PA system were given in English, Spanish and other languages I can't even name.

So, right now we're waiting at the Northwest Airlines terminal. Our plane leaves at 12:45 pm. It is 10:03 am right now. It feels like I should be thrust forward into my travels without a break. But the truth is there are a lot of breaks. Many, many breaks where I will just sit waiting for the next thing. It isn't a movie. There aren't any sped up scenes of airplanes cruising over the Pacific. I have to live every minute. There isn't a soundtrack either, however, if there was it would be "One more cup of coffee" by Bob Dylan. That is because I'm really tired.