Today I woke up and it had become real. The prospect of a year abroad had been approaching since last November like a large building spotted from a distance through haze, the looming outline discernible but the details obscured. At 6:30 this morning, half an hour ahead of my alarm, I opened my eyes to find myself at the building’s threshold, too close to take in the structure’s dimensions at a glance but only an arm’s reach from the door. Read the rest of this entry »