so soon

On the eve of my board exams, a super hasty post about how I cannot wait to go home, for some calm and perspective. I'm as excited to go to Fremont, California as I was for Greece or Vietnam; in some ways, the feelings are even deeper. As usual I've let many things accumulate, things to save for home, the little and the closer to heart. There are errands: passport renewal, car registration, shoe returns, health insurance, travel and work for the next year. There are things I want to do everyday--run, write, sit on the couch with my parents. In my head I have a pile of unstarted entries about science, goodbyes, people--the thought of bumming around in the city and on the beach to plow through them is driving me crazy, it's so close. There are a good number of people from past and present I will be so happy to talk to, do things with, see things with, just be with--my oldest friend, my best friends from high school, college roommates, friends here who are currently there, and people met in between. As hard as it at these times to be away from my family, feeling so strongly their pull makes me glad for that capacity and venue for feeling. My mom is making all my favorite foods and my brother is making reservations at all his favorite sushi restaurants. There will be ocean, hikes, hills, woods, climbs, and lots and lots of sleeping. Before I get there, I have two 9-hour exams, two flights and three days to get through. It is so good to know how heavily the after outweighs the before.